In grateful appreciation for the legacy of Nicholas H. Des Champs, mechanical engineering benefactor
Des Champs created a legacy of giving back that spanned decades, playing an active role in the success of both the college and his home department.
Fueled by two Virginia Tech degrees in mechanical engineering, Nicholas Des Champs ’62, Ph.D. ’67 left a legacy of both innovation and philanthrophy. He passed away in September 2025 at the age of 87.
A native of Henrico County, Virginia, Des Champs was the first person in his family to receive a college degree. He earned his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech, paying for tuition with money he had saved working as a bricklayer for his father, an entrepreneur who only ever finished eighth grade.
After graduating in 1961, he began doing corporate research at Atlantic Research Corporation and eventually held nearly three dozen patents. The first, an anchoring device for aircraft landing on combat zone runways that he developed for the U.S. Marine Corps, was granted the year after he finished his bachelor’s degree.
Returning to Blacksburg a few years later, Des Champs earned one of Virginia Tech’s first doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering in 1967. His expertise in heat transfer launched another chapter of invention and innovation at engineering firms in New Hampshire and New York City, as Des Champs made contributions to the development of the artificial heart, cooling systems for submarine detection, and the temperature management of spacecraft upon re-entry.
In a booming innovation landscape, Des Champs thrived, eventually opening Des Champs Laboratories in 1973 to offer cost-effective HVAC systems equipped with his own cutting-edge designs.
It was in 1989, when Des Champs moved his company from New Jersey back to his home state of Virginia, that he fully engaged in the mechanical engineering department once again. He played a pivotal role in the foundation of the inaugural advisory board for the Department of Mechanical Engineering, where he enjoyed talking directly with students and strategizing about the discipline.
Des Champs was committed to meeting financial needs for students and faculty members. In establishing the Nicholas and Rebecca Des Champs Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, he provided funds for the department to use for filling financial gaps for critical needs — most recently, to help fund Virginia Tech VEX-U, a student team that competes against other schools in robotics.
“Student teams have a multitude of opportunities to showcase their work,” said Lattimer. “We always want to give them more opportunities, especially when they’re showing their work to peer schools. Because of this funding, VEX-U was able to put on a robotics event for both high school and university student teams from across the nation here at Virginia Tech.”
When the Department of Mechanical Engineering needed a new fluid mechanics lab in 2020, Des Champs responded. That lab, filled with state-of-the-art equipment and named in his honor, was built in Randolph Hall and later moved to the Surge building, where it continues to provide critical hands-on learning opportunities for undergraduates.
Des Champs was also generous in his mentorship of graduate students, not only sponsoring their travel to conferences but scheduling time to meet with them personally when he was in town.
Des Champs highly valued the education that Virginia Tech students received, often employing young engineers in both co-ops and full-time positions within his company. He also exhibited a deep spirit of Ut Prosim by hosting alumni events in his home in Fincastle, Virginia.
His influence was widely recognized across campus. In addition to his integral role with the Department of Mechanical Engineering, he served a four-year term on the College of Engineering’s Advisory Board, was a member of the Committee of 100 and Ut Prosim Society, and was named to the College of Engineering Academy of Engineering Excellence.
“Rarely do we find an alum who gives back with the vigor Nicholas Des Champs did,” Lattimer said. “The benefits are far beyond financial. The insight and wisdom that he brought, the sense of connectedness that we experienced across generations because of him, will not be forgotten.”
