[List] Obituary: Reggie Vachon

[William Biles]

Cecil and my Thiokol colleagues:

I am saddened to learn of Reggie's passing. I knew Reggie both as a student
and a faculty member at Auburn. I had Reggie as a guest seminar speaker in
the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at the University of
Notre Dame in 1975. Reggie shared the story that Ralph "Shug" Jordan, then
Reggie's next door neighbor at Auburn, was graduating in Civil Engineering
at Auburn in 1933, but he wanted to coach high school football. Shug could
not get a job in the public schools in Alabama because he was Catholic. So
Coach Jack Meagher kept Shug on as an assistant coach at Auburn, and the
rest is history.

I have not seen Reggie since that 1975 seminar at Notre Dame. I will miss
him.

Bill Biles

On Fri, Jan 8, 2021 at 4:29 PM Cecil Stokes <cstokes at hiwaay.net> wrote:

> 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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