Please send information to:  Department of Physics & Astronomy, Alumni Records
                                          800 Yale Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87131,
                                          or send e-mail to Mary DeWitt, or fill out the online form.

Click on the names for more information.

PandA Alumni	(by graduation decade)		PandA Faculty
1930s David A. Lawson, Jr. 1940s Marx Brook Raymond Grenchik Herschel R. Snodgrass	1970s Luella Mary W. Button Riki Darling William G. Larsen Harold G. Longbotham G. Christian Overton Dennis L. Roeder Ellery Storm		Prof. John G. Breiland (Nov. 21, 1905-1996) Ph.D.-UCLA John Breiland taught here at PandA from 1942 until his retirement in 1970. He was Acting Department Chair in 1957-58 and 1961-62.
1950s Allan F. Beck Robert J. Lanter David Pomeroy William A. Rogers	1980s Richard J. Elston Arthur R. Gribble Robert T. Marchini		Prof. Christopher Dean (May 3, 1920- ) Ph.D.-Harvard Christopher Dean taught here at PandA from 1963 until his retirement in 1978.
James F. Tribby Gus T. Zorn 1960s James R. Barcus Daniel P. Christman R.R. Harrington Russell G. Herron Charles L. Hyder Roger A. Morris	1990s Dennis Khetselius Michael Ledlow Christopher K. Schultz 2000s		Prof. Roy Thomas (Aug 8, 1914-March 18, 2005) Ph.D.-UC-Berkeley, 1942 Roy Thomas, a doctoral student of  J. Robert Oppenheimer, taught here at PandA from 1948 until his retirement in 1980.
Donald S. Robb Munson M. Thorpe

David A. Lawson, Jr. - 12/16/1913-4/30/1990
Fairfax, VA

1940s [ back to top ]
Marx Brook - 7/12/20-9/3/02
Marx Brook, longtime Professor of Physics and Professor Emeritus (retired in 1986) and Director of Langmuir
Laboratory for Atmospheric Research at New Mexico Tech, passed away on Tuesday, September 3, 2002,
while in the hospital following emergency abdominal surgery. Paul Krehbiel, one of his former students,
wrote Marx's obituary.

Raymond Grenchik - 4/28/2000
Raymond Grenchick died September 28, 2000, in Baton Rouge, LA. After earning the M.S.-Physics here at UNM
in 1949 (thesis: "A New Method of Measuring the Intensity of the Zodiacal Light," under Victor Regener), he
went to Indiana University for the PhD (1956). While at Indiana he studied under the late Marshall Wrubel, and
his dissertation was one of the earliest attempts to model the atmosphere of a white dwarf star. Most of his
career was spent in the Dept of Physics & Astronomy at Lousiana State University...1957 until his retirement in
1988.

Herschel R. Snodgrass - 5/31/1913-6/12/1990
King, Washington

1950s [ back to top ]
Allan F. Beck - 7/3/17-11/7/02
Lt. Col. (Ret.) Allan F. Beck died at St. Thomas Hospital, Nashville, Tennessee of complications from kidney
failure. Lt. Col. Beck was born July 3, 1917 in Escanaba, Michigan. He went to school in Escanaba and graduated
as valedictorian of his high school class in 1935. After entering the Army Air Corps, he was stationed at
Randolph Field and Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas. Upon leaving active duty he served in the USAF Reserve,
retiring as a Lt. Col. He earned a master's degree in physics at UNM in 1951, and worked at Sandia National Laboratories
as a nuclear physicist; he retired after 31 years of service. He married Louise Duggin (d. April 19, 2003) and their 59 year
marriage brought them three children who survive, Ellen (John) Anderson, David (Cindy) Beck and Elizabeth Estrada;
five grandchildren; brothers, Arol (Dudley, deceased), and Jack (Bette) Beck, of Escanaba, Michigan.

Robert Jackson Lanter (Capt, USN, 1942-46)- 11/09/1914-10/30/1986

David Pomeroy - 1897-1974 
He wrote the first UNM Dept of Physics & Astronomy doctoral dissertation (1950). Dr. Pomeroy subsequently taught
at the University of Florida, Gainesville, and conducted research at the Army Medical Research Lab, Fort Knox.

William A. Rogers - 9/6/96
William Rogers retired from Brookhaven on February 15, 1984, after 34 years of Lab service; he was 76 years old. He had
joined BNLs Purchasing Group on August 1, 1949, and at the time of his retirement he was a senior contracts specialist
in the Division of Contracts & Procurement.

James F. Tribby - 1914-1997
His death was recorded with Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, University of Chicago.

Gus T. Zorn - 6/18/1924-1/30/2002
Professor Emeritus and Senior Research Scientist, Gus Zorn passed away on
January 30, 2002, after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

He received his Ph.D. at the University of Padua, Italy in 1954. He spent one year
as a visiting scientist at the Max Plank Institute of Physics (1958) while serving as
an associate physicist at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (1956-1962). He
was a recipient of the General Research Board Award for the year 1987-1988,
an APS Fellow and a member of the New York Academy of Sciences. Gus was a participant in the OPAL
and JADE experiment as well as a number of other important high energy physics experiments at the
University of Maryland.

In honor of his wife (Bice Sechi-Zorn, also a physicist) who died in 1984, Gus established a Francis Scott
Key Scholarship Fund at the University of Maryland in her honor. This fund benefits outstanding science
students with an interest in physics. His last wish was to establish the Gus T. Zorn and Bice Sechi-Zorn
Professorship in Experimental Physics.

1960s [ back to top ]
James R. Barcus - 9/30/1930-1/3/1988
The Barcus Glacier, in the Hutton Mountains, was named by US-ACAN for James R. Barcus, who was an
ionospheric physics researcher at Byrd Station in the summers 1966-67 and 1967-68.

Daniel P. Christman (Col., U.S. Army) - 2/11/1930-1/17/1975
El Paso, TX

R.R. Harrington - 1932-1991

Russell G. Herron - d. 1989
He taught at UCLA and at St. John's Seminary College in Camarillo, CA, from 1965-1989;
this is his grandaughter's tribute (located online at Your True Hero).

A TRIBUTE TO MY GRAMPA
By Winona Nash

My grandfather, Russell G. Herron, Jr., is both a challenge and a breeze to write about.
I have been told many times from most all of my extended family about his heroic attributes.
However, I have not been able to physically be with him since 1989, when he died. He died
of diabetes quietly in the night, and many people would agree that he had chosen that time
as the right time to move on from this life to another place. Nonetheless, my memories of
him and the things I have been told make me admire my grampa greatly.

My grampa grew up in Chicago, and decided to join the Navy. Some say he joined to pay
for college education, while it is possible he joined to move up and away from his troubled
family. I think it is a combination of both. In the Navy, Grampa became a Commander and
served his country with patriotism. I have read several essays that he wrote, allowing me to
see what an unwavering American he truly was. He served in the Korean War, never talking
much to us about his experiences. I think that too is admirable, as he truly was respectful
and committed to his duties, not taking any opportunities to boast regarding the gravity of war.

One of the few memories I have of my Grampa is his funeral, with a twenty-one-gun salute
from the Navy and the dramatic folding of his esteemed flag. Truly my grampa was and is a
model of patriotism, pride, and duty.

Grampa Herron was also a very smart man. He earned a PhD in Physics and an EdD in Education.
Using these tools, he became a professor at UCLA and composed his own theory involving the
electro-magnetism of matter. This theory, composed in the 1950s, was considered “ fifty years
ahead of its time;” accordingly, it is now starting to get some recognition. My grampa has
inspired me to look into Physics as a natural career choice.

Additionally, my grampa was outstanding in his pursuit for improving the lives of the mentally
retarded. You see, my Uncle Jim was born mentally retarded, possibly because of radiation
my grampa was exposed to while studying physics at University of California in Berkeley.
Grampa Herron became a national figure in the cause for mental retardation and handicapped
children, organizing a foundation in Ventura County that is still a leading group for the
developmentally disabled.

Besides all these accomplishments, my grandfather was active in politics. He was dutifully
honest, which possibly became his greatest weakness in the political arena. While it is nice
to daydream about him serving in the Oval Office, it is more rewarding to know that my
grampa was an upstanding citizen, and honest, too.

It is obvious to see how important my grampa was upon looking around my gramma’s house.
The study’s walls are covered with plaques from the California government honoring him in life
and death. There was a star named after him. He is the only Grampa that I have ever known,
and as I get older, I can only wish that I had the opportunity to get to know this amazing man.
I consider him a hero, a man whose greatness has passed into familial legend. To me, he
shines as a beacon of patriotism, genius, charity, and civic generosity.

Charles L. Hyder

Roger A. Morris - d. 11/10/99
Roger Morris, an original member of the STURP ("Shroud of Turin Research Project") team that examined
the Shroud of Turin in 1978, died at his home in White Rock, New Mexico, after a short illness. He worked as a
physicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory from 1961 until his retirement in December 1997 (Nondestructive
Testing group). Roger is survived by his wife Kay Morris, their five children, his brother and his aunt.

He was remembered as an enthusiastic and dedicated scientist and as an effective team leader. Roger's
contribution to Shroud research was significant: in the early 1980s, he published reports on the direct
x-ray fluorescence and radiographic measurements that he, together with Ron London and Bill Mottern,
conducted on the Shroud.

Donald S. Robb - 1929-1988

Munson M. Thorpe - 10/14/1928-2/22/1981
 

1970s [ back to top ]
Luella Mary W. Button - 1/17/1929-8/15/1999
She and her husband Donald lived in Abiquiu for 25 years and, at the time of her death (due to an automobile accident),
she was retired from Los Alamos National Lab. Luella was originally from North Dakota.

Riki Darling - 6/23/1943-10/3/2001
Riki was one of the founding members of Utah's Wasatch Woolpack Handspinners. She was an adventurous knitter, a
spinner and weaver of Navajo-type rugs, and she taught others how to do anything that she knew how to do.

William G. Larsen - 1953-1990
The William G. Larsen Memorial Student Award was established in 1990 by Mr. & Mrs. N.G. Larsen, in his memory,
and is presented to the best Teaching Assistant during the UNM Physics & Astronomy departmental graduation
ceremony each May.

Harold G. Longbotham - 9/4/1946-9/5/1997
Dr. Longbotham earned degrees in Mathematics, Physics, Statistics, and Electrical
Engineering. His bachelor degree was in Physics and Mathematics from Stephen F. Austin,
where he also played football. He also had a masters degree in Physics from the University
of New Mexico, in Statistics from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and a masters and
doctorate in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin (Dec. 1988), where
he studied image processing under Dr. A.C. Bovik.

Dr. Longbotham held Assistant and Associate Positions at the University of Texas at San
Antonio. In 1992, he participated in a start up venture, CMI, which specialized in nonlinear
signal and image processing and modeling of human system. This company grew to a total
of 22 scientist and engineers in 4 years without any borrowing of capital. In January of 1996,
he sold the majority of his stock in CMI and returned to full time work at UTSA, where he
became Chairman/Coordinator of Electrical Engineering.

At UTSA Dr. Longbotham had sponsored research from NIH, DOD, AFOSR, DOE, and several private companies. Most
of this research was in the areas of signal and image processing, with his ultimate interest turning to the application of
robust nonlinear techniques in ANN's and Fuzzy Logic. He published approximately 50 papers in the area of signal and
image processing, was an Associate Editor of IEEE Image Processing, was Co-Chair of the San Jose Conference on Non-
linear Image Processing for 3 years, and was a Visiting Scientist at Brooks AFB, Los Alamos National Lab, and Tampere
University of Technology.

Dr. Jacqueline Longbotham Ackley and Mr. & Mrs. Harold H. Longbotham endowed The Dr. Harold G. Longbotham
Scholarship at UTSA, and The Conceptual MindWorks, Inc.-Dr. Harold G. Longbotham Scholarship was established at
Alamo Community College.

G. Christian Overton - 1948-2000
Dr. Overton was an associate professor in the Department of Genetics of the University of Pennsylvania
School of Medicine, and the founding director of the Center for Bioinformatics at the University of
Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He received a B.S. degree in physics and mathematics from the
University of New Mexico, a Ph.D. degree in biophysics from the Johns Hopkins University, and subsequently
an M.S.E. degree in computer science from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining the University of
Pennsylvania faculty, he spent five years as part of the artificial intelligence research group at the Unisys
Center for Advanced Information Technology. His research interests included the implementation of
databases for genome informatics and gene expression, and the development of database technology for
the evolution, transformation, and integration of databases. He died unexpectedly on June 1, 2000,  from
complications arising from cardiomyopathy. Dr. Overton is survived by his wife, Carolyn; two sons, Aaron
and Graham, and two daughters, Johanna Hernandez and Natalie Hernandez; his parents, William and Muriel
Overton, his brother John Overton and sister Ellen Overton.

Dennis L. Roeder - 1945-1993

Ellery Storm - 3/10/1924-7/4/1989
Ellery and his wife Bernice worked at Los Alamos until his death due to Parkinson's Disease; they had 17 great-grandchildren.

1980s [ back to top ]
Richard J. Elston - 7/1/60-1/26/04
Richard earned his Ph.D. at the University of Arizona in 1988, and joined the University of Florida in
Gaineseville as a professor of Astronomy. He and his wife, Professor Elizabeth Lada, used infrared telescopes
to discover circumstellar disks that were 10 to 100 times as large as the solar system (spring 2003), making
AAS news and The New York Times with their observations of protoplanetary disks; Richard also received
the 2000 Presidential Science Award. Stanley F. Dermott, Chair of the Astronomy Department at the University
of Florida, wrote that, "Richard Elston passed away on Monday, January 26 after a long and courageous battle
with cancer. Richard was one of the founders of the modern astronomical research program at the University
of Florida, one of the leading astronomical instrumentalists of his generation, and a good friend, colleague and
mentor. Our thoughts are now with his wife, Elizabeth, and their young son, Joseph. He will be deeply missed."

Arthur R. Gribble - 10/9/58-April 1990

Robert T. Marchini - 4/4/43-1/21/83
"My oldest brother, Robert Thomas Marchini, was born April 4, 1943, in Passaic General Hospital [NJ] to Robert
and Lydia Marchini. He received his BS in biology from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Rutherford, NJ, and did
some additional study at University of Florida in marine biology before transferring to UNM where he received
his masters in physics while working towards the doctorate. He died January 21, 1983, near Los Alamos.  He was
survived by his parents (Lydia has since died - 1997) and brothers: Fred of Ridgewood, NJ;  Ken Italo of Montclair, NJ;
and Andrew of NYC."  -Ken Italo Marchini <IKMarchini@aol.com> 11/21/02

1990s [ back to top ]

Denis Khetselius - 11/17/63-2/7/05

Chuck Gasparovic, a colleague with the SoM, wrote:
"I think that all of us who had contact with Denis - whether when he was imposingly strapping and healthy
or after he was severely debilitated by ameloidosis - realized almost immediately what a fine human being
he was - so intelligent, yet always humble and always thinking of those around him. He certainly suffered,
both physically and psychologically, in these last few years of his disease. Yet he would always greet you
with a smile, ask about your family, and want to talk about science, politics, hockey, anything but feeling
sorry for himself. His strength was incredible. His mother, who lost her husband to the same disease, is,
of course, grief stricken, but dealing with it."

Michael Ledlow

Michael Ledlow, staff astronomer at Gemini South, died suddenly in Denver on Saturday June 5^th, 2004. 
Michael had just attended the Gemini Science 2004 Conference in Vancouver and was on vacation with his family
in Colorado.

Michael was born in Bartlesville, Oklahoma on October 1^st, 1964. He obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in
astrophysics at the University of Oklahoma in 1987, and attended UNM for his graduate work.  He obtained his
Ph.D under Steve Gregory and Frazer Owen in 1994. Michael joined Gemini in June 2000 as a Gemini Science Fellow
and was promoted to a tenure track astronomer in 2001.

Michael led an active life as a Gemini astronomer supporting both the community and his research career studying
distant galaxies and galaxy clusters. His infrared work at Gemini South was instrumental in complementing research by the team leader,
Dr. William Keel with the University of Alabama, and Dr. Frazer Owen with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Through a
combination of radio, optical and infrared observations, they confirmed the existence of a giant, subatomic particle jet streaming from a
spiral galaxy similar to the Milky Way. The galaxy, known as 0313-192, first came to the attention of Dr. Owen more than 20 years ago
during a galaxy survey he conducted using the Very Large Array (VLA).

Michael’s untimely death is a tragic loss for his family, the Gemini Observatory and the astronomical community.  He was beloved by many
and will be greatly missed. Michael is survived by his wife Cheryl, two young daughters Alexandria and Abigail, and three step-daughters
as well as numerous other family members.

To the family and friends of Michael Ledlow:

What a shock to receive the announcement from the UNM PandA alumni exploder of 
Michael's untimely death.  Michael and I overlapped for a short time while I was
finishing my Ph.D. with Jack Burns at UNM.  He had started out with Jack as 
well, but I think it was when Jack left UNM for Las Cruces that Michael started 
working more closely with Fraser Owen.

My overlap with Mike "Redrow" was long enough to have gained a wonderful rapport
with an incredibly gentle man.  I shall always remember him for his easy smile, 
his gentle demeanour, and his quiet brilliance.  He shared an office with 
myself, my wife to be (Jodi Asbell, who also sends her condolences), and with a 
mutual friend, Jun-Hui Zhao, whose pronounciation of Michael's last name gave 
Michael his office nickname.

My deepest condolences go out to his young family, his colleagues, his friends,
his parents, and of course his wife.  It breaks my heart to think his children 
have had their father ripped away from them at such a young age, and the only 
compensation I can think of is that Michael was such a principled and 
compassionate man, that he has likely imparted upon his children more of himself
in his short time with them than many parents are able to do in a full lifetime.

God speed, Michael.

David Clarke (UNM class of 1988)
Halifax

Christopher K. Schultz - 3/27/70-June 2002
Chris Schultz earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics from the
University of New Mexico in May 2000, at which time he earned the
Feynman Award for Best Student in Contemporary Physics. As a top
student, he  was actively recruited by the Optical Sciences Center at
the University of Arizona where he accepted a Graduate Research Assistantship.

Shortly after Chris began his studies at the Optical Sciences Center, he joined Bernard Kippelen’s research group.
Under Professor Kippelen’s direction, Chris was actively involved in two projects: a research program focusing on
the development of electro-active lenses using liquid crystals and a second project investigating the fabrication
and characterization of field-effect transistors based on organic molecules.

An outstanding student, Chris was beginning to demonstrate his potential as a scientist through his discipline, initiative and
collaborative abilities. For this he was respected. Chris was also a valued friend who was sensitive to others and generously shared
his time, talents and resources -- and for this he was loved.

In Chris’s memory, a scholarship has been established by his family, friends and colleagues at the Optical Sciences Center. When the
scholarship is awarded, the recipient will be a second-year Optical Sciences Center Ph.D. student with outstanding scholastic ability
and research promise in applied optics.  Contributions in any amount are welcome and will be very greatly appreciated.

2000s [ back to top ]