New London — The U.S. Coast Guard Academy named Vincent Wilczynski and Patrick Knowles as the Class of 1953 fellows for this year.

Wilczynski and Knowles graduated from the academy in 1983. The fellowship honors graduates who have made extraordinary contributions outside their Coast Guard careers and returned to the academy to share their practical success with the cadets.

Wilczynski and Knowles, both retired Coast Guard officers, both remained in academia to continue teaching and administration in the field of engineering, and have kept close ties to the academy.

Wilczynski, the former chairman of the academy’s engineering department, is the deputy dean of the Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science. He presently serves on the executive advisory board of the FIRST Foundation and on the Naval Engineering in the 21st Century Committee of the National Academy of Engineering. He lives in Old Lyme with his wife, Jean, and their children, Peter, Tim and Patrick.

Knowles is a professor of mechanical and manufacturing engineering technology at Three Rivers Community College and a licensed professional engineer. He has coached the academy football team for the past 17 years without compensation. He lives in Norwich with his wife, Ann, and their children, Mark, Lydia, Lauren and Julia.