Herbert Bernhardt Voelcker Jr. (January 7, 1930 – January 23, 2020) was an American sports shooter, professor and engineer.[1][2] He competed in the 300 metre rifle event at the 1956 Summer Olympics.[3][4] He was a pioneer in computer-aided design.[5]

Herbert Voelcker
Personal information
Born(1930-01-07)January 7, 1930
Tonawanda, New York, U.S.
DiedJanuary 23, 2020(2020-01-23) (aged 90)
Ithaca, New York, U.S.
Sport
SportSports shooting

Biography

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Voelcker was born in January 1930 in Tonawanda, New York.[1] At Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),[6] Voelcker studied mechanical engineering,[1] before going to the University of Rochester and Cornell University.[1] At MIT, Voelcker was part of the rifle team and the rowing team, becoming a collegiate rifle champion in 1950.[2] Voelcker then served with the 82nd Airborne Division,[7] and was part of the army team that won the national team rifle title.[2] He earned a Fulbright Scholarship and went to the Imperial College of Science in London, England, to study electrical engineering.[2] During the 1950s, Voelcker also coached the rifle team at MIT.[1]

At the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne,[8] Voelcker competed in the men's 300 metre free rifle, three positions event, finishing in tenth place.[9]

He taught at the University of Rochester, where he was awarded with the university's top prize in 1969.[2] Voelcker's work in 3D modeling led to the use of CAD/CAM engineering.[10] In total, Voelcker spent more than twenty years as a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, and worked at the Cornell University College of Engineering.[2] He was a Life Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.[11] In 2014, he was awarded with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.[12]

Voelcker died at the Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca, New York, in January 2020 at the age of 90.[2][13]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Herbert Voelcker". Olympedia. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Herbert Bernhardt Voelcker Jr. 1930 - 2020". Legacy. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  3. ^ "Herbert Voelcker". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on September 27, 2015. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
  4. ^ Herbert Voelcker's obituary
  5. ^ "Solid-modeling pioneer Herb Voelcker dies at 90". Cornell Chronicle. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  6. ^ "10 Facts About MIT Alumni and the Olympic Games". MIT Alumni Association. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  7. ^ "Masters of Manufacturing: Herbert B. Voelcker". SME. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  8. ^ "Special Issue in the memory of Herb Voelcker". Elsevier. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  9. ^ "Free Rifle, Three Positions, 300 metres, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  10. ^ "Solid-modeling pioneer Herb Voelcker dies at 90". Cornell University. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  11. ^ "Herbert Bernhardt Voelcker, Jr" (PDF). Cornell University. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  12. ^ "Obituary of Herbert Bernhardt Voelcker, Jr". Ithaca Cremation Service. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  13. ^ "Special Issue in the memory of Herb Voelcker". Science Direct. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
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