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UCLA Engineering Loses Two
Members of its Early Faculty
Former UCLA engineering professor Thomas Connolly died April 3 at
a retirement community in Saratoga,CA, following a long illness.
He was 83.
Connolly was hired as a member of the UCLA engineering faculty by
Dean L.M.K. Boelter in 1950, and taught at UCLA for nine years before
leaving for Stanford University.
“It was here at UCLA that Tom’s interest in nuclear engineering
crystallized,” recalled UCLA professor emeritus William Van Vorst.
“He had the background from his work at Los Alamos, but he was very
interested in UCLA getting a reactor on campus.”
Later in his career, Connolly contributed to the design of safe
and reliable nuclear reactors, and he was elected a fellow of the
American Nuclear Society for his “contributions to various areas
of nuclear engineering, for his outstanding teaching and for his
wise and reasoned contribution to public understanding of nuclear
issues.”
In a 1996 oral history interview, Connolly reflected on the influence
Boelter had over his career and teaching style, including a more
unified approach to teaching engineering. Added Van Vorst, “Tom
was particularly conscientious in teaching—he was always very well
prepared.”
Connolly was born in Syracuse, N.Y., in 1923, and received his bachelor’s
degree in chemical engineering from Syracuse University in 1943.
After graduation, he began working at an oil refinery for Standard
of Indiana, before being drafted into the Army. He was later transferred
to Los Alamos, New Mexico during World War II, where he helped purify
uranium for the atomic bomb.
After the war, Connolly continued his studies, earning a master’s
degree in chemical engineering from Carnegie Technical Institute
in 1947 and a doctorate in chemical engineering from the California
Institute of Technology in 1950.
Connolly is survived by his wife Helen; sons Mark, Steven, and James,
daughter M. Kari, and two granddaughters. reactors, and he was elected
a fellow of the American Nuclear Society for his “contributions
to various areas of nuclear engineering, for his outstanding teaching
and for his wise and reasoned contribution to public understanding
of nuclear issues.”
- - -
George John Tauxe, a former senior lecturer in the civil and environmental
engineering department at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering
and Applied Science, passed away July 9 at his home in Santa Monica
of respiratory failure. He was 92.
Beginning in 1946, Tauxe taught at UCLA Engineering for 32 years
on a wide variety of topics including dynamics, strength of materials,
structural analysis, soil mechanics, and computer programming, among
others. He also served as the faculty advisor to the UCLA Amateur
Radio Group.
“In the early days, UCLA Engineering was crowded for space,
and faculty used
to ask Boelter for an office. He had a work desk in his office that
he’d offer, and that was usually the end of that. But George was
so serious, he took him up on it and moved in to share Boelter’s
office,” said professor emeritus William Van Vorst.
Tauxe retired from teaching in 1978, but remained active in the
local community as a consultant to individual landowners on landslide
problems for nearly 20 years. In addition, he served on the Pacific
Palisades American Association for Retired Persons board and the
Methodist adult fellowship group, and enjoyed traveling with his
wife in their RV. He greatly enjoyed music, was an accomplished
saxophone and flute player, and also a member of the Palisades Oom
PaPa band.
A Pacific Palisades resident since 1954, Tauxe met his wife of nearly
70 years, Wilma, in an English literature class at Glendale Junior
College in 1933. The couple married in 1936.
Prior to his time with UCLA, Tauxe taught civil engineering at the
University of Wisconsin and served in the U.S. Navy during World
War II. He remained an active member of the U.S. Naval Reserves
until 1969. Tauxe is survived by his wife, granddaughter Lianne,
and grandson John. |
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