Dr. Arkadii Leonov

Dr. Arkadii Leonov, 83, passed away peacefully at home on March 2, 2019.

He was born May 11, 1935 to Ilya T. Leonov and Fira M. Trakhtenberg in Moscow, Russia.  He devoted over 60 years of his life to his scientific passions: polymer continuum mechanics, polymer rheology and fluid mechanics, mathematical sociology and oceanology. Dr. Leonov graduated from Moscow State University in 1957. He held a Ph.D in Theoretical Mechanics and a Ph.D in Mathematical Physics. Dr. Leonov had a numerous publications, books and patents in polymeric area. He was an honorary member of British Society of Rheology and held an award of Vinogradov’s Society of Rheology. Dr. Leonov performed as a head of Rheology group at the Institute of Problems in Mechanics of the USSR Academy of Sciences in Moscow in the 80’s. He served as a tenured professor in the Department of Polymer Engineering, the University of Akron, for over 25 years, retiring in 2014 with a status of a Professor Emeritus. By the end of his professional career Dr. Leonov worked on a problem of hurricanes phenomenon. Dr. Leonov offered a solution to hurricane suppression in his research publication. The publication received a storm of attention from scientists around the world. Arkadii Leonov was an avid downhill skier, a tennis player and an international traveler.

Dr. Leonov was preceded in death by his father, Ilya Leonov; his mother, Fira Trakhtenberg; and his son, Alexei Leonov. He is survived by his wife, Svetlana Leonov; his daughter, Natalie Leonov Fryberger (John); his daughter-in-law, Elena Leonova; and his granddaughters, Alexa Paulina Fryberger and Maria Leonova.

A celebration of Dr. Leonov’s life will be held on Friday, March 8th from 4-7 p.m. at the Billow FAIRLAWN Chapel, 85 N. Miller Rd., Akron 44333. To share a Memory, Send a Condolence, Light a Candle or Send Flowers, visit the Tribute Wall at www.billowfuneralhomes.com (Billow FAIRLAWN Chapel)