In Memoriam

Recognizing Geoffrey Andrews, Anh-Thu Nguyen, and other alumni who have passed away in the last year

In Memoriam | Aerogram Magazine | Purdue University School of Aeronautics and Astronautics

In Memoriam

Geoffrey Andrews (MSAAE '17, PhD AAE '22)

Geoffrey Andrews standing next to a small plane

Known for his love of aircraft and flying, his vast suite of hobbies and of his ever-present bow ties, Andrews died in a plane crash in June 2025. “He began flying before he could drive a car,” said Gentry Andrews, his widow. “He just loved flying machines and thought they were incredibly cool. They defy gravity, and they connect people all over the world.”.

 

Anh-Thu Nguyen (BS Math ’13, MSAAE ’15)

Anh-Thu Nguyen sitting in front of a small plane

In 2024, Nguyen became the 10th woman to fly solo around the world. She died in a plane crash in July 2025, on another attempt to accomplish the same feat in her Lancair IV-P, “Amelia.” Nguyen was also a devoted mentor, founding the nonprofit Asian Women in Aerospace and Aviation to provide guidance and funding to Asian women entering the industry.

 

In Memoriam

Listings are based on those reported to us. Did we miss someone? Please let us know. Email Ashley Thompson: althompson@purdueforlife.org

1940s

  • Raymond M. Goodman (BSAE ’45)
  • Jack Hudson Fredericks (BSAE ’49)
  • Lynn Ray Ikerd (BSAE ’49)
  • Sherrill R. McDonald (BSAE ’49)
  • Howard Carroll Rodean (MSAE ’49)

1950s

  • George Theodore Shapen (BSAE ’50)
  • William C. Berghorn (BSAE ’51)
  • Peter W. Schaper (BSAE ’51, MSAE ’53)
  • Ralph Samuel Miller (BSAE ’52)
  • Robert Dee Sherrill (BSAE ’52, MSAE 56)
  • George Edward Thompson (BSAE ’54)
  • Willy August Christian Wolter (BSAE ’56)
  • Robert James Jezik (BSAE ’57, MSAE ’58, PhD AE ’64)
  • Roger Jacob Jurgovan (BSAE ’57, MS Industrial Administration ’59)
  • Edward H. Loeffler (BSAE ’57)
  • Richard Charles Offhaus Jr. (BSAE ’57, MSAE Science ’59)
  • William Frank Swoger (BSAE ’57)
  • Anton Dwight Abbott (BSAE ’58, MS Industrial Administration ’65)
  • Wendell Smith Norman (MSAE ’58, PhD AE ’61)

1960s

  • John Peter Gleiter (BSAE ’60)
  • Alan Wayne Severance (BSAE ’60)
  • Thomas Dennis Murtaugh (BSAE ’61)
  • Noel Edward Ashbaugh (BSAE ’62, MSAE ’63)
  • Burnette John Carlson (BSAE ’62)
  • Donald R. Chamberlain (BSAE ’62)
  • Brent Eugene Coy (BSAE ’63, MSAE ’65, PhD AE ’69)
  • Douglas Glen Kinney (BSAE ’64)
  • William Hugh Frey (BSAE ’65)
  • Jon Allen Whitworth (BSAE ’65)
  • Kenneth Wayne Jonaitis (BSAE ’66, MSAE ’68)
  • Robert Wiliam Reid Jr. (BSAE ’66, MSAE ’67, PhD AE ’70)
  • Richard L. Thacker (BSAE ’68)
  • Peter Henry DeLaFosse (BSAE ’69)
  • Stephen Charles Hostetler (BSAE ’69)
  • Vernon Naoki Owara (BSAE ’69)

1970s

  • Edward Anthony Owczarek (BSAE ’70)
  • Thomas N. Prymak (BSAE ’70)
  • Douglas Lyle Bowers (BSAE ’72)
  • Richard Michael Witt (MSAE ’72)
  • Jeffrey Earl Fugate (BSAAE ’76)

1980s

  • Larry Roger Fisher (BSAAE ’88)

1990s

  • Thomas Samuel Barnes (BSAAE ’90)
  • Gregory John Grindey (MSAAE ’92)
  • Andrew John Shurtleff (BSAAE ’99)

2000s

  • Anh-Thu T. Nguyen (BS Science ’02, MSAAE ’04)
  • Brian Dwight Chernish (BSAAE ’05)

2010s

  • Geoffrey M. Andrews (MSAAE ’17, PhD AAE ’22)

 

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