Harvey Fein, 72; Engineer Battled Muscular Dystrophy

Harvey L. Fein, 72, a retired chemical engineer and senior official with local technology and energy companies, died June 4 at Virginia Hospital Center after surgery for cancer. He lived in Alexandria.

Dr. Fein was born in Washington and moved at a young age to New York. He graduated from Cornell University in 1959 and received master's and doctorate degrees in chemical engineering from MIT in 1961 and 1963.

He began his career in 1963 with the Atlantic Research Corp. in Alexandria, where he was a project manager and head of the thermodynamics section.

In 1975, he joined TRW Energy Systems Group in McLean, where he directed the preliminary design and application studies of coal gasification and liquefaction projects.

From 1981 to 1986, Dr. Fein was senior project officer with the U.S. Synthetic Fuels Corp. in Washington, managing the assessment of commercial fuels projects valued as high as $2.5 billion.

He was a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Chemical Society and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He was also a member of the Tau Beta Pi, Phi Lambda Upsilon and Sigma Xi honorary societies.

Dr. Fein considered his greatest achievement his lifelong battle with muscular dystrophy, which was diagnosed when he was in his early 20s. He lived in Annandale for many years before moving to Alexandria two years ago.

Survivors include his wife of 34 years, Pamela Fein of Alexandria; two children, Alison Rachel Young of Franklin, Tenn., and Andrew Jason Fein of Atlanta; and a sister, Lenore Beth Fein of Alexandria.

-- Matt Schudel