AIAA Mourns the Passing of Donald W. Richardson Written 31 October 2019
CONTACT: Michele McDonald
703.264.7542
michelem@aiaa.org
October 31, 2019 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) mourns the passing of AIAA Honorary Fellow and past AIAA President Donald W. Richardson on 24 October 2019.
Born on 17 March 1927, in Brooklyn, New York, Richardson fell in love with flying at an early age thanks to his father, Herbert, who flew biplanes in the U.S. Army in World War I.
At the age of 18, he enlisted to serve in World War II as an Army Sergeant in charge of a mortar crew in Italy. He later continued his service as a Navy Reserve Captain.
He graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in aeronautical engineering in 1951. He earned a master’s degree (1958) and his Ph.D. in engineering (1978), while working and raising a family.
Richardson had a formidable career with more than 64 years of technical and managerial experience in FAA, Department of Defense, U.S. Coast Guard, and NASA navigation, landing, air traffic control and aircraft systems design, development, and test. He is considered one of the fathers of the U.S. air traffic control system.
He also performed at technical and managerial levels in private industry throughout his entire
career, as an engineer, research pilot, and corporate executive. For over 40 years Richardson was directly and continuously involved in all facets of the technical and operational issues relating to the FAA’s mission including its Capital Investment Plan (CIP) and Research, Engineering, and Development (RE&D) Plan.
He joined AIAA in 1948 and was an active member, serving on or chairing numerous committees, including the Aerospace Traffic Management Integration and Outreach Committee and the Institute Development Committee. He served as president of the Institute from 2004 to 2005. Richardson was awarded the AIAA Distinguished Service Award in 2012, as well as the AIAA Sustained Service Award in 2001.
He also is one the few Americans to be named an Honorary Fellow of England's Royal Aeronautical Society.
About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 85 countries, and 95 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org, or follow us on Twitter @AIAA.
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American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
12700 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 200, Reston, VA 20191-5807
Phone: 703.264.7558 Fax: 703.264.7551 www.aiaa.org