Sturiale, Virgillo "Jiggs"

Jiggs was born May 23, 1916 in N. Y., NY to the late Innocenzo and Carmela Torrisi Sturiale. Jiggs spent most of his life in Bethpage. As a youth Jiggs was fascinated with airplane flight. During training in drafting school he designed model airplanes (some plans are still used by hobbyists). In 1939 he joined Grumman Aircraft Corp. and eventually rose to title of aeronautical engineer. Jiggs" expertise in landing rear led to his designs of tall hooks which have become an integral feature of U. S. Navy planes. Another highlight of Jiggs' tenure was his key role in the design and development of the lunar module (LEM) landing gear for the Apollo Project - first deployed in the 1969 mission to the moon and in subsequent lunar missions. In 2007 Jiggs and his wife Madeline moved to Winston Salem to be near family. Jiggs passed away on December 13, 2015 at the age of 99. Information from the Winston-Salem Journal.