University Times

Gene Edward Geiger, whose academic career at Pitt spanned more than a half-century, died July 10, 2006, of colon cancer. He was 77.

A native of Castle Shannon, Geiger’s career at Pitt started in 1951 when he joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering as an instructor, earning his M.S. in 1955 and his Ph.D. here in 1964. He held a B.S. from Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon), earned in 1950.

In addition to teaching, over the years Geiger held a number of positions in the mechanical engineering department, including coordinator of graduate students and associate chair.

His areas of interest were energy, energy conservation, heat transfer, extended surfaces and heat recovery devices, fluid mechanics, wind energy devices, fluid power and heating and ventilating.

Geiger retired in 2000 as professor emeritus of mechanical engineering. Following his retirement, he continued doing research in alternative fuels.

Outside of Pitt, Geiger spent summers in the industrial world, including working for Babcock & Wilcox Co., Joy Manufacturing Co., Boeing Airplane Co. and Westinghouse Electric Co. as a research engineer. He also was a consultant to numerous firms and agencies.

He was a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the National Society of Professional Engineers, the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers and the Fluid Power Society, as well as honorary societies, including Sigma Xi – National Science Fraternity and Pi Tau Sigma – Mechanical Engineering Fraternity.

He became an associate of the Danforth Foundation in 1967.

Geiger is survived by his wife, Virginia of Carnegie; a son, Gregg Geiger of Minneapolis; a daughter, Amy Bonneau of Harrisburg, and a brother, Glenn Geiger of Lake Wales, Fla.

—Peter Hart