SIGMA GAMMA TAU
Profile of Professor Harry H. Hilton
Sigma Gamma Tau, the National Honor Society in Aerospace
Engineering, honored Professor Harry H. Hilton on January 8, 2012 during its
Triennial Convention by deciding to name the Great Lakes Regional Award after him.
Professor Hilton received his B.S. and M.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from New
York University in 1947 and 1949, respectively. He received his Ph.D. in Mechanics
from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1951. He joined the Aerospace
Engineering faculty of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1949, and
became Professor Emeritus in 1990. Professor Hilton passed away on March 29, 2023.
The Sigma Gamma Tau Triennial Convention on January 6, 2024
made the decision to rename the National Award for its Undergraduate Award competition
after Professor Hilton. This decision was made in recognition of nearly seven decades
of service as the Great Lakes Regional Coordinator since Sigma Gamma Tau's formation
in 1953 as well as eleven years of service as National Secretary-Treasurer. He was
also responsible for the design of the Sigma Gamma Tau logo.
