- Date Of Birth: November 2, 1922
- Date Of Death: September 10, 2015
- State: Maryland
Joseph L. Luber passed away peacefully on September 10th. Born and raised in Washington DC, he graduated from McKinley Tech in 1939 and was attending the University of Maryland when the US entered World War II. He left school and served as a machinist at the Washington Navy Yard before enlisting in the Army Air Corps cadet program. After earning his pilot’s wings in September 1944, he flew B17s and later B29s. He was discharged as a First Lieutenant in 1946 and continued to serve in the Air Force Reserve until 1958.
After the war, Mr. Luber earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s Degree in Aeronautical Engineering at Maryland, where he was president of the Maryland Chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and a member of honor societies Tau Beta Pi and Phi Kappa Phi. He worked for Allis Chalmers and John G. Webster before joining Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in 1954. During his 36 years at APL he made important contributions to several US Navy weapons capabilities, most importantly the TERCOM guidance system for the Tomahawk cruise missile. He was a registered Professional Engineer.
He was a member of Oakdale Emory Methodist Church, Manor Country Club and served as a Scoutmaster with the Boy Scouts of America.
He is survived by his loving wife of 71 years, Janice Elaine Luber; son, John C. Luber of Danville, CA and daughter-in-law, Karen; son, Kurt J. Luber of Silver Spring, MD; two grandchildren Clarissa J. Parsons, and Annalise R. Luber; and two great grandchildren.
