Herbert Voelcker Explained

Herbert Voelcker
Birth Date:7 January 1930
Birth Place:Tonawanda, New York, U.S.
Death Place:Ithaca, New York, U.S.
Sport:Sports shooting
Show-Medals:yes

Herbert Bernhardt Voelcker Jr. (January 7, 1930 – January 23, 2020) was an American sports shooter, professor and engineer.[1] [2] He competed in the 300 metre rifle event at the 1956 Summer Olympics.[3] [4] He was a pioneer in computer-aided design.[5]

Biography

Voelcker was born in January 1930 in Tonawanda, New York.[1] At Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),[6] Voelcker studied mechanical engineering,[1] before going to the University of Rochester and Cornell University.[1] At MIT, Voelcker was part of the rifle team and the rowing team, becoming a collegiate rifle champion in 1950.[2] Voelcker then served with the 82nd Airborne Division,[7] and was part of the army team that won the national team rifle title.[2] He earned a Fulbright Scholarship and went to the Imperial College of Science in London, England, to study electrical engineering.[2] During the 1950s, Voelcker also coached the rifle team at MIT.[1]

At the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne,[8] Voelcker competed in the men's 300 metre free rifle, three positions event, finishing in tenth place.[9]

He taught at the University of Rochester, where he was awarded with the university's top prize in 1969.[2] Voelcker's work in 3D modeling led to the use of CAD/CAM engineering.[10] In total, Voelcker spent more than twenty years as a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, and worked at the Cornell University College of Engineering.[2] He was a Life Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.[11] In 2014, he was awarded with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.[12]

Voelcker died at the Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca, New York, in January 2020 at the age of 90.[2] [13]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Herbert Voelcker . May 9, 2022 . Olympedia.
  2. Web site: Herbert Bernhardt Voelcker Jr. 1930 - 2020 . Legacy . May 9, 2022.
  3. Web site: Herbert Voelcker . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150927053147/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/vo/herbert-voelcker-1.html . September 27, 2015 . June 14, 2015 . Sports Reference.
  4. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/theithacajournal/obituary.aspx?n=herbert-bernhardt-voelcker&pid=195259918& Herbert Voelcker's obituary
  5. Web site: Solid-modeling pioneer Herb Voelcker dies at 90 . May 9, 2022 . Cornell Chronicle.
  6. Web site: 10 Facts About MIT Alumni and the Olympic Games . MIT Alumni Association . May 9, 2022.
  7. Web site: Masters of Manufacturing: Herbert B. Voelcker . SME . May 9, 2022.
  8. Web site: Special Issue in the memory of Herb Voelcker . May 9, 2022 . Elsevier.
  9. Web site: Free Rifle, Three Positions, 300 metres, Men . Olympedia . May 9, 2022.
  10. Web site: Solid-modeling pioneer Herb Voelcker dies at 90 . Cornell University . May 9, 2022.
  11. Web site: Herbert Bernhardt Voelcker, Jr. . Cornell University . May 9, 2022.
  12. Web site: Obituary of Herbert Bernhardt Voelcker, Jr. . Ithaca Cremation Service . May 9, 2022.
  13. Web site: Special Issue in the memory of Herb Voelcker . May 9, 2022 . Science Direct.