Dr. Lynn E. Wolaver

Dr. Lynn E. Wolaver, age 94 of Fairborn, passed away Monday May 7, 2018 at the Hospice of Dayton.  He was born March 10, 1924 in Springfield, IL, the son of the late Lindle and Esther (Skoog) Wolaver.  Lynn is the former Mayor of the City of Fairborn, Ohio and Dean for Research Emeritus at the Air Force Institute of Technology located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.  He is a charter member of the Federal Senior Executive Service and was first appointed to super grade status in 1967 at the age of 43 at the USAF Aerospace Research Laboratories where he was one of the Directors.  His civilian protocol status was DV-5 equivalent to a Major General.His academic life includes time with the University of Illinois, (BSEE 1949, MSEE 1950), The Ohio State University extension at Wright Field (1951-1956) and the University of Michigan where he obtained the Ph.D. degree (1964) in a program called Computers, Information and Control Engineering.Lynn was a member of the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and flew in C-47 aircraft in the European Theater of Operations with the IX Troop Carrier Command Pathfinder Group.The former Mayor started employment at Wright-Patterson in 1950 and retired in 1988.  He did research in the areas of navigation, guidance and control, systems analysis, astrodynamics and bioengineering.  In addition to his job as Dean, he also served as Chairman of the System Engineering Program and as a research Professor of Engineering Science.  Prior to joining AFIT in 1970, he was one of the directors of the Aerospace Research Laboratories.  He was a Project Engineer on the Navigation System for the B-58, helped develop the release envelopes for the Sidewinder Missile, and was a pioneer in precision trajectory analysis.  Lynn also served as Adjunct Professor in mathematics at Wright State University for seven years starting with the first day it opened its doors, and taught at the Ohio State Extension at Wright Field, and at the Engineering and Science Institute of Dayton.  He also lectured at a number of management workshops including the Brookings Institute, Federal Executive Institute, American Management Association and the American Society for Engineering Education.Lynn belongs to the standard set of honoraria including Eta Kappa Nu (Electrical Engineering Honorary), Tau Beta Pi (Engineering Honorary), and Sigma Xi (Research Honorary).  Among his honors and awards are Senior Executive Bonus Awards, Meritorious Civilian Service Medal, Exceptional Service Medal, University of Illinois Distinguished Alumnus Award, Fairborn Chamber of Commerce Ed Duncan Distinguished Citizen Award, Fairborn Chamber of Commerce Presidents Award, Fairborn Ministerial Association Peace Maker Award, and induction into his Springfield (Illinois) High School Hall of Fame and in 2006 he was selected as Grand Marshal of the Fairborn Fourth of July Parade.  Lynn was selected as the Outstanding Senior Citizen in Greene County for 2009 by the Agency on Aging PSA2.  He also received the prestigious E. J. Nutter Award as outstanding Greene County Citizen for 2010.  He was inducted into the Ohio Seniors Hall of Fame in 2010 and a the Ohio Veteran Hall of Fame in 2015.  Lynn and his wife Arah-Dean were selected as King and Queen of the Fairborn Sweet Corn Festival.  He is a member of the New York Academy of Science, the Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, Biofeedback Society, Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society, Midwestern Simulation Council, charter member of the Astrodynamics Committee of the American Rocket Society, member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Society for Engineering Education.  The former Mayor was listed in American Men and Women of Science, Who’s Who in Midwest (12th – 16th edition), Who’s Who in Government, Directory of International Biography, Leaders in American Science, World Space Directory, Outstanding Leaders in Education and the Dayton, Ohio telephone directory.Dr. Wolaver is the author of over 60 technical papers in the fields of navigation, astrodynamics and nonlinear systems analysis and physiological systems modeling.  He has a textbook in Astrodynamics and is a reviewer of technical articles for a number of journals, an editor of the Brazilian Engenharia International Journal and served as reviewer and consultant to the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, National Science Foundation, and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.He is also active in civic affairs being a member of the Fairborn Chamber of Commerce, Fairborn Rotary Club and the American Legion.  He served six years on the City Planning Board, two years on the Zoning Board of Appeals, eight years on City Council, two of those years as Deputy Mayor and four years as Mayor.  He was one of ten Dayton corporate leaders on the Dayton Development Council’s Science and Technology Task Force that inventoried the area’s technological assets and made recommendations for strategies to expand jobs in technology.  He served on the Steering Committee of Challenge ’95 and as representative on the Miami Valley Research Park and on the Board of Directors of the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission, member of the Miami Valley Military Affairs Association and was a former Chairman of the Board of Toward Independence.He was a charter member of the Board of Trustees of the 2003 Committee, served as a Commissioner of the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park, Commissioner of the Ohio Wright-Dunbar State Park, and as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Fairborn Senior Citizens Center, and a member of the Board of Greene County Career Center Adult Education Scholarship Endowment Fund.  He helped start Kids Voting in Greene County, was Co-Chairman of the Senior Citizens Levy Campaign, served as Fairborn Rep on the Greene County Combined Health District Board including a term as Chairman of the Board and served as a volunteer for SAYUS Walkathon.He was a member of the City of Fairborn Tax Incentive Review Council, member of the Greene County Bar Association Ethics and Grievance Committee, Vice-President of the Greene County Library Board of Trustees, Vice-President of the Greene County Library Board of Trustees, Congressman Hobson’s Military Advisory Committee, and his Academy Selection Advisory Committee.  He was active with the Fairborn Area Chamber of Commerce where he served on the Ambassadors Club.  He was a Presiding Precinct Judge with the Greene County Board of Elections and was on the Board of Directors of the Fairborn Rotary Club and is a Paul Harris Fellow.  Wolaver represented Fairborn on the County Advisory Board of the Greene County Council on Aging, and was then appointed to the Board of the Greene County Council on Aging.He was a member of the AFIT Foundation Board and was a member of the Wright State University College of Liberal Arts Community Advisory Board.  He was also a charter member of the Fairborn Education Foundation.