Paul Dergarabedian

Paul Dergarabedian

January 19, 1922 - November 17, 2007

Paul Dergarabedian

January 19, 1922 - November 17, 2007

Obituary

Noted Scientist Passes Away
Obituary for Dr. Paul Dergarabedian – 1922 – 2007

Dergarabedian, Dr. Paul, 85, of Rancho Santa Margarita, CA passed away November 17, 2007 surrounded by loving family. Born in Racine, WI, he is survived by his beloved wife, Mary; children Celeste Dwight, Claudia Moon deceased, Clarice Bowler and Paul Jr.; his sister Sylvia Morrison; 8 grandchildren: George French, William Prince, Christian Lowery, Adria Shackelford, Johnathan Bowler, Lawrence Shackelford, Michelle Lambert, Tiffany Bowler; 14 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. Dr. Dergarabedian earned his B.S. in Applied Mathematics & Mechanics and an M.S. in Mathematics at the University of Wisconsin. He also earned a Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering & Physics at Caltech. He was the Director of Systems Research at TRW for 25 years and then a Systems Analyst for The Aerospace Corp. Paul was also a Visiting Professor of Aeronautics at Caltech. He served as President of American Astronautical Society 1969 – 1971 and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Paul was a noted scientist and had a significant role in the development of America’s space program and the race to the moon. He had numerous publications in meteorology, energy systems and space technology. In his latter years, Paul was a sought after consultant and analyst and continued work in applied research. He will be greatly missed.

No Events & Services

No Charities & Donations

No Gallery Photos

No Videos

2 responses to Paul Dergarabedian

  1. John Sellars says:

    I am so sorry to hear about Paul’s death. We hadn’t seen him and Mary for some time and we were talking about getting in touch with them for dinner somewhere. I worked with Paul at TRW for many years and it was always an enjoyable experience. Together we planned Project Score as to the Atlas missile performance and what orbit would give the longest lifetime given the limitations of the booster. I’m sorry we missed our chance to meet him again; we will really miss him.

  2. Paul was my first manager when I went to work for Ramo-Wooldridge Corp in the Guided Missile Research Division in 1956. A better manager no one could possibly ask for. We published a paper jointly for a method to determine the range of an ICBM without using a computer. I was always sorry that my career interests and abilities did not allow me to continue working for him for more than three years.

    Paul made a pair of Klipsch Horn speaker cabinets, each using two sheets of 3/4 inch plywood, which he had in his home. I remember how the bass response would rattle the bottles in the bathroom medicine cabinet.

    Paul was a pioneer in Space Vehicle design, a marvelous person and good friend. I sadly will miss him.

Leave A Condolence

Choose a Candle