Glen Elvis McIntosh

Dr. Glen E. McIntosh passed away on February 18, 2025 in his 100th year. He is survived by children Susan M. Shepcaro of Rye, NH, Carolyn L. McIntosh of Denver, CO and Ross C. McIntosh of Longmont, CO, daughter in law, Diana C. McIntosh of Austin TX, and grandchildren Dominic Mattos (great grandson Will), Rose Mattos (husband Mattie Masuzzo, and great granddaughter Antonia Viera Masuzzo), Owen Shepcaro and Julia and Victor McIntosh. An older son, Kirk D. McIntosh, died of leukemia in Austin, TX on June 1, 2017.

Born on Christmas eve, 1925, in Kansas City, MO, Glen was always grateful to have been adopted by Buell Elbert McIntosh and Nellie Aura Wolfe McIntosh. His father worked for the U.S. Department of Interior. As a child Glen moved a lot; he lived in 8 different places, 12 houses, and 4 states. During World War II, Glen joined the Navy, was selected for and proudly trained as a Naval Aviator. He trained in the North American SNJ Navy Training plane, to fly the SBD Douglas dive bomber. Glen never saw active duty because the war was over while he was in training, but he chose to complete his aviation training and earn his wings and commission. He remained in the reserves for ten years.

As a 19-year-old civilian, Glen commenced engineering studies at North Dakota State University. On December 28, 1947, Glen and Alice Joy Parker were married at the Methodist Church in Devils Lake ND and thereafter were life-long partners. As a mechanical engineering student at North Dakota State, Glen was elected into Phi Kappa Phi as a Junior and later also elected into four specialty engineering honoraries. Glen and Alice moved to Indiana where they both received master’s degrees from Purdue University in February 1951. Glen continued his studies, receiving his doctorate in mechanical engineering on June 1, 1952.

Straight out of Purdue, Glen was employed with the General Electric Guided Missile Division in Schenectady, NY. In May 1953, Glen started his cryogenic career at the National Bureau of Standards Cryogenic Engineering Laboratory in Boulder, CO. Over the course of his career, he worked for Lockheed Aircraft (1955), Beech Aircraft, Cryogenic Division, Boulder CO (1955 to 1958), Sauder Industries, Cryogenic Division, Emporia, KS (1977 to 1979), and Eden Cryogenics, Longmont, CO (2007 to 2010). Glen also started three cryogenic engineering companies: Cryogenic Engineering Company (CRYENCO), Denver, CO (1958 to 1977), Cryogenic Technical Services, Inc (CTS), Boulder, CO (1980 to 2007), and McIntosh Cryogenics (McCRYO), Boulder, CO (2010 to 2017). Dr. McIntosh also served as a Visiting Professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison from June 1973 to June 1990. CRYENCO built two helium cryogenic tanks for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for its space flight program. He published nearly 50 peer-reviewed technical papers on cryogenic topics, held 8 U.S. patents, and was the principal author of two different columns in Cold Facts Magazine (Cryogenic industry trade magazine). As “Frosty,” Glen answered many questions that came into Cold Facts for nearly a decade. Until 2019, Dr. McIntosh was the only person who had attended every Cryogenic Engineering Conference. He presented his last paper, co-authored by son Ross McIntosh, at the Cryogenic Engineering Conference in Hartford, CT, on July 22, 2019.

Cremation is entrusted to Howe Mortuary & Crematory of Longmont, Colorado.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.howemortuary.com for the McIntosh family.