Joseph L. Savino

1932 - 2017

Joseph L. Savino, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Fellow and a division chief engineer, died March 4, 2017, at age 85. Joe was born in Glendale in 1932. He studied engineering at UCLA before joining the U.S. Army and being stationed in the missile program at Fort Bliss. He joined JPL in 1956 to work on missile ground systems. In his 60 years at the Lab, Joe was known as a problem solver, a mentor and a teacher. His career spanned 20 major projects, including the Mariner, Viking, Voyager, Magellan, Galileo, Cassini, and Mars Pathfinder missions. He was awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal for his contributions representing substantial progress to the NASA mission. Joe was an avid outdoorsman with a passion for the Sierra Nevada, an interest he shared with his partner of 34 years, Marilyn Dixon, and his children, Cynthia Savino-Jeffcoat, Elizabeth Savino Cole, Stanton L. Savino and Laurel A. Savino. Joe is also survived by Marilyn's children, John Dixon and Louise Webb, and his sister, Barbara Kuhlman. His parents, Joseph L. and Antonia Savino, and brother, Patrick J. Savino, died before him. Donations in his honor can be made to The Nature Conservancy of California.