In Memoriam: Jane Couchman Randolph
Couchman and Randolph Family
Dean Walter Fahey took exception to an April 1971 Tucson Citizen article leaving out Jane Couchman Randolph's many accomplishments.
It is with sadness that the UA Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering says goodbye to Jane Couchman Randolph, who recently passed away.
Couchman came to the UA to study mechanical engineering, and obtained her degree in 1955 as one of the college’s first female graduates. She completed her final class via correspondence course while already working for Southern California Gas Co. in Los Angeles. She later worked in the Weapons Systems Laboratory of Hughes Aircraft Co. in Tucson.
She was active in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Arizona Council of Engineering and Scientific Associations, and the Society of Women Engineers, serving as an officer in several local chapters, and was a regular at the Homecoming Engineers Breakfast through the years.
Couchman was given only associate status in Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honors society, until 1971 when Walter Fahey, then-dean of the College of Engineering, was instrumental in having her named a full member.
A memorial service will be held Dec. 8, at 4 p.m., at the American Lutheran Church in Tucson. The family has asked that donations be made to the AME department in lieu of flowers.