Victor F. Zackay

Victor F Zackay

Victor F Zackay, professor emeritus of the University of California at Berkeley, passed away on March 14 at his home in Ridgefield after a long illness He was 94

Victor Zackay was born in San Francisco, Calif He received his primary and secondary education there and attended the University of California, Berkeley, for three years prior to the outbreak of World War II After volunteering for service, he rose from private to captain in the Combat Engineers and spent two years in the China-Burma-India theater

Upon his return five years later he completed his bachelor of science degree in materials science as well as a master's and doctorate in that field Dr Zackay joined the newly-formed scientific laboratory of Ford Motor Co, in Dearborn, Mich Serving in both roles of scientist and later, management, he designed unusual steels which were subsequently patented and widely used in industry These included iron aluminum alloys for automotive exhaust systems and ultra-high nitrogen steels for some early gas turbine components

In 1962 Dr Zackay left Ford Motor Co and joined the faculty of the University of California at Berkeley, where he supervised the research of over 100 students Dr Zackay became associate dean of the College of Engineering as well as associate director of research in the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory He developed new kinds of superconducting components with high transition temperatures and new ultra-high strength steels He also consulted with engineers and scientists of companies such as Gillette and Johnson & Johnson Dr Zackay was a member of the J&J team that designed and produced ultra-high strength corrosion resistant steel needles used in cardiovascular and ophthalmic wound closures

He also worked at Gillette to produce a special coating for razor blades that, when applied just below the cutting edge, would be hard and corrosion resistant and would provide lubricity The alloys found to provide the required characteristics were the class of materials that Dr Zackay had used for the best superconducting properties For many years, all TWIN TRAC blades were made with this coating

After 17 years at the university, Professor Zackay retired early to form his own company, Materials and Methods, Inc The goal of his company was to bring companies with technical problems together with university professors processing sufficient knowledge of the required fields to solve these problems These contracts were established in chemical, electrical, mechanical and metallurgical engineering In the course of his academic and industrial careers, Dr Zackay published over 100 papers and received many honors and awards

Retiring eventually in 1989, he immersed himself in the art of woodcraft Working in his well-equipped shop, he utilized exotic tropical woods from all over the world to create boxes of unusual size and design - a hobby most fitting as it related to his life-long association with materials

Dr Zackay is survived by his wife, Lillian Marie Sherdal as well as family in California and Illinois

Contributions in memory of Dr Zackay may be made to Regional Hospice and Home care of Western Connecticut, 30 Milestone Road, Danbury, CT 06810

- The family