Memorial reception to be held honoring former NMSU engineering dean
A memorial reception will be held for the late Joseph Genin from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, at the Jett Hall Lobby on the New Mexico State University Las Cruces campus. All are welcome to attend.
Genin served as the dean of the College of Engineering at New Mexico State University from 1981 until 1985. After leaving the office of dean, he focused on his lifelong interests of teaching and research. He became a professor of engineering. Genin taught courses in mechanics and conducted research in dynamic stability and fluid/structure interactions. He never retired from NMSU and continued to teach and do research until his passing in May. He was 82 years old.
Genin served as a member of the New Mexico Governor's Economic Development Board, was a longtime consultant at Los Alamos National Laboratory and was the founding director of NMSU's Optics and Material Sciences Lab.
He was born in in Norwalk, Conn., but grew up in New York. He graduated from Long Island High School, obtained a degree at the City College of New York, and then worked in New York City as a structural engineer.
Drafted during the Korean War, Genin served in France and designed civil engineering structures during his time in the Army. Following his Army career, Genin moved to Tucson, Ariz., where he set up a civil engineering firm and worked on a broad range of projects, including renovation of the city's historic downtown district. He also received his master's degree from the University of Arizona.
Genin then completed his doctoral work at the University of Minnesota. He worked for General Dynamics on aircraft and then joined Purdue University's faculty in the Engineering Sciences Department, which he later chaired. Genin achieved many other things, including working as the director for the Advanced Transportation Center and publishing texts that are still used today.
A lifelong baseball enthusiast, Genin played during his time at the Army, and coached several teams during his career.
He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Grace-Ann; his sons, Kent, Guy and Hugh; and five grandchildren.
His family has established a scholarship at New Mexico State University, called the Joseph and Grace Ann Genin Outstanding Mechanical Engineer Scholarship, which will be awarded to juniors and seniors in mechanical engineering who hold the top 20 percent GPA.
Anyone wishing to contribute to the Joseph and Grace-Ann Genin Outstanding Mechanical Engineer Scholarship may send a donation to College of Engineering Assistant Dean's Office, MSC 3449, New Mexico State University, P.O. Box 30111, Las Cruces, N.M. 88003-8001, or contact the office at 575-646-2913.
