This video is a memorial video for:
Reginald I. Vachon, ASME Past President (2003-2004), former member of the Board of Governors, and an Honorary Member of the Society, died on December 24, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. He was 83 years old.
Dr. Vachon, an ASME Fellow, was an active, dedicated, and beloved member of the Society for more than half a century, having served in leadership roles on numerous councils and committees. He was a recipient of the ASME Dedicated Service Award, and in 2019 was bestowed the ASME Medal, the Society’s highest award for eminently distinguished engineering achievement.
His career as an engineer, executive, and lawyer spanning more than six decades exemplified his passion and enthusiasm for the profession of engineering. Among his many affiliations, Reggie, as he was affectionately known, served as chairman of Vachon Global, an Atlanta-based multidisciplinary company serving, industry, government, and business. He also held positions as an R&D engineer with E.I. DuPont, an aerospace engineer with Thiokol and NASA, and design engineer for Hayes Aircraft.
Dr. Vachon was a registered Professional Engineer in six states and a licensed European Engineer. He was a licensed U.S. Coast Guard captain and active in the U.S. Army Reserve for over 30 years retiring with the rank of Colonel. He conducted research and development projects on behalf of the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy, NASA, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration, the National Science Foundation, and other agencies. He served on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Advisory Committee, and as resident engineer and constructor for the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve. He was a licensed attorney and a member of the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Among his many international associations he served as president of the Pan American Academy of Engineering, vice president for the Pan American Union of Engineering Organizations (UPADI), and as a board member and vice president of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO).
Dr. Vachon held the position of endowed chair Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Auburn University and was an adjunct professor at Purdue University. He earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and M.S. in Nuclear Science while attending the U.S. Naval Academy and Auburn University and received his Ph.D. in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering from Oklahoma State University. He earned his law degree (LL.B.) from Thomas Goode Jones School of Law in Alabama. He was a graduate of the U.S. Army War College, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and the United States National Defense University.
“Any success that I’ve ever had has always been because of other people… I think that the greatest impact that I’ve had, if any, has been to encourage people to think and to reach beyond their perceived limits, because thinking leads to innovation; innovation leads to contributions to humanity and the environment.”
(Reggie Vachon, Nov.11, 2019)
#ReggieVachon #ASMEVOLUNTEER #UPADI #WFEO
