Rocket Engine Design Leader To Receive McFarland Award

March 23, 2000
University Park, Pa.–Penn State alumnus and industry leader in rocket engine design John A. Halchak will receive the 2000 David Ford McFarland Award for Achievement in Metallurgy when the 52nd annual lecture and banquet coinciding with the award are held on Saturday, April 15, on the University Park campus.

At 10:30 a.m. on April 15, Halchak will present the McFarland Lecture on "Titanium Applications in Liquid Rocket Engines" in Room 26 Hosler Building. A reception will be held at 9:30 a.m. in Room 112 Steidle Building, and the public is invited to attend the morning events. The McFarland Banquet, preceded by a social hour, will be held at 7 p.m. in the Assembly Room of the Nittany Lion Inn for invited guests.

As director of material applications at Rocketdyne Propulsion and Power, a part of the Boeing Company, in Canoga Park, Calif., Halchak leads 125 materials engineers and technicians while overseeing support for liquid rocket engines and other Rocketdyne programs. He was born in Braddock, Pa., and lived in nearby Swissvale before attending Penn State, from which he earned his bachelor’s degree in metallurgy in 1962.

Since his graduation, Halchak has spent most of his career with Rocketdyne. Among his most noteworthy technical achievements was the successful application of titanium alloys to cryogenic rocket engine components. He also led the effort that eliminated the use of ozone-depleting chemicals from the manufacture of rocket engines at his company. He has worked on such high-profile projects as Apollo-Saturn, Gemini, Minuteman, Peacekeeper, the Space Shuttle, the International Space Station, and the Delta launch vehicle.

Halchak has been married to the former Yurie Endo for 27 years. They have two daughters, ages 24 and 19. He is a registered professional engineer, an ASM Fellow, and a Fellow of the Institute for the Advancement of Engineering.

The McFarland Award is named in honor of David Ford McFarland, who was head of the Department of Metallurgy at Penn State from 1920 to 1945. It is presented annually by the Penn State chapter of ASM International to alumni who have achieved distinction in the field of metallurgy.

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Contact: Gary W. Cramer (814) 865-3208 or e-mail at