Larrabee Known As "Mr. Propeller"

MIT professor emeritus E. Eugene Larrabee '42 (on stairs in photo) died Jan. 11, 2003, in Mt. Vernon, N.Y. Recognized in the aeronautics field for his work on human-powered aircraft, he earned the nickname "Mr. Propeller" for design innovations that enabled the Gossamer Albatross to cross the English Channel in 1979 and the Daedalus to cross the Aegean Sea in 1988. He also made important theoretical contributions to the design of wind-mills, human-powered boats, and an early wind tunnel used at MIT.

In a 1984 letter to the staff of the WPI Journal, Larrabee wrote of his accomplishments, "All of this comes from my knowledge of the work of Betz and Prandtl at Goettingen, written in 1919, to which I was first introduced by the late Professor Kenneth G. Merriam in 1941, who was himself a great teacher."

A member of Sigma Xi, Larrabee earned a master's degree in aeronautics from MIT in 1948. He began his teaching career at MIT in 1946, while completing his graduate work, and retired in 1982. He was a co-author of Airplane Stability and Control: A History of the Technologies That Made Aviation Possible. Surviving family members include his wife, Christine (Rogan), a daughter and a son.

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Last modified: Sep 02, 2004, 10:14 EDT