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Published: Wednesday, January 18 2012 00:00
The kind and patient Ralph J. Vendemia Jr., who welcomed and assisted innumerable Terps in the Slawsky Clinic over 11 years, succumbed on January 17, 2012. He projected such vitality here in the John S. Toll Building that many of his friends and colleagues were stunned to read that he was 84 years of age.
Ralph received his degrees at this campus before embarking on a career in applied physics, first at the Goodyear Aircraft Corporation and then, for decades, at the Applied Physics Lab. He specialized in aerodynamics and the wind-tunnel testing of guided missiles. His studies included the analysis of external aerodynamic characteristics of missiles, underwater missile launchings using telemetry data and pressure distributions over bodies of revolutions. He helped to develop a calculational procedure for computing pressures and loads on various nose shapes and afterbody lengths, and he assisted in pre-test planning to determine the aerodynamics for various missile configurations.
He is survived by his wife, Lucille M. Vendemia, children Martin Vendemia and Luanne Smith, and grandchildren Brian and Sarah. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Ambrose Catholic Church in Cheverly or to the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center, 110 Paca Street, Baltimore, MD 21201.
