Obituary of Dr. Nancy Fitzroy

Dr. Nancy DeLoye Fitzroy, 96, a prominent long-time resident of Niskayuna, New York and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, passed on Monday, January 15th at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, NY. Mrs. Fitzroy was the youngest of six children born in Pittsfield, MA to Jules Emil Deloye, Jr and Mabel Esther Bush on October 5, 1927. She graduated from Pittsfield High School in 1945, where she was a member of the Rockets for the school's Drum and Bugle band. She was the first woman to graduate from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1949 with a Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering. She was hired by Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory in 1959. She worked as an assistant engineer with the heat transfer group. In 1952, she became a development engineer for General Electric, initially working on the Hermes Missile Program. Dr. Fitzroy would remain with the General Electric Company for the next 37 years. There she met her future husband Roland Victor Fitzroy, Jr. The couple were married in 1951. They were married for 53 years until Roland's passing. Nancy specialized as a heat transfer engineer with the Advanced Technology Laboratories beginning in 1963. In 1965, she became a heat transfer consultant with the Research and Development Center, working on gas turbines, space satellites and other technologies. She was appointed editor of the GE Heat Transfer and fluid data books, a reference work that was made available by subscription to engineer world-wide beginning 1970. During the 1970's Nancy turned to administrative and management roles. She was named manager for heat transfer consulting in 1971, a strategic planner from 1974- 1976, then an advanced concepts planner and proposal manager up to 1979. During 1979 -1982 she was a manager of the energy and environmental programs with GE's Turbine Market and Projects Division. Thenceforth she worked as a consultant involved with gas turbines, nuclear energy and space vehicles. From June 1986 to June 1987 she became the first female President of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers— the first woman to head a major national engineering society. She retired in 1987. Nancy DeLoye Fitzroy was one the first female helicopter pilots, and both she and her husband enjoyed, flying, sailing, skiing and traveling. The Nancy DeLoye Fitzroy and Roland V. Fitzroy Medal was established in 2011 by The American Society of Mechanical Engineers pioneering Contribution to the frontiers of engineering, leading to a breakthrough(s) in existing technology or leading to a new application or new areas of engineering endeavors. Nancy's Awards and honors are many: Achievement Award, Society of Woman engineers (1972); Demers Medal, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1975); Davies Medal, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2014); Centennial Medal, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (1980); Federal of Professional Women Award (1984); Honorary Fellow, Institution of Mechanical Engineers (1987); Elected to the National Academy of Engineering (1966); Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Hall of Fame (1999); Honorary Membership Award American Society of Engineer (2008); Honorary Doctorate in Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Honorary Doctorate of Science Degree, New Jersey Institute of Technology. On October 30, 2006, Union College held the dedication of the Deloye-Fitzroy House at 203 Seward Place in tribute to Nancy and her late husband, Roland V. Fitzroy, Jr., Union College, Class of 1943; the dedication ceremony was presided over by then Union College President Stephen C. Ainlay. On May 14, 2019, the Admissions Building at RPI was renamed the Nancy Deloye Fitzroy,'49 and Roland V. Fitzroy, Jr. Admissions Building; then RPI President Shirley Ann Jackson presided over the dedication ceremony. Dr. Fitzroy was a member of the Mohawk Golf Club in Schenectady, NY for over 50 years and a long-time member of the Coral Ridge Yacht Club in Fort Lauderdale, FL. She was also a member of the Hudson Mohawk Chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society and the Union College Annual Business Campaign (Community Scholars) Executive Committee. Nancy and her late husband, Roland, flew their own Cessna 310 twin-engine airplane, "Nancy's Fancy." She hosted many friends and relatives at her annual birthday celebration at her beloved Hawthorne Hill home in Niskayuna, which she and her late husband purchased in 1972, a historical home built in 1928 (the Ruffner Estate) which was then the largest private home in the Schenectady area. The evening before Nancy's death, she asked one of her advisors to charter a jet to take her to Florida. Nancy is survived by her beloved niece, Linda Catherine DeLoye, her beloved nephew Stephen Burr DeLoye (and his wife Deborah), three beloved grandnieces, Katherine Coughlan DeLoye, Tracy Lynn DeLoye Pero, Debra DeLoye and a beloved grandnephew, Jason Burr DeLoye. A book about Mrs. Fitzroy entitled, The Little Girl That Could Do Anything, by David D. Campbell, can be accessed at the Troy Book Makers web site at https://www.thetroybookmakers.com More information about Dr. Fitzroy can be found on her web site: https://www.nancyfitzroy.org/. Viewing will be at St. George's Church, 30 North Ferry Street, Schenectady, NY, on Saturday, January 20th from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Mass will follow at 11 a.m. Thereafter, friends and family are invited to the Mohawk Golf Club, 1849 Union Street, Niskayuna at 12:30 pm for a memorial luncheon. The family wishes to thank Mrs. Fitzroy's long-time friends, Ned Spain, Lorraine, Radah, George, Carla, Lynne, Jackie and Joy. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Union College in Schenectady, NY or the Niskayuna Community Foundation.