Prof. Alfred Gessow (October 13, 1922 – May 2, 2002) was an American pioneer in the field of helicopter aerodynamics and aerospace engineering. He was a co-author of the early rotorcraft engineering text, Aerodynamics of the Helicopter, which, although published in 1952, has been in print for more than 50 years. Prof. Gessow was Chair of the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park, and was ultimately promoted to Professor Emeritus.