Richard Coar
{{Short description|American aerospace engineer (1921–2013)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Richard Coar
| birth_name = Richard John Coar
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1921|05|02}}
| birth_place = Hanover, New Hampshire, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2013|12|29|1921|05|02}}
| death_place = Roanoke, Virginia, U.S.
| education = Tufts University (BS)
| occupation = Engineer
| years_active = 1941–1986
| employer = Pratt & Whitney
United Technologies
| known_for = J58 turbojet for the SR-71 "Blackbird"
RL10 rocket engine
| notable_works =
| boards =
| spouse =
| children = Kenneth
| awards = George Westinghouse Medal
Daniel Guggenheim Medal
}}
Richard John Coar (May 2, 1921 – December 29, 2013), an American aeronautical engineer and former president of Pratt & Whitney.
Early life
Coar was born on May 2, 1921 in Hanover, New Hampshire.{{cite web |title=Richard Coar Obituary |url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?pid=169061545 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413124940/http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?pid=169061545 |archivedate=April 13, 2014 |accessdate=April 9, 2014 |work=New York Times}} He spend his childhood in Hanover and Kingston, Massachusetts.
He received a four-year scholarship from Tufts College, graduating with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering summa cum laude in 1942.{{cite web |title=Richard Coar |url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4404/notes8.htm |accessdate=3 December 2016 |website=history.nasa.gov}} While at Tufts, he joined Tau Beta Pi in 1942.{{Cite web |date= |title=Business Leaders |url=http://tbp.org/about/Dist/Business.cfm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728102500/http://tbp.org/about/Dist/Business.cfm |archive-date=2017-07-28 |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=Tau Beta Pi |via=web.archive.org}}
Career
The summer before his senior year in college, Coar worked as a summer internata the Pratt & Whitney's engineering department. After college, he became a test engineer for the company, working with the engines used in United States military aircraft during World War II. He helped develop the model 304 liquid hydrogen aircraft engine and the RL10 rocket engine.{{cite web|title=Richard Coar|url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4404/ch8-10.htm|website=history.nasa.gov|accessdate=3 December 2016}}
After the war, he continued to work for Pratt & Whitney, and later with its parent company, United Technologies Corporation. He became the chief engineer of its Florida Research and Development Center in West Palm Beach in 1956. Coar returned to Connecticut in 1971 as Pratt & Whitney's vice president, overseeing commercial and military engine development. He was promoted to executive vice president in 1976 and became the company's president in 1983. In 1984, he became the executive vice president of United Technologies, retiring in 1986.
Coar was a member of the National Research Council's Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board. He was a member of the United States National Academy of Engineering, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the American Society for Metals.{{cite web |title=Richard |url=http://www.nationalacademyofengineering.com/nae/naepub.nsf/Members+By+UNID/B57B8302A16E04B586257552006B36B0?opendocument |accessdate=3 December 2016 |website=nationalacademyofengineering.com}}
Honors and award
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers honored him with the George Westinghouse Medal in 1984. He received the Franklin W. Kolk Air Transportation Award from the Society of Automotive Engineers in 1985. In 1998, he received the Daniel Guggenheim Medal for achievements in aeronautics.{{cite web |title=Richard Coar |url=http://www.asme.org/Governance/Honors/SocietyAwards/George_Westinghouse_Medals.cfm |accessdate=3 December 2016 |website=asme.org}}
Personal life
Coar was married to Cecile Berle who died in 1971. He then married Lucille Hicks. His son, Ken Coar, is well known for his involvement in the launch of the Apache Foundation, a United States–based non-profit software development company. His other children are Candace, Andrea Tittle, and Roger.
Coar was an avid golfer and sailor. He died at his home in Roanoke, Virginia on December 29, 2013.
References
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Category:American aerospace engineers
Category:Tufts University School of Engineering alumni
Category:Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering
Category:People from Hanover, Massachusetts
Category:20th-century American businesspeople
Category:20th-century American engineers
Category:American corporate directors
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