Allen Ives Ormsbee

NEW BERN - Allen Ives Ormsbee, a recent resident of New Bern, North Carolina, formerly from Urbana, Illinois, passed away in New Bern on July, 13, 2012 from complications of pneumonia. Allen was born to Randall Holden Ormsbee and Nelle Carolyn Greene on Aug. 20, 1926 in Reno, Nevada. He graduated from, Silver City Teacher's High School in1942, and attended New Mexico State Teachers' College. He graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with high honors in Aeronautical Engineering in 1946, and a Master of Science in Aeronautical Engineering in 1948. He met Geraldine (Gerry) Wilma Bartlett at Silver City Teacher's High School and they were married on Aug 24, 1946 in Urbana, Illinois.

Dr. Ormsbee was appointed as an instructor in Aeronautical Engineering upon graduation in 1946, promoted to Assistant Professor in Aeronautical Engineering in 1949, was a part-time employee of Hughes Aircraft, and member of the technical staff at Caltech. He was awarded a Howard Hughes Fellowship by California Institute of Technology in 1952 and awarded the degree cum laude Dr. of Philosophy in Aeronautics and Mathematics by Caltech. He returned to the University of Illinois and became Professor Ormsbee in 1957. He retired from the U of I in 1992 and was Department Chair for Aerospace Engineering at Embrey-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Florida from 1995 to 1999.

Dr. Ormsbee was an avid handball player, loved fly fishing, hiking, backpacking, traveling, and especially flying gliders. He achieved the Diamond Award in soaring for altitude in March 1973, outside of Colorado Springs. He rented a Schweitzer 1-34. The Schweitzer was a metal plane and he was suited up like a WWII bomber pilot and used an oxygen tank. He released from the tow plane at 15,500 ft., his flight ranging from 14,200 to 31,000 ft. in altitude, reflecting a gain of 16,800 ft. His airspeed was 75mph as was the wind speed so as he was flying in to the wind, he would gain altitude yet was standing still in relation to the Earth. Al professed that "It was colder than you wouldn't know what." In July of 1974 in a Standard Libelle he did the Diamond Distance (500km or more) and a Closed Course Diamond combined, a unique and thrilling challenge. For him, the triangular route for the dual achievement consisted of flying from Champaign's Willard U of I Airport (CMI) to Highland Il Gliderport to Lawrenceville Airport and back to CMI at an average speed of 42.9 mph and a distance of 521km. He was among the first hundred sailplane pilots to achieve all three diamonds.

When not gliding, he loved hiking the backcountry trails and fly fishing the streams and lakes of the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountain Ranges of the U.S. and Canada with his family and friends. He hiked hundreds of miles, fished dozens of waterways, and swatted thousands of mosquitos in his backcountry explorations. He and Gerry climbed Mount Whitney when they were in their 20s.

His passion for flying infused his teaching at the aerospace department at the U of I. He thrived on teaching and inspiring his students to explore and hone their own gifts of knowledge to bring to the world of aerospace. He was equally inspired by their academic and professional accomplishments.

Additionally, Dr. Ormsbee was an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics associate fellow, and Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) member, serving as secretary 1 year, treasurer 4 years, and then chair and past chair of the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC). He was appointed as the AIAA representative on ABET and awarded the Linton E. Grinter distinguished service award in 2010, ABET's highest honor.

As his daughters were fond of saying "My dad really is a rocket scientist."

Al and Gerry enjoyed traveling for work and play to 15 countries including China, Turkey, and Peru.

In his own words, his greatest achievement was staying alive for over 80 years. His greatest disappointment was that the sun comes up in the East. His unusual attributes and humor consisted of being left-handed and right-footed. He was "grateful for my charming and singular wife and my kids, and for all my friends and colleagues on whom I blame my success or lack thereof." The three words that summed up his life? "Pretty damn lucky."

Dr. Ormsbee is survived by his bride, Geraldine, their three daughters, Pam Brodsky, Marilyn Strother, and Pat Ormsbee and four grandchildren, Jack Brodsky, Elizabeth Brodsky, Graham Strother, and Raeford Strother. He also leaves a legacy of students brought closer to the stars from his teaching.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to The Allen Ormsbee Fund, College of Engineering, University of Illinois, 1305 W. Green St., Urbana, IL. 61801.

The family will receive friends from 1-3 p.m. Thursday, July 19, 2012, at Cotten Funeral Home, New Bern, NC.