[List] Obituary: Reggie Vachon

[Cecil Stokes]

Reginald I. Vachon, ASME Past President (2003-2004), former member of 
the Board of Governors, and an Honorary Member of the Society, died on 
December 24, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. He was 83 years old.

Dr. Vachon, an ASME Fellow, was an active, dedicated, and beloved member 
of the Society for more than half a century, having served in leadership 
roles on numerous councils and committees. He was a recipient of the 
ASME Dedicated Service Award, and in 2019 was bestowed the ASME Medal, 
the Society’s highest award for eminently distinguished engineering 
achievement.

His career as an engineer, executive, and lawyer spanning more than six 
decades exemplified his passion and enthusiasm for the profession of 
engineering. Among his many affiliations, Reggie, as he was 
affectionately known, served as chairman of Vachon Global, an 
Atlanta-based multidisciplinary company serving, industry, government, 
and business. He also held positions as an R&D engineer with E.I. 
DuPont, an aerospace engineer with*Thiokol *and NASA, and design 
engineer for Hayes Aircraft.

Dr. Vachon was a registered Professional Engineer in six states and a 
licensed European Engineer. He was a licensed U.S. Coast Guard captain 
and active in the U.S. Army Reserve for over 30 years retiring with the 
rank of Colonel. He conducted research and development projects on 
behalf of the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy, NASA, the U.S. Department of 
Defense, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Energy 
Research and Development Administration, the National Science 
Foundation, and other agencies. He served on the U.S. Department of 
Homeland Security Science and Technology Advisory Committee, and as 
resident engineer and constructor for the U.S. Strategic Petroleum 
Reserve. He was a licensed attorney and a member of the bar of the U.S. 
Supreme Court.

Among his many international associations he served as president of the 
Pan American Academy of Engineering, vice president for the Pan American 
Union of Engineering Organizations (UPADI), and as a board member and 
vice president of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO).

Dr. Vachon held the position of endowed chair Professor of Mechanical 
Engineering at Auburn University and was an adjunct professor at Purdue 
University. He earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and M.S. in 
Nuclear Science while attending the U.S. Naval Academy and *Auburn 
University* and received his Ph.D. in Aerospace and Mechanical 
Engineering from Oklahoma State University. He earned his law degree 
(LL.B.) from Thomas Goode Jones School of Law in Alabama. He was a 
graduate of the U.S. Army War College, the U.S. Army Command and General 
Staff College, and the United States National Defense University.

/“Any success that I’ve ever had has always been because of other 
people…I think that the greatest impact that I’ve had, if any, has been 
to encourage people to think and to reach beyond their perceived limits, 
because thinking leads to innovation; innovation leads to contributions 
to humanity and the environment.” (Reggie Vachon, Nov.11, 2019) /

Dr. Vachon is survived by his beloved wife of 60 years, Mary Eleanor, 
their two children, and two grandchildren.

The Vachon Family has requested that donations can be made to the ASME 
Foundation in Reggie’s honor via this link 
<https://www.asmefoundation.org/donate/>, by indicating “in memory of 
Reggie Vachon” on the /Designation/ line.

===============================================

RIP, Reggie!!! Reggie was an Auburn ME classmate of mine who I 
reconnected with as fellow regional officers of ASME (American 
Association of Mechanical Engineers) in the '78-80 era. I did not recall 
a mention of his time with Thiokol; but, there it is in his obit among 
his many fine accomplishments. Can anyone fill me in on when and where 
he worked for Thiokol?

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