In Memoriam

AAPT Member & Physics Community Obituaries

• Lawrence Edison Banks, Jr.- January 6, 2010

  Born in Lawton, OK, Banks  received his B.S. and Ph.D from the University of Oklahoma. He became one of two physics faculty members in the “Science Department” of, then,  Southwest Missouri State College (now Missouri State University) in 1961. In 1968 he became head of the new “Physical Science” Department and, upon its division in 1972, he became the first Head of the Department of Physics. During his tenure the Department developed a strong physics major, an Astronomy minor, and a masters degree in materials science. Its faculty expanded to 15 members. In 1994 he became Dean of the College of Natural and Applied Sciences, from which he retired in 2006.
  
  Banks was a dedicated teacher and was active in guiding undergraduate students in research projects. These included early work with lasers leading to the development of a holography laboratory. He was an enthusiastic student of the application of computers in physics and developed an early course on their use. This eventually led, in cooperation with the Mathematics Department, to the creation of a new Computer Science Department. He was also an active supporter of the education of teachers in the sciences and aided in the development of a special physics course for pre-secondary teachers. In 2000 he was awarded the”Distinguished Service Award” from the Science Teachers of Missouri. He was a longtime member of AAPT and active in the Missouri Section from almost its inception, serving several times as President.
  

• Dr. Richard Vincent Mancuso - December 15, 2009

  The physics community joins SUNY Brockport in mourning the loss of Richard V. Mancuso, PhD, physics emeritus, who died on Tuesday, December 15, after serving the College with distinction since 1969. An active member of AAPT since 1993,he was one of the absolute stalwarts of the New York section, who has done a tremendous amount to advance physics education in New York.Dr. Mancusoalso served as a member of the Committee on Undergraduate Physics in Education. We extend our deepest sympathy to the Mancuso family. http://www.brockport.edu/eagle/view_item.php?id=346

• Dr. James Watson, Jr. - December 2, 2009

  Professor James Watson, Jr. passed away on December 2, 2009 after a long battle with cancer. He was an active member of AAPT and will be remembered for his dedication to science education.

  Read Dr. Watson's Obituary [BSU.edu]

• Roy H. Garstang
  

  Dr. Roy H. Garstang, Ph.D., 84, retired CU Professor of Physics and Astrophysics, and former Chair of JILA (Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics at the University of Colorado) died Sunday, November 1, 2009, in Boulder, Colorado. An Emeritus AAPT member, Roy Garstang was educated in mathematics at Cambridge University, and he spent many hours discussing both astronomy and Cambridge with Chandrasekhar at Yerkes Observatory in 1951-52. A professor of physics and astrophysics at the University of Colorado from 1964-94, he has worked on atomic spectroscopy, solar spectroscopy, atoms in high magnetic fields, light pollution modeling, and sundial errors. Roy Garstang's tremendous early assistance to IDA, both morally and scientifically, was essential to IDA's initial credibility and growth. His pioneering models on light pollution remain valuable references in the quantification of light pollution.
  

  Read his obituary from the Optical Society of America.

• George Patsakos - October 27, 2009

  Emeritus Professor George Patsakos, who retired 2 years ago, passed away on October 27, 2009. His immediate family was with him at the end. George first joined AAPT in 1973. Born in New York City in 1942 to Greek immigrants parents, George grew up in Brooklyn and attended James Madison High School. He graduated from Columbia University and earned his PhD in Physics from Stanford University.

  Patsakos was a professor in the Physics Dept. of the University of Idaho for many years, and retired two years ago. He was liked and respected by his students and peers. A true scholar with a very sharp mind., he helped everyone with his great intellect and very broad knowledge of physics. As a contemporary physicist, he personally met the founding fathers of modern physics such as Heisenberg, Oppenheimer, and Dirac, and roomed with Richard P. Feynman and often entertained the University of Idaho Physics Department with anecdotes of his meetings with these great minds. At a Remembrance Service held 11/5/09 Geroge was remembered as a great physicist, a broad thinking and warm and gentle human being.
  

• Richard Stephen Galik - October 23, 2009
  

  Cornell University Professor, and long time AAPT member, Richard S. Galik passed away on October 23, 2009. Galik joined the Physics Department at Cornell in 1992. He was a member of the New York State Section of the American Physical Society and an APS Fellow. Galik's was part of the CLEO collaboration which uses data collected at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring (CESR) to study electron-positron interactions. He participated in the group's efforts in the areas of b/anti-b and c/anti-c resonance spectroscopy and decay. He also worked on R&D for the particle detector of the proposed International Linear Collider. A strong supporter of physics education and a mentor to his students, Galik leaves a legacy of growth and dedication.

• Dr. E. Leonard Jossem - August 29, 2009
  

  E. Leonard Jossem, age 90, of Columbus, passed away Saturday, August 29, 2009 at The Ohio State University Hospital. Jossem was a former AAPT President and Retired Professor Emeritus of the Physics Department at The Ohio State University.

• Read the AAPT Obituary & Press Release

• Dr. Laird C. Brodie - July 31, 2009

  AAPT joins members of the Oregon Section in celebrating the life and contributions of Laird C. Brodie who died on July 31, 2009.  Brodie was Professor Emeritus with the Portland State University Department of Physics.  He first joined AAPT in 1958 and remained an active member and contributor to the Association throughout his life.

• Betty Preece - May 17, 2009
  

  College Park, MD, May 27, 2009. The physics community and AAPT lost a friend and advocate on May 17 with the death of Betty Preece of Indialantic, FL. A long-time member of AAPT, Betty was recognized for her years of dedicated service with a Distinguished Service Citation in 1997. She served on many committees, including the Committee on Minorities, the Committee on Women in Physics, and the Committee on International Education.

  Read "Honoring the Life and Work of Science Educator, Betty Preece" Press Release

• Dr. Kenneth Edward Davis - February 23, 2009

  Former AAPT President, Kenneth E. Davis, died in Portland, Oregon on February 23, 2009 of heart failure. Dr. Davis served as AAPT President from 1976-1977. He was recognized with the AAPT Distinguished Service Citation in 1963 for his six years of service as Section Representative for the Oregon Section of AAPT.
  Read the article "Meet your new AAPT president: Kenneth Davis" from the February, 1976 issue of The Physics Teacher.