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Theodore von Kármán
Times obituary
SCIENCE IN AVIATION
Sir Solly Zuckerman writes:
The death at the age of 81 of Dr. von Karman robs America of one of her most distinguished scientists, her aviation industry of the man who was for two decades its driving force, and the United States Air Force of its "Patron Saint".
Theodore von Karman was born in Hungary in 1881, the son of an eminent professor of philosophy. His great mathematical gifts were soon apparent—he was a child prodigy and academic honours came easily. But he was much more than a first-class mathematician, being one of those very rare men who combine great mathematical ability with both an interest in affairs and a capacity for management qualities which in later years he put to such good use.
While still in his twenties, he was attracted by the new field of aeronautics and soon became the Director of the Institute for Aeronautics at the Technical University at Aachen, a post which he held from 1912 to 1929. It was incidentally to this town that he returned shortly ago to rest, and there, on Tuesday, he died in his sleep.
The period at Aachen gave him the chance to consolidate his reputation. Under his guidance, the Institute became of international standing, and his own contributions to aeronautics theory were of a quality which have since made them part of the classical foundations of the subject.
In 1929 he was offered the Directorship of the Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory and settled in California. The American aeronautical industry at that time had none of its present-day technological supremacy, and von Karman played a leading part in building it up. He was granted American citizenship in 1936, and two years later, at the age of 57, became the Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology, an institution which later played a leading part in America's war effort.
By the end of the war, von Karman had become an elder statesman of American science. He had used his considerable inventive genius wisely and had amassed a considerable fortune. His many influential friends recognized his vision and foresight, and so, when the United States Air Force was looking for a new chairman for their principal scientific advisory board, they naturally chose von Karman. This position, which he held from 1944 to 1955, gave him an opportunity to work on the large-scale that he enjoyed so much. One of his first tasks was to draw up, with the help of a small but brilliant team of collaborators, a master plan for the post-war development of the United States Air Force. This led directly to the shape of the force as it is today. A decade later, NATO in its turn was to ask for his assistance. He clearly enjoyed this kind of work, even though he was always careful to insist that "prophecy is not a scientific activity."
True to his upbringing, he remained an internationalist, and in his later years he never retired—he used his influence and world-wide reputation to found a number of international scientific organizations, such as the Advisory Group for Aeronautical Research and Development in Paris and the Training Centre for Experimental Aerodynamics in Brussels. These contributions to the wider intellectual and political life of the West were recognized earlier this year when he was chosen as the first recipient of the American National Medal of Science.
Dr. von Karman was also the recipient of many other American and foreign honours, including Foreign Membership of the Royal Society. He was a delightful and witty companion and loyal to a wide circle of friends
SCIENCE IN AVIATION
Sir Solly Zuckerman writes:
The death at the age of 81 of Dr. von Karman robs America of one of her most distinguished scientists, her aviation industry of the man who was for two decades its driving force, and the United States Air Force of its "Patron Saint".
Theodore von Karman was born in Hungary in 1881, the son of an eminent professor of philosophy. His great mathematical gifts were soon apparent—he was a child prodigy and academic honours came easily. But he was much more than a first-class mathematician, being one of those very rare men who combine great mathematical ability with both an interest in affairs and a capacity for management qualities which in later years he put to such good use.
While still in his twenties, he was attracted by the new field of aeronautics and soon became the Director of the Institute for Aeronautics at the Technical University at Aachen, a post which he held from 1912 to 1929. It was incidentally to this town that he returned shortly ago to rest, and there, on Tuesday, he died in his sleep.
The period at Aachen gave him the chance to consolidate his reputation. Under his guidance, the Institute became of international standing, and his own contributions to aeronautics theory were of a quality which have since made them part of the classical foundations of the subject.
In 1929 he was offered the Directorship of the Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory and settled in California. The American aeronautical industry at that time had none of its present-day technological supremacy, and von Karman played a leading part in building it up. He was granted American citizenship in 1936, and two years later, at the age of 57, became the Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology, an institution which later played a leading part in America's war effort.
By the end of the war, von Karman had become an elder statesman of American science. He had used his considerable inventive genius wisely and had amassed a considerable fortune. His many influential friends recognized his vision and foresight, and so, when the United States Air Force was looking for a new chairman for their principal scientific advisory board, they naturally chose von Karman. This position, which he held from 1944 to 1955, gave him an opportunity to work on the large-scale that he enjoyed so much. One of his first tasks was to draw up, with the help of a small but brilliant team of collaborators, a master plan for the post-war development of the United States Air Force. This led directly to the shape of the force as it is today. A decade later, NATO in its turn was to ask for his assistance. He clearly enjoyed this kind of work, even though he was always careful to insist that "prophecy is not a scientific activity."
True to his upbringing, he remained an internationalist, and in his later years he never retired—he used his influence and world-wide reputation to found a number of international scientific organizations, such as the Advisory Group for Aeronautical Research and Development in Paris and the Training Centre for Experimental Aerodynamics in Brussels. These contributions to the wider intellectual and political life of the West were recognized earlier this year when he was chosen as the first recipient of the American National Medal of Science.
Dr. von Karman was also the recipient of many other American and foreign honours, including Foreign Membership of the Royal Society. He was a delightful and witty companion and loyal to a wide circle of friends
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