Born in Gallup, New Mexico in 1927, Allen E. Fuhs graduated from Gallup High School in 1946. In 1951 he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University New Mexico. He also has a Master of Science degree and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, from the California Institute of Technology. After serving as chief scientist of the U.S. Air Force Aero-propulsion Lab at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio in 1966, Fuhs began a 21-year career at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), in Monterrey, California. He taught in its departments of Aeronautics and Mechanical Engineering, chairing both departments and in 1974, was awarded the title of Distinguished Professor Emeritus.
Dr. Fuhs was the first chairman of the Space Systems Academic Group at the NPS, and designed the curriculum from scratch. He taught courses in high-energy lasers, aircraft design, missile configuration and design, and spacecraft design. Fuhs served as chairman of the space systems group until May 1987. After retiring from the NPS and the federal civil service on October 3, 1987, Fuhs served as chief scientist of the Orbital Sciences Corporation and continues technical activities, consulting, teaching short courses, and serving on government advisory boards and panels.
In 1986, Allen Fuhs was elected president of the prestigious American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics (AIAA). He also served on the AIAA board of directors for ten years, was editor-in-chief of the AIAA Journal of Aircraft for five years, was Vice President for Publications, served on four technical committees and was chairman of another committee.
Dr. Fuhs also served on the Vice President’s Space Policy Advisory Board for the National Space Council during the George H.W. Bush administration (1989-1993). He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Society of Automotive Engineers, and the British Interplanetary Society. In 1990 he received the U.S. Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award for his work at the Naval Postgraduate School.
Dr. Fuhs has long been active in the international scientific community. The Soviet Academy of Sciences included him in a briefing on results from comet rendezvous satellite Vega; he was the keynote speakers at an annual aerospace meeting held by the Chief of Staff of the Republic of South Korea Air Force, and he gave a lecture series on Stealth technology to the Taiwan Air Force Technical Commission. Dr. Allen Fuhs is currently a consultant in Carmel, California.