The numerous career, community, and institutional contributions of alumnus John Swearingen will be recognized with an Honorary Doctor of Engineering degree during Rose-Hulman’s Commencement on May 25.

Skills Swearingen learned while earning a chemical engineering degree from Rose-Hulman in 1981 provided a pathway for a successful career in the petroleum industry. He retired in 2020 as executive vice president of logistics and storage after a 39-year career with Marathon Petroleum Corporation.

John and his wife, Anne, have been faithful supporters of Rose-Hulman. They provided a $2 million donation to establish the Department of Chemical Engineering’s first endowed faculty professorship, along with supporting laboratory and technology modifications for the department. The couple also has supported scholarships and a new leadership series that’s encouraging the development of future leaders in STEM to solve complex problems. 

“We’re honored to recognize John for his loyalty to ensuring that Rose-Hulman continues educating future STEM leaders through attracting the world’s best students, quality faculty, and a dedicated staff,” Rose-Hulman President Robert A. Coons said. “John’s involvement with Rose-Hulman has grown throughout his successful career, from starting as a member of the Department of Chemical Engineering’s advisory board, to helping making Marathon Petroleum one of our key corporate partners. He’s an excellent example of how our alumni are giving back to support us as we celebrate our Sesquicentennial Celebration this year, and help us set a course for the future through our ‘Advancing by Design’ Strategic Plan.”

Swearingen started his Marathon Petroleum career as a process engineer and then worked through a series of operational and technical leadership roles, including leading the plant in Robinson, Illinois, from 2001-08 where he initially started. Later, he was president of Marathon Pipe Line LLC (2009-11), corporate vice president for health, environment, safety and security (2011-15), and senior vice president for transportation and logistics (2015-2017) before retiring in 2020 as executive vice president for logistics and storage for Marathon Petroleum’s master limited partnership. 

John and Anne are enjoying retirement while living in Loudon, Tennessee.