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Walter Pilkey, the Morse Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Virginia, passed away Monday, August 27, 2007.
He was the founding director of the Automobile Safety Laboratory (now the Center for Applied Biomechanics) at University of Virginia. He has been on the faculty at University of Virginia since 1969. He also taught at the University of Kabul, Afghanistan from 1963 until 1964, where he helped organize the engineering school and he did research at Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany from 1975 until 1976, and the Naval Postgraduate School from 1983 until 1984, in Monterey, CA.
He was involved in engineering programs in Korea, Taiwan, China, Turkey, India, and Russia. Before coming to University of Virginia in 1969, he taught at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, and worked at IIT Research Institute. He received a B.A. degree from Washington State University, an M.A. degree from Purdue University, and his Ph.D. from Penn State University. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and a Fellow of ASME.
While an undergraduate at Washington State University, Dr. Pilkey was on the varsity wrestling team, and he spent his summers as a United States Forest Service Smoke Jumper in Missoula, MT. He was also an avid mountain climber, skier, and runner, and he took pride in being active, competitive, and fit.
Dr. Pilkey was an early developer and leader in the field of computational mechanics. He developed methods that he called "re-analysis" for the design of complex dynamical systems.
His initial work was classically based mechanics research and as it developed, he became increasingly more applied and practical. He loved collaborating with others, ranging from his own family to a large base of colleagues, both locally and internationally, many of whom he found sponsors for to allow them to come do their research at University of Virginia.
During his long and distinguished career, he was editor-in-chief of five engineering journals, some of which he initiated, he edited or authored 30 books, and he published hundreds of technical papers. His books include several that were co -authored with a member of his family, including his engineering father, Orrin Sr., a civil engineer, and his brother Orrin ('54), a coastal geologist, and his daughter, a rocket scientist, and his wife, Barbara. His research areas were very broad; they included crash safety for cars, planes and trains, and studies of airbags, helmets and seats as instruments to mitigate injuries. He also had an interest in high wind coastal construction. Among his many accomplishments, he developed mathematical equations that were used for missile silo hardening, and developed software used in the design of the Ford Taurus frame.
Walter was born October, 1936. His is survived by wife Barbara, daughter Deborah and her husband Joel; son, Lawrence and his wife, Bethy; and three grandchildren, Samantha, Angelo, and Walter.
A memorial service and celebration of his life will be held 3 p.m. Thursday, August 30, 2007, at the University of Virginia Chapel.
Published in the Daily Progress from 8/29/2007 - 8/30/2007.
