BLACKSBURG, Va., April 3 -- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University issued the following news release:
Fueled by two Virginia Tech degrees in mechanical engineering, Nicholas Des Champs '62, Ph.D. '67 left a legacy of both innovation and philanthrophy. He passed away in September 2025 at the age of 87.
A native of Henrico County, Virginia, Des Champs was the first person in his family to receive a college degree. He earned his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech, paying for tuition with money he had saved working as a bricklayer for his father, an entrepreneur who only ever finished eighth grade.
After graduating in 1961, he began doing corporate research at Atlantic Research Corporation and even...