It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Robert John Santoro on February 14, 2025 at the age of 78.
Bob was born on October 21,1946 to Attio (“Art”) Santoro and Mary Santoro (née Liberatore) in Somerville, Massachusetts.
He studied at Boston College, where he received his PhD in physics in 1975. He did post-doctoral research at Princeton University’s Fuels Research Laboratory before working as a researcher at the National Bureau of Standards in Gaithersburg, Maryland. In 1985 he received the U.S. Department of Commerce Silver Medal for his research in soot particle formation.
In 1986, Bob joined the Mechanical Engineering faculty of Penn State University. He worked there until he retired in 2016, holding positions as the George L. Guillet professor of Mechanical Engineering and the Director of the Propulsion Engineering Research Center at the Pennsylvania State University, where he founded the Cryogenic Combustion Lab. Throughout his career, his favorite part of his job was working with students. He was an incredibly generous and supportive mentor to many undergraduate students, graduate students, and post docs.
As impressive as his academic and research accomplishments were, he would have been the first to say that his most important legacy was as a husband, father, and grandfather. He married his wife, Phyllis, in 1973, and they celebrated 51 years of marriage in November 2024. Their daughter Andrea Del Vecchio and her husband Vince Del Vecchio have three children, Anna (17), Tessa (14), and Owen (9). Their daughter Elizabeth Vaughan and her husband Jesse Vaughan have two children, Kai (15) and Adele (13). Bob was also a father figure to close family friend Rachel Summers, who has two children with her husband Tim Summers, Nathaniel (19) and Karissa (16). All have a wealth of joyful memories of Bob playing with them as children, taking an interest in everything they did, and giving the best of advice when needed.
Bob loved the music of Bob Dylan, the 1953 movie “Shane,” and reading about U.S. presidents, especially the founding fathers. He also loved the dance numbers in the classic movies of Fred Astaire.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Mary and Art Santoro, and his brother, William Santoro.
Donations in lieu of flowers may be made in his name to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, General Fund, at https://www.asmefoundation.org/donate/, selecting “Dr. Robert Santoro” under “Designation.” Donations may also be made by mail to the attention of Gretchen Crutchfield, 1828 L Street NW, Suite 406, Washington, DC 20036, with “Dr. Robert Santoro” in the memo line. This fund will support a scholarship for a Mechanical Engineering student.