Armand V. Feigenbaum ’42, an adviser and benefactor to Union and an internationally recognized leader in systems engineering and total quality control, died Nov. 13, 2014. He was 92.
He and his brother, the late Donald S. Feigenbaum ’46, founded General Systems Co., the Pittsfield, Mass.-based international systems engineering firm that designs and helps implement operational systems for corporations and governments worldwide.
The brothers were long involved with Union. For more than a dozen years, they hosted the Feigenbaum Forum, a gathering at which academicians discussed characteristics of a new generation of leaders and how better to integrate liberal arts and other studies. Union’s administration building, where their portraits hang in the first-floor lobby, was dedicated in their honor in 1996.
Armand Feigenbaum received an honorary doctor of science degree from the College in 1992, and the Alumni Gold Medal in 2012.
“Armand Feigenbaum, like his brother, Donald, was an ideal son of Union College,” said President Stephen C. Ainlay. “He was proud of his connection to Union, just as we were proud to call him one of our own. We owe much of our success today to his generosity, expertise and insight.”
The Feigenbaums were also generous supporters of non-profits and cultural institutions in their native Pittsfield. The Berkshire Museum, which they supported, is home to the Feigenbaum Hall of Innovation.
They also authored a number of books that were highly influential in the industry. Total Quality Control, published in 1952, has been reprinted numerous times in dozens of languages.
Armand received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the nation’s highest honor for technological achievement, from President George W. Bush in a White House ceremony in 2008.
Donald S. Feigenbaum ’46 passed away March 5, 2013 at the age of 87.
Services are Sunday, Nov. 16, at 1:30 p.m. at Temple Anshe Amunim, 26 Broad St., Pittsfield, Mass.