Matthew C. Ek
November 09, 1923 - November 20, 1994
August 1955
U.S. Open Chess Championship, California Chess Reporter, August 1955. 1955 North American “B” Team (seated) Matthew C. Ek, unknown, unknown. (standing) Warren McGill, C. F. McKinnon, N. Vatsos, unknown, unknown.
Enterprise-Record, Chico, California, Tuesday, November 22, 1994
Matthew Ek
A funeral for Matthew Ek, 71 of Chico will be held at 1 pm Wednesday in the Newton-Bracewell Chico Funeral Home.
He died Sunday November 20, 1994 at his home.
Ek was born Nov 9, 1923 to Alma and Anna Ek in Lakewood, Ohio He spent his early childhood in Chile and Northern Rhodesia, where his father was a mining and construction engineer.
After attending public schools in Utah, Ek served overseas in the Army Engineering Corps during World War II.
Later he graduated with high honors in mechanical engineering and mathematics from the University of Utah. He also earned a degree with honors in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In 1979 he retired from the Rocketdyne Division of Rockwell International Corp. where he was vice president and chief engineer. During his years at Rocketdyne, Ek was responsible for the design and development of the main engines of the space shuttle as well as the rocket engines of the Atlas, Thor, and Nerva vehicles and related space hardware. He headed a group of 1,400 technical workers that included 900 engineers.
As a registered consulting engineer in California, Ek was recognized as one of the leading experts in rotating machinery including cryogenic turbomachinery.
Three weeks ago he resolved a long-standing problem with the Polaris submarine missile firing system for the Navy. His foreign consulting work included French, German, Swedish, Italian and Japanese aerospace and rocket clients.
Ek received many academic and professional honors and awards, published a number of papers and was listed in “Who's Who” editions nationally, in the West and in California.
After retiring Ek taught as a distinguished visiting professor of engineering at California State University, Northridge, where he also served as engineering department chair.
His hobbies were chess, music and fine woodworking. He was also a professional artist who worked in oils and pastels. He was prominent in Chico art circles.
He moved to Chico in 1982.
Survivors include his wife Arlene of Chico; a brother Richard Ek of Chico; and six children from his former marriage to Grace Ek of Woodland Hills; Leslie Matarazzo of Tahoe City, Eugene Ek of Bel Air; Alexander Ek of Arroyo Grande; Matthew Ek Jr of Salt Lake City; Candice Ek of Woodland Hills; Eric Ek of Camarillo; and Carol Ek of Woodland Hills; and eight grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 5-8 pm today at the funeral home.
Private family interment will be in the Veterans Section of the Chico Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association.
