Warren H. Giedt, professor emeritus and founding chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering at the University of California, Davis, died March 23 at his home in San Jose. He was 86.

On March 12, Giedt had been present with family, friends and colleagues past and present to dedicate UC Davis' newest teaching building, Warren and Leta Giedt Hall. The 15,000 square-foot building, which contains three lecture halls and two classrooms, was made possible by a gift of $2.5 million from Giedt and his late wife, Leta.

Speaking at that event, Giedt said that seeing so many smiling faces reminded him of the morning in July 1965 when he arrived on the Davis campus. In June of this year, he noted, he would have completed 60 years of service to the University of California.

"We were fortunate to have shared that special day with him. We will miss him," said Enrique Lavernia, dean of the College of Engineering. "However, it is important to recognize that Warren Giedt's influence will be felt for generations to come -- in the work of his many students, from the benefits of his research and through his and Leta's generous gifts to the students at UC Davis."

Giedt began his career at the Air Force equipment laboratory at Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio, working on aircraft heating and anti-icing. Later, he was transferred to the Air Force Institute of Technology, where he began teaching.

He studied at UC Berkeley, receiving a bachelor's degree in applied science in 1944, a master's degree in 1946 and his doctorate in 1950. In the same year he and his wife, Leta, were married in San Francisco.

Giedt joined the faculty at UC Berkeley in 1947. In 1965, he moved to UC Davis as the first chair of the new Department of Mechanical Engineering, serving as chair until 1969. He served as associate dean of graduate studies for the College of Engineering from 1972 to 1980. He retired from the faculty in 1983.

After retirement, the Giedts endowed a deferred philanthropic trust to create a professorship to benefit the chairs of the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering. Their gift was the College of Engineering's first for an endowed professorship.

Internationally known for his teaching and research in heat transfer and thermodynamics, Giedt was a Fulbright professor at the University of Tokyo in 1963 and was awarded a fellowship by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science in 1980. The American Society for Engineering Education honored him as an outstanding teacher in 1968 and 1974. He was a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and in 1985 was awarded the society's James Harry Potter Medal in recognition of his distinguished achievements in the science of thermodynamics.

Giedt was long associated with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, starting as a consultant in the early 1950s. He continued to maintain an office at the laboratory until his death.

He enjoyed playing golf near his home in El Macero, where he and Leta lived while at UC Davis, and at The Villages in San Jose. The Giedts also owned a condominium in Kona, Hawaii, which they enjoyed visiting frequently.

Leta Giedt died in 2006. The couple had no children, but Giedt is survived by numerous nieces and nephews, including the six children of his identical twin, the late Wallace Reid Giedt. He is also survived by his brother, John, of Florida.

The Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering will hold a memorial service at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Warren and Leta Giedt Endowed Professorship Fund. Checks should be made out to the UC Davis Foundation, with a note specifying the Giedt endowment.