In Passing...Section Members That Passed Away Within The Last Year (or so)

Hasselmann, Detlev "Ed" (Oct 20, 1935 -- Jun 2, 2008), Solana Beach, PE, Life Member  

Ed was born in Hong Kong, grew up in the Philippines, China, and Germany. At 13 he came to the U.S. and attended Severn Prep School. He graduated from MIT with a BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering and then spent five years in the Air Force testing rockets. He entered civilian life in 1963 working for Electro-Optical Systems in Pasadena. There he managed the production of photovoltaic solar panels for space satellites. At one time, nearly all solar panels in space had been built under his supervision, a source of pride for him. Always a restless inventor, he first built a remote-controlled submersible but was too far ahead of his time. In 1974, he went to work on gasoline vapor recovery, another emerging technology. In 1975, he founded Hasstech, Inc. and in 1976, his was the first gasoline vapor recovery system certified by the State of California for use on gas stations. Ed held 14 patents and was a Professional Engineer.

After retirement, Ed and Norma, his wife, took off on their motor yacht to cruise from Canada to Canada around North and Latin America. It was an eye-opening five years and a life's dream fulfilled. Besides his wife, Ed is survived by his son, Erich (Susan), daughter, Heather Walker (John), and granddaughters, Brooke, Jillian, and Annelise Hasselmann. He was preceded in death by his parents, Dr. Margaret Hasselmann-Kahlert and Dr. Carl Max Hasselmann. Interment was at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.

Ellenberger, William J (Jan 14, 1908 -- March 26, 2008), Escondido, PE, Life Member (1934)

Mr. Ellenberger was born in Nashville, Tenn., He enrolled in The George Washington University in 1925 and earned BS degrees in both electrical engineering (1930) and mechanical engineering (1934). In addition to his formal education, he has studied engineering management extensively. His illustrious and diverse career started with the Potomac Electric Power Company (PEPCO) in 1932 and took him to the National Bureau of Standards and the United States Army. He even taught a few engineering classes at GW before being called to active duty during World War II.

Mr. Ellenberger served both at home and abroad as an officer in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. During the Korean War, he served the Army General Staff as a research and development facilities officer. In 1954, he began a 14-year-long career with the Department of the Army Civilian Service, where he served as construction management engineer with the offices of the Chief of Research and Development, Chief Chemical Officer, and Director of Installations, where he was responsible for developing the annual Army Military Construction Program and Budget.  He retired as a colonel.

Mr. Ellenberger's interests included industrial archaeology and the history of engineering. Mr. Ellenberger became a life member of the GW Alumni Association in 1931 and helped organize the Engineer Alumni Association in 1936. Mr. Ellenberger received the Alumni Service Award from the GW Alumni Association in 1965 and was inducted into the GW Engineering Hall of Fame in 2006.  Mr. Ellenberger was a life senior member of IEEE and a life member of ASME.

Survivors include his daughter, Katherine Matheron of Escondido; son, Joseph Ellenberger of Escondido; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Interment was at Arlington National Cemetery.

Tuba, Istvan Stephen (1932 -- Jan 4, 2008), San Diego, PE, Life Fellow

Dr. Istvan Stephen Tuba passed away of natural causes at the age of 76. He was born in a rural area of Hungary, near a chemical complex where his father became technical chief. In his youth Istvan competed in sports, notably the Modern Pentathlon in which he excelled, and he also edited the sport section of the region's newspaper. While studying engineering at the Technical University of Budapest he also acted as technical chief of several trade schools in Budapest. In 1956 he was a research engineer with the Csepel Automobile Factory. After the 1956 Hungarian Revoution was crushed, Istvan and his wife Erzsebet (later Elizabeth) escaped to Austria from which they were sent as political refugees to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. By January of 1957 Istvan was working for Westinghouse Electric, East Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania. In 1960 he received the MSME degree from the Carnegie Institute of Technology and in 1964 his PhD in engineering from the University of Pittsburgh.

He produced numerous publications and lectured at Carnegie Mellon University and served as adjunct professor at University of Pittsburgh. In 1970 he started his first engineering company in Pittsburgh, whose success was followed by the establishment of other companies there and in Los Angeles. In 1976 Dr. Tuba created the International Technology Institute, ITI and he later created a Hall of Fame for Engineering, Science and Technology, HOFEST.

He will be greatly missed by wife Elizabeth; sons Stephen and Thomas; and three grandchildren.

Swink, George (Dec 25, 1949 -- July 3, 2007), Escondido, PE, Member (2002)
George was born in Redlands, California, moved to San Diego in his youth, attended La Jolla Country Day School, and graduated in Mechanical Engineering from Cal Poly SLO.  He was at the time of his death, president of Southwest Consulting Group in Rancho Bernardo, an engineering firm he and two colleagues started in 1994 that specialized in expert witness and consulting services related to mechanical, plumbing, and electrical issues. Retained as an expert on more than 2,500 commercial and residential cases, Swink performed investigations for more than 17 years. Before that, he was the president of a mechanical and electrical engineering design firm in San Diego, working for such notable theme parks as Epcot Center and Sea World as well as housing projects for universities and the military. He also worked for Sony Corporation as a Plant Engineer.  He was a licensed mechanical engineer in several states, including California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Texas, Hawaii, and Louisiana, and was a licensed private investigator.  Georege was a member of ASME, ASPE, ASHRAE, NAFI, and NFPA.
 
Swink is survived by Annie, his wife of 37 years and one daughter.  George is remembered for his generosity, integrity, sense of humor, and his ability relating to anything mechanical.

Nicoloff, Nicholas (1924-2006), San Diego, Life Member (1949)


Koniges, Frank (Jul 27, 1923 -- Dec 16, 2005), Poway, PE, Life Member (1972).
 
Frank was born in New York City and lived in Poway for 34 years.  He was an engineering manager and community college instructor. He was a member of the Merchant Marines during World War II and received full military honors. Frank was an active member of ASME-San Diego Section.  It seemed like every summer Frank and his wife Dorothy would host our Section's annual family picnic potluck / turnover meeting at his house.  We all enjoyed his travel stories, the pool, volleyball, ping-pong, and croquet.  Frank enjoyed collecting stamps, collecting coins, playing the violin, gymnastics, and languages.  He was also a member of the Kiwanis and Green Valley Civic Association.

Frank is survived by his wife of 57 years, Dorothy Koniges; sons, daughter, and children-in-law in New Jersey, North Carolina, and Livermore; and eight grandchildren.

Nachbar, William (Apr 25, 1923 -- October 24, 2005), La Jolla, PhD, Life Fellow (1956).

He was born in Brooklyn, NY as the eldest of three sons.  He grew up in New York City and graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School in 1940. He graduated from Cornell University in 1944 and then served in the U.S. Army from 1944 to 1946. He received a Master's degree in mathematics from the Courant Institute of New York University in 1948 and a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from Brown University in 1951. He met his wife Pauline at Brown. He worked at Boeing in Seattle from 1951 to 1955, where he participated in the design of the Boeing 707, the first commercially successful jet airliner. From 1955 to 1961, he was section head of Mechanics and Applied Mathematics at the Research Laboratory of the Lockheed Missile and Space Division in Palo Alto. There, he worked on Polaris, the first missile designed to be launched underwater, from a submarine. In 1961, he joined Stanford University and was promoted to associate professor in 1963. He joined the University of California, San Diego, in 1965 as professor of applied mechanics in newly established Revell College, the first of UCSD's main colleges. He received a Guggenheim fellowship in 1967. He retired from UCSD in 1989. He is best known for his contributions to the study of combustion and to the study of structural mechanics, particularly the theory of shell structures. He loved camping, fly fishing, snorkeling, and Mozart. And he loved his family.  He was a Fellow of ASME.

He is survived by his wife Pauline Nachbar, son John Nachbar, daughter-in-law Suzanne Yee, and granddaughter Katherine Nachbar.

Wiens, Frank (Sep 19, 1917 -- Mar 8, 2005), Escondido, Member (1966).

Frank was born in Hooker, Oklahoma and lived in Escondido for 20 years  He was a mechanical engineer for Custom Engineering Inc. for 45 years.  He was instrumental in developing and producing scientific instrumentation for the space exploration program.  Frank was a member of ASME.

Taylor, William H, II (1950-2005), Valley Center, Member (1993).



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