- Date Of Death: July 28, 2018
- State: Connecticut
William B. Seaver, age 100, of Fairfield, passed away Saturday, July 28, 2018. He was born in Doylestown, Ohio, son of the late Burleigh E. and Charlotte B. Seaver. He graduated from Doylestown High School in 1934, and Case School of Applied Science (now part of Case Western Reserve University) in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1938. He studied for a graduate degree at Daniel Gugenheim School of Aeronautics of New York University where he performed degree wind tunnel tests on fighter aircraft models and where he met Colonel Charles Lindbergh. He completed his graduate studies at Yale University and received his Master of Engineering Degree in 1940. During World War II, he supervised the first tests of experimental gas turbine engines at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft. After the war, he became Associate Manager of Technical Operations for the Nuclear Energy for Propulsion of Aircraft project in Oak Ridge, Tenn., which established the feasibility of a nuclear powered long range bomber. He was employed by General Motors, between 1950 and 1961, as Project Engineer for development of the T56 turboprop engine for the Lockheed C-130 military aircraft, which are still in active use today. Beginning in 1961, he worked for General Electric, managing their T58 turbo shaft commercial engine program and in 1972 he became Manager, Power Generation Group, and then Manager, Business Planning and Market Research for the Industrial Gas Turbine Programs Dept.
