Igor J. Karassik (December 1, 1911 in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...

Pennsylvania, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1795-1931: Malvina Adolphine Juliane Barjansky Karassik
/ref> – July 2, 1995 in

Maplewood, New Jersey Maplewood is a township in Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is an inner-ring suburban bedroom community of New York City in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's popula ...

)Social Security Death Index: Igor J Karassik
/ref>Igor J. Karassik (1911–1995)
by J. T. McGuire, in ''World Pumps'' Volume 1995, Issue 349, October 1995, Pages 49–50 was a Russian-American

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

known for his pioneering work with

pump A pump is a device that moves fluids ( liquids or gases), or sometimes slurries, by mechanical action, typically converted from electrical energy into hydraulic energy. Pumps can be classified into three major groups according to the method the ...

s, a field in which he was "world-renowned"Pump User's Handbook: Life Extension, Fourth Edition
by Heinz P. Bloch and Allan R. Budris, published October 14, 2013 by Fairmont Press and an "outstanding authority".Current Engineering Practice - Volume 3, Issues 3-12 - Page 98
published 1960

Early life

Karassik was born to a wealthy Russian-Jewish family.Russian Empire 1897 census: Odessa: Malvina Barjansky DAOO 2-8-1131-1163 > image 24 of 249
/ref> His father, a mechanical engineer, Ivan Karassik (1880—1969) was a son of a

Kharkov Kharkiv ( uk, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest city and municipality in Ukraine.

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

Nukhim-Perets (Peter) Karasik (c. 1849—1906). His mother Malvina Barjansky (1882—1967) was a daughter of an

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrat ...

1st guild merchant, composer, and pianist Adolf Barjansky (c. 1850—1900). Igor had an older sister Helen (1909—1990). The family immigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

in 1923Pennsylvania, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1795-1931 for John Karassik
/ref> to escape the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of government ...

.Igor Karassik - the Pump User's Engineer
by Joe Evans, at ''Pumps & Systems''; published April 2014; retrieved January 20, 2017 He attended

Carnegie Institute of Technology Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

,A Name Well Chosen: Proceedings of the 12th International Pump Users Symposium
by Igor Karassik; published March 1995; retrieved January 20, 2017 and also studied in Turkey and France.

Professional life

In 1934 or 1936, Karassik joined the

Worthington Corporation The Worthington Corporation was a diversified American manufacturer that had its roots in Worthington and Baker, a steam pump manufacturer founded in 1845. In 1967 it merged with Studebaker and Wagner Electric to form Studebaker-Worthington. This ...

; by 1974, he was a vice-president.Power, Volume 118, Part 2
published 1974 by Hill Publishing Company He subsequently worked for

Dresser Industries Dresser Industries was a multinational corporation headquartered in Dallas, Texas, United States, which provided a wide range of technology, products, and services used for developing energy and natural resources. In 1998, Dresser merged with its ...

. In 1980, he became the first recipient of the

American Society of Mechanical Engineers The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing ...

' Henry R. Worthington Medal for achievement in the field of pumping.Henry R. Worthington Medal
at the

; retrieved January 20, 2017 He wrote over 1100 technical articles and papers on pump use and maintenance, as well as several books, including ''Centrifugal Pump Selection, Operation and Maintenance'', ''Engineers' Guide to Centrifugal Pumps'', and ''Centrifugal Pump Clinic''; he also co-wrote ''Pump Questions and Answers'', and co-edited ''Pump Handbook''. In 1996, the Thirteenth Pump Users Symposium was dedicated to his memory.A Life Well Traveled: Igor J. Karassik (1911-1995)
by JT McGuire; at SplitFlowPumps.com; published March 1996; retrieved January 20, 2017

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karassik, Igor J. 1911 births 1995 deaths Carnegie Mellon University alumni Fellows of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers American people of Russian descent American people of Russian-Jewish descent 20th-century American engineers American engineering writers People from Maplewood, New Jersey *List Soviet emigrants to the United States