William C. Meecham, UCLA professor of mechanical and aerospace
engineering and an expert on the damaging effects of airport noise,
died of heart failure March 11. He was 77 years old.
“He was our resident expert in the areas of aero-acoustics
and turbulence,” said Thomas Hahn, professor and chair of the
mechanical and aerospace engineering department at UCLA.
Meecham first joined UCLA faculty in 1967. He was quickly
appointed chair of what is now known as the mechanical and
aerospace engineering department.
Meecham used his education, and knowledge of acoustics and
turbulence to help people afflicted by noise pollution,
particularly those who lived, worked or went to school under the
flight path of airplanes.
In 1982, a Meecham investigation found a higher rate of
cardiovascular deaths, strokes, suicides and murders among people
who lived near the flight path of airplanes taking off from Los
Angeles International Airport.
These infirmities were, in part, attributed to prolonged
exposure to excessive noise.
His work was crucial in changing the flight paths of airplanes
in Los Angeles and other metropolitan cities.
“They used to have a lot of homes under the flight paths
at LAX, he was instrumental in changing that,” said
mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Ivan Catton.
Meecham was an influential researcher, as well as a respected
man and beloved father.
“He was a great man, very easy- going, friendly and full
of energy,” Hahn said.
Catton added, “He was one of the nicest guys I knew in
this life, he was always a gentleman.”
Meecham’s son ““ also named William ““ said his
father heavily encouraged him and his sister to pursue higher
education.
Today a doctor of ophthalmology, Meecham’s son said it was
the influence of his dad that pushed him to become a doctor.
“He had a lot of influence over me, especially in my
studies,” William said.
Meecham is survived by his wife of thirty-nine years, Dellafern;
a son, William, and a daughter, Janice.