John R. Luchini — Tire Science Giant

Dr. John Remo Luchini, a giant among scientists in the tire industry and a past president of the Tire Society, passed away at his home on September 27, 2013, after a short illness. John was a passionate and dedicated scientist known for repeated contributions to experimental and computational tire science and for exceptional service to the professional community. He had retired in 2011 as senior research scientist after a 34 year career with the Cooper Tire & Rubber Company. John was born September 2, 1949, in Detroit, Michigan, and raised in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. He earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in engineering at the University of Michigan, where he also met and married his wife Tamara. His doctoral thesis was supervised by Professor Sam Clark, during a period of high demand for more energy efficient tires. Entitled “Mathematical Model for Rubber Hysteresis,” his thesis explored the problem of...