Albert A. Orris

Orris, Albert Andrew (Albert Orosz), age 89, of Brea, California, passed away May 11, 2015. Formerly of Parma, Ohio. He is together in heaven with his beloved late wife, Genevieve Ann, and sons Dale and Gary. Survived by daughter, Kathryn Orris of Parma, Ohio, and son, Dave Orris, of Benicia, California; also by two granddaughters and eight great-grandsons. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Mr. Orris was a corporal in the U.S. Army Air Corps (Air Force), and served in the European Theater during World War II. Following his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University (Fenn College) with a Master of Engineering degree. While working as a mechanical designer for Alcoa Aluminum, he designed the life-saving heat shield for the Mercury space capsule, "Friendship 7," in which astronaut John H. Glenn, Jr. became the first American to orbit the earth in 1962. During Glenn's second orbit, mission control noticed that a sensor was issuing a warning that the heat shield and landing bag were not secure. However, Glenn successfully reentered the Earth's atmosphere and splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean after a flight of 4 hours and 55 minutes. When officials inspected the recovered capsule, they determined that the heat shield had never been in danger and a faulty sensor had caused the problem. Shortly after relocating to Southern California, Mr. Orris became vice president of engineering for Aluminum Precision Products in Santa Ana, CA until his retirement in 1990. During that time, he developed the first net-forging process using lightweight titaniuma difficult to forge materialto manufacture aircraft parts. The net forging process requires little or no extra machining to complete the component, and results in stronger components. Graveside services and burial at Holy Cross Cemetery, Cleveland, OH.