John H. Moeller *55

Jack died Oct. 29, 2020, of lung cancer in Coupeville, Wash.

He was born July 19, 1928, in Chicago, Ill., and graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1950 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He served as a lieutenant in the Navy during the Korean War, then entered Princeton and earned a master’s degree in engineering in 1955.

Jack worked as a project engineer at Cook Electric Co., and then joined the Ventura Division of Northrop Corp., where he was involved with the NASA space program’s ringsail parachute recovery system used during the Apollo missions. After a stint at TAB Engineering, Jack returned to Northrop as a group chief in the engineering department, retiring in 1990.

During the 1980s, Jack purchased a 40-acre parcel north of Paso Robles, Calif., which he named Wild Boar Ranch. The land was arrayed with ancient oak trees and dense chaparral hills.

In retirement he joined the Shifty Sailors, a 20-man singing group specializing in songs of the sea.

Jack is survived by his wife of 58 years, Mary; sons Jonathan and Christopher; and five grandchildren.

Graduate alumni memorials are prepared by the APGA.