In memoriam: Arvid Myklebust, professor emeritus of mechanical engineering
Myklebust was a pioneer in the field of computer-aided design, establishing centers for the burgeoning technology around the country.
Arvid Myklebust, professor emeritus of mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech, passed away on April 10, 2024. He was fondly remembered as a father, husband, brother, friend, farmer, and scholar.
Originally from Uskedal, Norway, Myklebust came to the University of Florida in 1967 where he earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering. He was inducted as an Outstanding Alumnus of that program in 2018.
Myklebust was an early advocate of computer-aided design (CAD), establishing the Virginia Tech CAD Lab in Randolph Hall with a grant from IBM as a hub for integrating education and sponsored research. He created the first CAD courses in Blacksburg, also adapting the technology to develop conceptual aircraft design software that resulted in three spinoff companies in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center: Phoenix Integration (1995), AVID LLC (2001), and Theta Tech Solutions, LLC (2011). He served as principal investigator for the Great Horned Owl Unmanned Air Vehicle Program, and he led the principal design team for the Future Combat Systems Organic Air Vehicle. His accomplishments earned him a spot in the inaugural class of the Virginia Tech Faculty Entrepreneur Hall of Fame in 2012.
Jan Helge Bøhn is an associate professor in the department where Myklebust served, and a fellow Son of Norway, a fraternal organization principally representing people of Norwegian heritage in the United States and Canada. Bøhn received his introduction to the Blacksburg school through the mentorship of the senior Norwegian.
“Arvid has had a big impact on my life,” Bøhn said. “In late-September 1992, at a dinner in Rensselaerville, New York, we went around the table introducing ourselves, and after I had done so, Arvid burst out: ‘I’ve heard of you, and I have a job for you!’ And so, I switched majors and became a faculty member in mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech. I still have that job all these years later, still using his office furniture that I inherited after his retirement.”
A highly respected academic, Myklebust worked at the University of Arkansas and then Florida Atlantic University from 1975-1983 before joining the faculty of the Virginia Tech Department of Mechanical Engineering in 1983. He published over 70 technical papers, directed more than 50 master’s and doctoral students, and retired to his farm in 2002. He was named a professor emeritus later that year.
Myklebust was the husband of Joan Ferrari Myklebust, nee Ferrari. Their five children include Torolf Myklebust, June Myklebust, Michael Lee Johnson, Amy Marie (Bradley) Brittain, and Sandra Claire (Adam) Sowder. Surviving grandchildren are Sølve, Brian, Noah, Jack, Cody, Ean, Samantha, Teddy, and Henry. He is also survived by his sister, Gunn Loyd, and a brother, Roy Myklebust.
