Philip Lett

Dr. Philip Wood Lett Jr. 92, formerly of Birmingham, Michigan, passed away June 6, 2014 in Boulder, Colorado. He was born in Newton, Alabama on May 4, 1922 to Lily Octavia Kennedy and Philip Wood Lett Sr. Following his first job picking cotton, he joined the U.S. Army and was stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He held mechanical engineering degrees from Auburn University, the University of Alabama, and the University of Michigan, followed by a post-doctoral Sloan Fellowship in industrial management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. An internationally recognized consultant on tanks and defense, he served as Vice President for Research and Engineering for General Dynamics. Previously, he was the general manager of Chrysler's Defense Division, and prior to that, Chief Engineer at Chrysler. Dr. Lett was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and was a member of NATO's Industrial Advisory Group. Dr. Lett was known for his quiet, confident, gentlemanly demeanor, his ability to wiggle his ears, and his love of all things peach. He is undoubtedly the only man to have ever driven a DeSoto convertible, a turbine powered car, an M1 battle tank, and a lunar rover. He is preceded in death by his wife Katy Lee Howell. Boulder survivors include daughter Kathy Lett Clark (Michael) of Boulder and grandchildren Christopher Clark of New York City and Lauren Clark of Boulder. Dr. Lett enjoyed the last five years of his life under the loving care of the exemplary staff at The Academy at Bella Vista. A Memory Circle will be held at Bella Vista on Wednesday, June 25 at 4:00 p.m.