Remembering Dave Hurdis
August 2022 :
As many of you know, on May 31, 2022, Skyscrapers, Inc. lost a dear member, David A. Hurdis. Dave was born in Providence, RI, on March 13, 1941; he was married to Carolyn Steere Hurdis (1941–2021), and had three children and five grandchildren.
Dave earned his B.Sc. (1962) and M.Sc. (1964) degrees in chemical engineering at the University of Rhode Island (URI), and his Ph.D. (1973) in mechanical engineering (fluid dynamics) at the Catholic University of America. His professional career took him to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight in Maryland, other institutions, and to the Naval Underwater Warfare Center in Rhode Island.
Dave also had many interests in science, engineering and the natural world. He served as president of Skyscrapers, Inc. (2000–2002), and chair of the membership committee in 2002. Dave was a member of the American Association of Variable Stars Observers (AAVSO), where he served as treasurer in 2006–2008; he studied NSVS 5222076, a double-mode RR Lyrae star, and presented his findings at AAVSO annual meetings (2009–2011) and in JAAVSO (AAVSO’s journal, volumes 37, 38 and 40).
At the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at URI, Dave not only took courses, he taught courses as well. The most recent course he enrolled into was “All about Alice,” fall 2021. He taught “Exploration of the universe” in fall 2015 and 2016, and was scheduled to teach “Solar system astronomy” in spring 2020 (all courses were canceled by OLLI because of COVID).
Dave participated in “Chaos,” a book discussion group consisting mostly of retired engineers and scientists. Quoting one of the group’s members: “He was the go-to guy in astronomy and fluid mechanics, based on his education and experience, and he was very generous with his time as the unofficial leader of the group in the last few years. He is greatly missed.”
On a personal note: after Dave and I found out that we lived relatively close to each other, we often carpooled to Skyscrapers’s monthly meetings. Carolyn, his late wife, and I became X-country ski buddies.
Dave will be remembered with fondness by all of us.
