A Tribute to an Outstanding Public Servant

Dr. Frank Tung, former Deputy Director of the Volpe Center

Dr. Frank Tung, former Deputy Director of the Volpe Center and a highly respected colleague, died on November 15, 2006.

Dr. Tung worked at the Volpe Center from 1971 to 2002. In 1990, he was appointed Deputy Director. He retired in 2002 after 37 years of distinguished federal service. To all his roles at the Center, he brought his technical expertise, his management skills, and his personal integrity.

His early work with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is particularly noteworthy. In the early 1980s, he created the Volpe Center's air transportation program, which he then directed for 20 years. During this time, the Center and the FAA became true partners, contributing to the enhancement of the safety, capacity, and effectiveness of the nation's air transportation system. This early support laid the groundwork for the Center's continuing support to FAA as it responds to the nation's growing aviation requirements. Key projects that started under Dr. Tung's guidance and continue to evolve to this day include the development of air-traffic management systems and of technologies to address airport runway incursions, and the study of aircraft wake-vortex problems.

Dr. Tung's contributions were widely recognized. He received numerous awards during his years of government service, including a Secretarial Award for Meritorious Achievement in 1979 and two Presidential Rank Awards for Meritorious Executive in 1985 and 1996. He also received the FAA Bulldog Award and the Air Traffic Control Association's prestigious Clifford Burton Memorial Award.

In addition to his many accolades and his contributions to the success of the Volpe Center, Dr. Tung will be remembered for his character. He also had a way of engaging each person with whom he talked and a gentle sense of humor. He had the ability to convey the excitement of acquiring new knowledge, and he continued his lifelong pursuit of learning into his retirement. Over the years he mentored many junior employees, several of whom have become national experts, in part because of his interest and tutelage. He made lifelong friendships with colleagues here. He made us take note of the human face of our institution. We are proud to have known him.

Dr. Tung exemplified the values of the Volpe Center, fostering innovation and collaboration while improving the quality of life for millions of Americans.