Basil Antar

Dr. Basil N. Antar, Professor Emeritus, age 83, Catonsville, MD. Devoted son of the late Rose (Razook Toma) and the late Naman S. Antar. Beloved husband of Dr. Vappu S. Nuotio-Antar for 51 years. Loving father of Alli (Jeff) and Annukka (Sarah). Proud grandfather of Lilja, Martti, Karoliina, and Aino. Dear brother of Huda Malconian, Munther (Clara) Antar, and Ghassan Antar.

Basil was born and raised in Baghdad, Iraq, also spending time with his paternal grandparents and extended family in Basra. He graduated from Baghdad College, an American Jesuit-run high school. The Jesuit commitment to faith and justice and his family’s own heritage in the ancient Christian church nurtured a faith that he sustained through lifelong study of scripture, participation in church, and devotion to God.

He won a government scholarship to attend college abroad, and after six months studying in Prague, he moved to Manchester, England, where he passed the entrance exams to enter university in the U.K. He graduated with honors with a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from Leeds Polytechnic in 1966, during which time he worked for Denys Fisher on the development of the toy Spirograph. After a year working at Fairey Engineering in Stockport, England, he moved to the United States to attend Rice University, where he earned a Rice University Fellowship and an M.Sc. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in 1970. He then earned a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics from The University of Texas in Austin in 1974. While there, he met the love of his life, Dr. Vappu Nuotio, who was an international postdoc from Finland in his department at UT Austin.

Basil was awarded a position as a National Academy of Science-National Research Council Resident Research Associate at the Space Sciences Laboratory at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in 1974 and married Vappu later that year in Huntsville, AL. In 1976, he accepted a position as Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics at the University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI) in Tullahoma, TN. He was awarded tenure in 1980 and became a full Professor in 1985. He spent nine summers as a Summer Faculty Fellow at NASA Marshall as well as serving as Visiting Scientist and Scientist in the Microgravity Division there. He maintained close collaborations with NASA scientists throughout his career. He served on the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Research Council as well as its Faculty Senate. From 2008-2010, he served as Program Chair for the Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering Department at UTSI. In 2012 upon his retirement, he was awarded the title of Professor Emeritus by the University of Tennessee.

An enthusiastic scientist, Basil dedicated his career to scientific research in microgravity science and applications, fluid dynamics, heat transfer, aerodynamics, and baroclinic instability in atmospheric science (with direct applications to the study of climate change impacts on jet streams). He developed a new, more accurate method of measuring the viscosity of fluids, and he wrote a graduate-level textbook together with Vappu entitled Fundamentals of Low Gravity Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer (1994). He was co-investigator of International Space Station (ISS) and Spacelab experiments, and he directed other microgravity experiments using the NASA/KC-135 aircraft (the “vomit comet”). He was the principal investigator on numerous research contracts and grants from NASA, the U.S. Air Force, and the Universities Space Research Association (USRA). He authored dozens of manuscripts and technical reports, he edited four books, he served on several national and international boards as an expert on microgravity science and applications, and he taught courses nationally and internationally.

Basil relished his roles as mentor and teacher, truly caring about each of his students and their careers. He taught many and varied graduate courses in fluid dynamics and heat transfer and had a decades-long and outstanding record as a mentor, serving as major professor and advisor for at least 40 graduate students who obtained M.Sc. or Ph.D. degrees at the University of Tennessee and as a Ph.D. thesis committee member for many students at universities in the U.S. and abroad.

Basil will be remembered for his warm and gentle presence and his love of his wife, children, grandchildren, and extended family. He was humble and deeply compassionate, caring about the socioeconomically disadvantaged, refugees, and the warming planet. His daughters remember him as an exceptional teacher—someone who could take complex subjects and make them clear and engaging. He enjoyed games and made learning feel like play. He was a passionate home chef who loved watching cooking shows, embarking on new adventures in the kitchen, and preparing old favorites such as baba ghanoush, shrimp creole, baklava, and daily salads. He kept active with daily runs and loved being outside. He fed his mind with books and documentaries and had learned opinions on politics, history, and culture, especially the ancient and modern history of the Near East. In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic compounded the challenges of Parkinson’s, he and Vappu relocated to Catonsville, MD, to be nearer the care and support of their younger daughter and her family. Even as Parkinson’s and dementia increasingly took their toll on his body and mind, he joined Salem Lutheran Church, maintained his sense of humor, and always had a bright smile for his grandchildren. Basil was an amazing husband, father, and mentor. He will be missed.

The funeral will be Friday, March 13, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. with a dinner reception to follow at Salem Lutheran Church, 905 Frederick Road, Catonsville, MD. To virtually attend the funeral service, click https://www.youtube.com/user/salemcatonsville or https://www.facebook.com/salemlutheranchurch.catonsville . The broadcast will remain on those sites for a period of time after the live stream. Flowers may be delivered to Sterling-Ashton-Schwab-Witzke Funeral Home of Catonsville, 1630 Edmondson Ave, Catonsville, MD 21228 in the days prior to the funeral service. Alternatively, memorials may be made to charities in Basil’s memory by clicking on the "Donate Here" links below . A graveside service and interment will take place at a later date at the Forest Park Westheimer Cemetery in Houston, TX