Celebrating a Legacy of Innovation at Graham: A Father-Daughter Engineering Story

At Graham, innovation runs in the family. 

For one father-daughter duo, David Brooks and Adeline Brooks, engineering has always been a shared passion.

David Brooks, Director – Process Engineering, sees engineering as a field built on curiosity—breaking things down and figuring out how they work. After 20 years in R&D and innovation at Graham, that mindset has shaped not only his career, but also his role as a father.

As a mechanical engineering student at Temple University, Adeline is spending her summer at Graham as a Project Engineering Intern, bringing the same analytical mindset and strong work ethic her dad has modeled for years. 

Long before she stepped into the workplace, Adeline was learning from her dad. Whether it was coming into the plant on a quiet Saturday to help with testing or talking through how things worked, those moments sparked an early interest. Now, that curiosity has come full circle. 

Working at the same company has made the experience even more meaningful. For David, it’s a proud moment seeing his daughter thrive in the same field. He expressed that “She’s always had that engineering mindset and has really succeeded in STEM. I’m glad to see her feel confident stepping into a field that’s still mostly men. She’s embracing it, and I’m really proud of how she’s been able to navigate that.”

For Adeline, it’s a chance to see a new side of someone she’s looked up to her whole life.

“He’s one of the smartest people I know,” Adeline shared. “I’ve learned so much from him—not just about engineering- but about how to think.”