Seymour M. Bogdonoff *48

Seymour M. Bogdonoff, a world expert on supersonic and hypersonic aerodynamics, died Jan. 10, 2005, on his 84th birthday, from a fall in his Princeton home.

Bogdonoff, known to colleagues as "Boggy," received a master's in aeronautical engineering from Princeton. He was a professor on the faculty from 1948 until his retirement in 1989 and remained active in campus affairs as professor emeritus.

Bogdonoff was a key international figure in the research and development of high-speed aerodynamics, his specialty at Princeton. Under his watch, the Gas Dynamics Lab on the Forrestal Campus trained the engineers and scientists who, according to a fellow professor, "made the moon mission possible." Bogdonoff consulted widely in industry and government, wrote hundreds of technical articles, and won many honors, including the Air Force's Exceptional Civilian Service Award.

True to his calling, Bogdonoff also raced sports cars at the track and, in retirement, started a driving school for older drivers.

He is survived by his wife, Harriet; daughters Sondra and Zelda; a son, Alan '77; and five grandchildren.