Richard John Coar (May 2, 1921 – December 29, 2013), an American aeronautical engineer and former president of

Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of RTX Corporation (formerly Raytheon Technologies). Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially ...

Early life

Coar was born on May 2, 1921 in

Hanover, New Hampshire Hanover is a New England town, town located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 11,870. The town is home to the Ivy League university ...

. He spend his childhood in Hanover and

Kingston, Massachusetts Kingston is a coastal town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,708 at the 2020 census. History Before European settlers arrived, Kingston was within the tribal homeland of the Wampanoag people. Several years ...

. He received a four-year scholarship from

Tufts College Tufts University is a Private university, private research university in Medford, Massachusetts, Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, with additional facilities in Boston and Grafton, Massachusetts, Grafton, as well as Talloire ...

, graduating with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering summa cum laude in 1942. While at Tufts, he joined Tau Beta Pi in 1942.

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 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He helped develop the model 304 liquid hydrogen aircraft engine and the

RL10 The RL10 is a liquid-fuel cryogenic rocket engine built in the United States by Aerojet Rocketdyne that burns cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants. Modern versions produce up to of thrust per engine in vacuum. RL10 version ...

rocket engine. 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 National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. It is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), along with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the ...

, 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 edu ...

, and the

American Society for Metals ASM International, formerly known as the American Society for Metals, is an association of materials-centric engineers and scientists. As the charitable arm of ASM, the ASM Materials Education Foundation also operates ASM Materials Camp in the ...

Honors and award

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers honored him with the

George Westinghouse Medal The George Westinghouse Medal is named for George Westinghouse and awarded to in honor of "eminent achievement or distinguished service in the power field of mechanical engineering" by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. There is a Gold m ...

in 1984. He received the Franklin W. Kolk Air Transportation Award from the

Society of Automotive Engineers SAE International is a global professional association and standards organization based in Warrendale, Pennsylvania, United States. Formerly the Society of Automotive Engineers, the organization adopted its current name in 2006 to reflect bot ...

in 1985. In 1998, he received the

Daniel Guggenheim Medal The Daniel Guggenheim Medal is an American engineering award, established by Daniel and Harry Guggenheim. The medal is considered to be one of the greatest honors that can be presented for a lifetime of work in aeronautics. Its first recipien ...

for achievements in aeronautics.

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 The Apache Software Foundation ( ; ASF) is an American nonprofit corporation (classified as a 501(c)(3) organization in the United States) to support a number of open-source software projects. The ASF was formed from a group of developers of the A ...

, 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 Roanoke ( ) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It lies in Southwest Virginia, along the Roanoke River, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Blue Ridge range of the greater Appalachian Mountains. Roanok ...

on December 29, 2013.

References

American aerospace engineers 1921 births 2013 deaths Tufts University School of Engineering alumni Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering People from Hanover, Massachusetts Tau Beta Pi 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American engineers American corporate directors {{authority control