Rensselaer Athletics Hall of Fame Bio | Obituary

The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) department of athletics mourns the loss of Athletics Hall of Famer Charles J. "Chuck" Merdinger '46, of Cupertino, Calif. The two-sport standout who went on to become a Rhodes Scholar died on Dec. 13.

An All-America lacrosse player and a two-way starter in football at Rensselaer, Merdinger was inducted into Phalanx, Chi Epsilon, Tau Beta Pi and Sigma Xi. A member of the Class of 1941 from the United States Naval Academy, he attended RPI and earned a Bachelor of Civil Engineering in 1945 and a Master of Civil Engineering in 1946. Following his time in Troy, he attended Oxford University, where he earned a Doctor of Philosphy, completing his degree in 1949.

Merdinger was inducted into the Rensselaer Athletics Hall of Fame with the Class of 1983.