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W. Wayne Meinke, 84, noted chemist and federal administrator, who divided his professional life between Ann Arbor, MI and Bethesda, MD, passed away Wednesday, March 18, 2009, in Albuquerque, NM from complications related to Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Following a long and distinguished career that spanned academia, private industry, public service, and pioneering research that focused on nuclear energy, analytical chemistry, and the environment, he and his wife, Marilynn moved to Albuquerque in 1991, where he was an active member of the La Vida Llena retirement community. His lifelong passions included science, music, travel, and the great outdoors. Wayne was born in Elyria, OH and attended Oberlin College before joining the Navy, where he served as a navigator on the USS Caperton destroyer in the Pacific during the final stages of World War II. After returning to Oberlin and completing his B.A. in Chemistry in 1947, he moved to Berkeley, CA, where he completed a Ph.D. in Nuclear Chemistry in a remarkably short period of time under the future Nobel laureate, Glenn T. Seaborg. He then spent 13 years on the faculty in Chemistry at the University of Michigan, where he pioneered the use of neutron activation analysis to detect trace metals, before moving to the National Bureau of Standards in Washington, DC, where he served as Chief of the Analytical Chemistry Division and Head of the Office of Standard Reference Materials. Throughout this time, he published more than 150 scientific papers, edited 66 monographs and two books, presented more than 250 scientific lectures worldwide, and played an active role in the Atoms for Peace program and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). His accomplishments were recognized through several major awards from the American Nuclear Society, American Chemical Society, and U. S. Department of Commerce. He then returned to basic research with KMS Fusion, a small company in Ann Arbor that was at the forefront of laser fusion technologies in the 1970s, and later finished his career with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Washington, DC. Although science consumed much of his time, he will also be remembered for his commitment to a variety of worthy causes and his lifelong connection to the remarkable landscape of the American southwest. He is survived by his loving family; his wife of 61 years, Marilynn of La Vida Llena; his daughter, Sue Walters and husband, LeRoy and sons, David and Robert, of Bethesda, MD; his son, David Meinke and wife, Deborah, of Stillwater, OK; and two grandchildren, Laura Simmons and husband, Michael, of Charlotte, NC; and Scott Meinke, of Washington, DC. A Memorial Service will be held Friday, March 27, 2009, 2:00 p.m., at La Vida Llena, 10501 Lagrima De Oro Rd. Please visit our online guestbook for Wayne at RememberTheirStory.com French 7121 Wyoming Blvd. NE (505) 823-9400
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