Dr. Zoltán Jánosi, 1929–2024
Dr. Zoltán Jánosi was born in Hungary in 1929 and graduated in mechanical engineering from the Technical University of Budapest. After completing his studies, he worked at the Department of Mechanics at the Agricultural University. During the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, he emigrated with his family to the West, eventually settling in the United States. There, he worked for the U.S. Army TACOM in Warren, MI until his retirement.
Dr. Jánosi was an active member of the international scientific community. He attended and presented papers at the 1st International Conference of the ISTVS in Turin, 1961, and was a founding member of the Society. Despite the geographical distance, he maintained strong professional and personal connections with researchers in his home country until his passing. Through his efforts, Hungarian researchers became involved with the ISTVS in the 1960s.
One of his most significant contributions to the field was the development of the Janosi-Hanamoto model, which describes the shear stress-displacement relationship of cohesionless soils. This model, grounded in solid theoretical foundations, remains widely cited in the literature to this day.
For many years, Dr. Jánosi served as the translator and editor for the Journal of Terramechanics, significantly improving the standard of language in the journal’s published papers. He also participated in numerous ISTVS conferences, often accompanied by his wife, Matild (Janice). Notably, he was one of the primary organizers of the 1993 ISTVS Conference in Incline Village, NV. In 2011, he gave a memorable presentation on the history of the Society and his own contributions at the 17th International Conference in Blacksburg, VA.
Dr. Jánosi remained remarkably vibrant—both in body and mind—until his passing at the age of 96 on November 21, 2024. His death is a profound loss to the terrain and soil mechanics research community. His legacy and memory will continue to be cherished by all who knew him and worked with him.
Prof. Dr. Péter Kiss
Head of Vehicle Technology Department
Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Former President of the ISTVS
View and share memories of Dr. Jánosi:
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/clinton-township-mi/zoltan-janosi-12104928
Janice Mathilde Jánosi’s notice:
https://www.grossepointenews.com/articles/janice-mathilde-janosi/
The Society was very fortunate that Dr. Janosi joined the conference in 2011 in Blacksburg, Virginia, for the 50th Anniversary Special Session organized by Conference Chair Corina Sandu and then-President Sally Shoop.
Below is a playlist of about 25 minutes of handheld video of his presentation, “The Early Days of the ISTVS and the Land Locomotion Lab.”