Günter Sabionski's plane

On Friday, Feb. 24, 2006 Günter Sabionski died at the age of 65 in his native Germany following a long battle with cancer. He was 73 years old. He is survived by his two adult children. A man of many interests, talents, and accomplishments, Sabionski held multiple key positions with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and was well-respected in his field. He was also a trained chef, accomplished pilot, world-traveled photographer, scuba diver and recognized underwater videographer, highly skilled carpenter, pianist, model train enthusiast, and competitive bridge player. Sabionski began his career as a chef first in the German army and then on cruise ships and at top hotels in Germany, England, and the United States. Beneficiaries of his culinary skills included President Eisenhower, the Shah of Iran, Queen Elizabeth, and Chancellor Adenauer of Germany. In fact, when Sabionski first came to the United States, he was the head chef at the Hartford Golf Club. After 12 years as a chef, Sabionski decided to pursue a degree in mathematics and computer science. He enrolled at the University of Hartford, where he excelled, earning a bachelor’s in mathematics, the Best Mathematics Student Award, and a listing in Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities. He was also the technical director for the University Players theater group, and a member of the International Relations Club, Chess Club, and the honor society Gamma Sigma Nu. He graduated in 1965. During his 28 years at NASA Sabionski helped develop Apollo guidance programs and managed Apollo Command Module flight software and flight control during lunar landings. He managed the Digital Imagery Laboratories for the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas and was recognized as a NASA expert in computer graphics and 3D animation. He also headed the software design section for Space Shuttle systems, where he worked on the remote manipulator arm and helped train astronauts. During his final years at NASA, Sabionski served as manager of the Digital Imagery Laboratories, initiating concepts for further exploration of the moon and Mars, which included the conception of a manned landing on Mars in the year 2019. Upon his retirement from NASA, Sabionski returned to Germany and continued to pursue his many interests and hobbies. His love of photography and underwater video production led to trips to Fiji, the Great Barrier Reef, Guam, and Papua New Guinea, among many other exotic destinations. He also enjoyed his self-constructed model train setup with a complex, multi-featured landscape and 17 computer-driven trains. Sabionski was also a generous benefactor of the University of Hartford. Prior to his death he established the Gu¨nter R. Sabionski Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund with a $350,000 gift. The scholarship provides financial assistance to selected computer science majors who have made the Dean’s List and intend to pursue a degree in Computer Science. In a 2005 visit to campus, Sabionski was reunited with two favorite professors: Edward Friedman, now professor emeritus of electrical engineering, and Cecilia Welna, professor emerita of mathematics. He commented that both these faculty members had been instrumental in his undergraduate career.