Credit: The Caltech Archives
Frank E. Marble
Frank E. Marble, the Richard L. and Dorothy M. Hayman Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Professor of Jet Propulsion, Emeritus, at Caltech, passed away on August 11. He was 96.
Marble received his bachelor of science degree in 1940 and his master's degree in 1942, both from the Case Institute of Technology. He then came to Caltech and earned an engineer's degree in 1947 and a PhD in 1948, with Professor Theodore von Kármán as his advisor. He was hired at Caltech in 1948 as an instructor in aeronautics, became assistant professor of jet propulsion and mechanical engineering in 1949, associate professor in 1953, professor in 1957, and was named Hayman Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Professor of Jet Propulsion in 1980. He retired in 1989.
Marble made major contributions to aerodynamics, combustion, and propulsion, specifically the research and development of gas turbines and rockets. He also was responsible for the training of several generations of scientists in the field of aeronautics.
A member of both the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Sciences, Marble received many honors for his contributions, including the 1999 Daniel Guggenheim Medal, awarded by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and the AIAA Combustion Award.
Marble was predeceased by Ora Lee, his wife of seven decades.
A full obituary will be posted at a later date.
Written by Kathy Svitil