Andrew (Andy) Loerch, long-time faculty member and associate chair of the, passed away June 16 after an unexpected and brief battle with cancer.听Loerch had just retired on May 24, 2022 after 22 years of service to 亚洲AV.
鈥淎ndy was an outstanding teacher, a trusted mentor to numerous students, a researcher who brought in millions of dollars in funding, and an esteemed leader in the Military Operations Society,鈥 says Ariela Sofer, interim divisional dean for engineering at the Volgenau School of Engineering. 鈥淎bove all, I am indebted to him for his fourteen years of dedication and support service as my associate chair.鈥He always took on departmental obligations, whether they involved big-picture matters or minute details, whether they were carefully planned activities or urgent crises.鈥I am eternally grateful for his dedication, hard work, sage advice, and sense of humor.鈥鈥听
Loerch was a 26-year veteran of the United States Army and rose to the rank of Colonel. He earned his PhD from Cornell University and was a graduate of Naval Postgraduate School and Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn.听Looking back at career highlights at Mason he once said, 鈥淧art of my job was the care and feeding of our military students. I advised every single one of them and many of them have gone on to be leaders in the defense analysis field.鈥 In addition, he was proud of some of the department鈥檚 funded work, citing an important study on how the presence of women in military units impacts the units鈥 effectiveness.鈥赌
Among other duties, Loerch served as a faculty marshal at the college degree celebrations and university commencement. For the past eleven years, the depended on his leadership to organize and coordinate faculty volunteers, a job he once described as neither trivial nor simple. His detailed charts, notes, and guidance will be a permanent reminder of this service to the community.
Loerch played with the Northern Virginia Senior Softball league; was principal bassoonist of the Manassas Symphony Orchestra since 2000 as well as a board member; he enjoyed riding his bike with the Old Cranks Cycling Club out of Vint Hill, Va. as well as taking cycling trips throughout the country. He was the ultimate New York Yankees fan.听
鈥淚 am personally thankful for Andy鈥檚 invaluable support as associate chair,鈥 says John Shortle, department chair of Systems Engineering and Operations Research. 鈥淗e brought so much to the department. We will all miss his stories, sense of humor, and friendship.鈥澨
Burial will take place at Arlington National Cemetery at a future date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the Manassas Symphony Orchestra.
A celebration of life viewing was held on Saturday, June 18, 2022.听听Link to the service information:听听