I In Memoriam
Nuclear Engineering Authority Thomas Pigford Thomas Pigford, ChE 43, a nuclear engineer who pushed for stronger safety standards for nuclear reactors, died Feb. 28 at his home in Oakland, Calif. He was 87 years old. Dr. Pigford, professor emeritus and founding chair of the department of nuclear engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, served on the 12member presidential commission that investigated the 1979 accident at the Three Mile Island power plant in Pennsylvania. He later served on the Secretary of Energy's expert consultant group that evaluated the 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl plant in the Ukraine. His daughter, Julie Pigford Earnest, told Berkeley media, "My father spoke truth to power, which gained him respect from both proponents and opponents of the nuclear power industry. Everything he said or did was based on analysis of the data and not on politics or emotion. That said, he was also insightful about the impact of politics on scientific decisions and had a sense of how human error and concerns contribute to scientific policy."
75th Infantry Division during World War II, receiving the Purple Heart and two Bronze Stars. Gustave A. "Dolph" Hanson, CE 49, of Tampa, Fla., on Jan. 27. A registered professional engineer and certified general contractor, Mr. Hanson worked in engineering and road and bridge construction for 45 years. He was a past president of the Florida Road Builders Association, Asphalt Contractors Association of Florida and Cone Brothers Contracting Co. David O. Hatcher, GE 46, of Williamsville, N.Y., on March 5. He bought into Bernel Foam Co. in Buffalo in 1955. In 1967, he became CEO of Mead-Hatcher Inc. and its sister company, Posting Equipment Corp. He held four patents. He joined the Navy in 1944 while a freshman at the University of Alabama, was chosen for the V-12 program and sent to Georgia Tech. William "Bill" I. Head, Text 49, of Kingsport, Term., on Feb. 4. An engineer and textile executive with Eastman Chemical Co. for 40 years, he patented textile yarns technology. He served in the Navy in World War II and as a captain in the Reserve. He earned a PhD in industrial management at Columbia Pacific University and an honorary doctorate from World University. He was a Mensa member and president of the International Society of Philosophical Inquiry. 74 Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine
May/June 2010
Born in Meridian, Miss., Dr. Pigford's studies at MIT were interrupted by service in the Navy during World War II. He earned master's and doctoral degrees from MIT, where he became an associate professor of nuclear and chemical engineering, helped launch the graduate program in nuclear engineering and served two years as director of its graduate school of engineering practice at Oak Ridge, Tenn. He was a founding staff member of the General Atomic laboratory in La Jolla, Calif., before joining Berkeley as a full professor in 1959. According to an article on the Berkeley Web site, Dr. Pigford led a research program at the university to develop means for predicting long-term behavior of radioactive and chemical waste that resulted in the design of underground radioactive waste repositories in the United States and abroad. He retired from the university in 1991. Dr. Pigford was inducted into the Georgia Tech Engineering Hall of Fame in 1995.
Donald Carter Jenkins, EE 47, of Fairfax, Va., on Feb. 9. His career as an engineer included service to fhe Navy department at Norfolk Naval Shipyard and in Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Va., and work with General Electric Until Iris retirement from Naval Air Systems Command Ground Support, he had been assigned to the HARM program, which developed the high-speed anti-radiation missile used in Desert Storm. A co-op student and Army ROTC member, he served in the Army Signal Corps. Malcolm Eugene "Gene" Kemph,EE48, of Bamberg, S.C., on March 11. A Navy veteran of World War II, he retired from Georgia Power after a 36-year career as an electrical engineer.
ter Army Air Corps service. He served as president of the Georgia Beer Wholesalers Association, Anne Elizabeth Shepherd Home and Kiwanis Club of Greater Columbus and as the Mardi Gras king of the St. Francis Auxiliary. Survivors include son David G. Lewis III, Mgt 90; daughter Lisa Lewis Armstrong, MS Mgt 86; and son-in-law Brad Armstrong, IM 82. Robert Herman "Bobby" Maurer, ChE 47, of Dallas, on Feb. 18. He was a longtime Celanese Chemical Corp. employee. A Korean War veteran, he was a first lieutenant with fhe 1st Marine Division and received the Purple Heart.
J o s e p h Heath Laughlin Jr., Arch 49, of Big Canoe, Ga., on Feb. 10. Mr. Laughlin worked for R.P. Farnsworfh Co., Gulf Oil and Delta Air Lines before becoming a project manager and later an estimator at Hardin Construction. He retired in 1986. An Army Air Corps veteran, he was a charter member of the Friendship Force of Big Canoe / North Georgia. He served on Big Canoe's Smoke Signals staff for many years.
John E. McDaniel Jr., IE 48, of Chesterfield, Mo., on March 12. He retired as the River Cement Co. vice president of sales in 1981. He was a life member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and was president of the Memphis, Term., branch; past president of fhe Memphis Engineers Club; and a member of the Engineers Club of St Louis and fhe American Legion. President of Beta Theta Pi at Tech, he served in the 44th Infantry Division during World War II and received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.
David Gawley Lewis Jr., Cls43, of Columbus, Ga., on March 16. He was president of B & B Beverage Co. A member of Phi Delta Theta at Tech, he graduated from Auburn University af-
Harry K. Morrow, ME 43, of Rochester, N.Y., on March 27. His 60-year career included positions at General Electric, Peerless Electric Co. and fhe Eiger Sales Corp. He played football at Tech.