Comments on: In memoriam- Dr. Garret N. Vanderplaats

By: Marc Halpern

Marc Halpern — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 00:13:03 +0000

I am very sorry to hear of Dr. Gary Vanderplaats passing. I have known Dr. Vanderplaats . He was a pioneer and thought leader in the field of mechanical optimization. His vision extended beyond optimization in engineering practice to changing the way engineers think about design. We will miss him. Personally, he was one of the kindest, humblest, and gracious people I have known in the field

By: Dennis Nagy

Dennis Nagy — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 14:45:08 +0000

So sad to learn (via Monica Schnitger’s newsletter) of the recent passing of Gary Vanderplaats. I first met Gary in the late 1980s when I worked at MSC and admired him every since. I echo Ted Rose’s comments. RIP, Gary.

By: Nikolaos Tzannetakis

Nikolaos Tzannetakis — Thu, 09 Dec 2021 21:55:22 +0000

The “Optimization Community” (be it “design”, “structural”, “mathematical”) lost one of its pillars with the passing of Dr. Vanderplaats. Many of us that worked in Optimization were taught by and had him like the beacon he was. He will live long through his pioneering and voluminous work.

By: Ted Rose

Ted Rose — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 19:35:51 +0000

I knew and admired Gary – he was a true pioneer of structural optimization. He was one of the most honest and knowledgeable people I knew, which normally would prevent him from succeeding in business, but he was not only a pioneer, but a successful businessman. I have nothing but admiration for Gary and will miss him.

By: Sarah Palfreyman, Marketing Manager Structures

Sarah Palfreyman, Marketing Manager Structures — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 17:49:30 +0000

Dr Vanderplaats, was a pioneer and chief architect of MSC Nastran Design Optimization (SOL 200) & is fondly remembered by our team for his contributions which were both strategic & impactful to industry. We will remember him fondly, keep his family in our best wishes and never be done optimizing!