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Jacques B. Hadler of Silver Spring, MD and Glen Cove, NY died on October 19, 2017. He was 99 years old. "Jack" was born June 27, 1918 and was raised in the prairie town of Arndt, North Dakota, the oldest of four children of Bernhard Herman Hadler and Mabel Lyles Jacques. After graduating from Egeland High School he received a senatorial appointment to the U. S. Naval Academy and graduated with distinction in the class of 1941. Upon graduation he was commissioned in the Naval Reserve and attended Postgraduate School to become an Engineering Duty Officer (EDO). During WWII he worked on ship design in the Bureau of Ships and as a ship superintendent in the San Francisco Naval Ship Yard. At the end of the war he attended MIT. In 1947 after receiving the Master's Degree in Naval Architecture he was assigned as a naval engineer to the U.S. Navy's research center at Carderock MD, then known as the David Taylor Model Basin. In 1949 he resigned his commission in the U.S. Navy as Lt Comdr. and became a research engineer supervisor at the Model Basin. Over the next 31 years he advanced to the head of two major divisions of the Hydromechanics Laboratory. For two decades, in the 1950's and 60's, he lead a team of scientists and engineers who made major advances in marine propeller and ship hull hydrodynamic technology. During that time he published numerous scientific papers culminating in the award of the prestigious David Taylor Medal for Notable Achievements in Naval Architecture given by the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers in 1982. Concurrently, in 1956 he established a private consulting practice in support of the marine industry. His services included the design of marine propellers, expert witness in marine litigation cases, and the solution of hydrodynamic problems associated with poor ship performance. In 1978 he retired from the federal service and accepted the position of Research Director and Professor of Naval Architecture at Webb Institute of Naval Architecture. Over the course of the next 33 years he was successively Director of Research, Dean, and the J.J. Henry Professor of Naval Architecture retiring in 2011 to the position of Professor Emeritus. In 1993 Webb awarded him an honorary Sc.D. degree. Although technically retired he continued to teach a laboratory course, mentor student theses and conduct ship hydrodynamic research. In 2003 he was the recipient of the Society of Naval Engineers Harold E. Saunders Medal for a lifetime of notable achievements in Naval Engineering. This was followed in 2011 when he was again recognized by the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and awarded the William H. Webb Medal for Outstanding Contributions to the Education of Naval Architects. In 1978, upon accepting the position of Director of Research at Webb Institute, he established a second residence in Glen Cove NY and began regular commuting between Glen Cove and his residence in Maryland until he ceased his activities at Webb Institute in 2017, due to illness. He was an active individual throughout his life. When not busy with his professional work, he engaged in his lifelong hobby of wood working and wood art, including designing and constructing the family beach cottage in 1953 and their Bethesda home 1959. In summer he gardened, sailed his catamarans and waterskied out of his cottage on Kent Island Maryland. In winter he alpine skied until he was 90. He is survived by his wife of 75 years, the former Susan Caryl Loggins, of Washington DC. He is survived by their four children (and their spouses), Reverend Jacques B. Hadler Jr (Susan) of Washington, DC, Dr. James L. Hadler (Alice) of New Haven, CT, Dr. Stephen C. Hadler (Claudia Fedarko) of Atlanta, GA and Dr. Susan C. Hadler (Charles Finley) of Chapel Hill, NC. He is also survived by 10 grandchildren and six great grandchildren. The family is grateful for the help and care provided over the past months by Holy Cross Hospice and Mbalu Sankoh. A Memorial Service will be held November 11, 2017 at 2 p.m. in the Chapel of the Riderwood Retirement Community, 3140 Gracefield Rd., Silver Spring, MD. 20904. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Webb Institute of Naval Architecture, The Nature Conservancy or The American Indian College Fund. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Webb Institute of Naval Architecture, The Nature Conservancy or The American Indian College Fund.

Published in The Washington Post on Nov. 8, 2017