Posted Jun. 4/06

Bill and Marg Rainbird celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in August 2005.

The contributions of William J. (Bill) Rainbird, the first chairman of the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical (now Aerospace) Engineering, can be felt throughout the department, in the strength and reputation of the undergraduate and graduate programs, in the success of its graduates, and in its culture of informality and friendly cooperation. After his death on December 21, 2005, the department experienced contributions of a different sort.

Through the memorial gifts of Rainbird’s family, colleagues and students — totalling $39,000 to date and eligible for matching funds — the William J. Rainbird Engineering Scholarship is being established to reward outstanding students in the bachelor of mechanical or aerospace engineering programs.

Rainbird, a gifted teacher and innovator, came to Carleton in 1970 from the High Speed Aerodynamics Laboratory at the National Research Council, becoming the first chair of the newly created Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering. In 1977, he left Carleton to revolutionize automotive wind tunnels — developing and implementing slotted test-section walls that reduced the size of tunnels — as vice-president of engineering at DSMA International.

In 1986 he returned to Carleton as a full-time faculty member for two years, contributing to the planning and proposal preparation necessary to convince the university to proceed with a bachelor of aerospace engineering program. The new program was an instant and enduring success, and is part of the legacy Rainbird left at Carleton.