Frederick C. Gouldin ’65 *70

Fred died May 29, 2021, after a long illness in Ithaca, N.Y. His wife of 54 years, Fairfax, was at his side. 

Fred attended St. Stephen’s School in Alexandria, Va., where he was born on July 4, 1943. He was known forever after as a firecracker of a guy, with a Princeton Ph.D. in engineering to add to his BSE. He was a defensive back on our undefeated football team and participated in wrestling and track, as well.  

He spent his entire career as a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Cornell. He won many awards and did important work in combustion, from rocket propulsion to waste incineration, and served in a variety of faculty positions, including associate dean and president of the association of professors emeriti at Cornell. 

When Fred learned that his salary at Cornell came in 12 instead of nine paychecks, he took his 10th one and bought a sunfish, the first of four boats of ever-increasing size that he and his wife happily raced on Cayuga Lake for many years, with Fred also acting as commodore of the Ithaca Yacht Club. 

A regular presence at Reunions, including our 50th, he treasured his Princeton connections. He will be missed, and we send our condolences to Fair for her loss, which we all share in.