Nancy Burr Deloye Fitzroy | |
|---|---|
| Born | Nancy Burr Deloye October 5, 1927 |
| Died | January 15, 2024 (aged 96) Schenectady, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | B.ChE. |
| Alma mater | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
| Occupation | Engineering |
| Spouse(s) | Roland Victor Fitzroy, Jr. |
| Website | http://nancyfitzroy.org/ |
Nancy Burr Deloye Fitzroy (October 5, 1927 – January 15, 2024) was an American engineer specializing in heat transfer and fluid dynamics. She was one of the first female helicopter pilots.[1]
Born Nancy Burr Deloye in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, she became the first female student to study chemical engineering at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1949.
Hired by Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory in 1950, she worked as an assistant engineer with the heat transfer group.[2] In 1952, she became a development engineer for General Electric, initially working on the Hermes Missile Program[3] and designing heat transfer surfaces for nuclear reactor cores.[4] Fitzroy would remain with the General Electric company for the next 37 years. There she met her future husband, electrical engineer Roland Victor Fitzroy, Jr.;[1] the couple were married in 1951.
Fitzroy specialized as a heat transfer engineer with the Advanced Technology Laboratories beginning in 1963. In 1965 she was a heat transfer consultant with the Research and Development Center, working on gas turbines, space satellites and other technologies.[3] She was appointed editor of the GE heat transfer and fluid flow data books, a reference work that was made available by subscription to engineers world-wide beginning in 1970.[2]
During the 1970s, Fitzroy turned to administrative and management roles. She was named manager for heat transfer consulting in 1971, a strategic planner from 1974 to 1976, then an advanced concepts planner and proposal manager up to 1979. During 1979–1982 she was a manager of energy and environmental programs with GE's Turbine Market and Projects Division. Thenceforth she worked as a consultant involved with gas turbines, nuclear energy, and space vehicles. From June 1986–87 she became the first female president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers[3]—the first woman to head a major national engineering society.[5] She retired in 1987.[4]
Fitzroy was one of the first female helicopter pilots, and both she and her husband enjoyed flying, sailing and traveling.[1] The Nancy DeLoye Fitzroy and Roland V. Fitzroy Medal was established in 2011 by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers to "pioneering contribution to the frontiers of engineering leading to a breakthrough(s) in existing technology or leading to new applications or new areas of engineering endeavor". Fitzroy served as chair for the committee that selects the recipients.[6]
Fitzroy died in Schenectady, New York, on January 15, 2024, at the age of 96.[7]