|
George Curriden Baldwin May 5, 1917-January 23, 2010 Surrounded by his loving family, George Curriden Baldwin passed away on Saturday, January 23, 2010 after a long illness. He was 92. In September, George had lost his beloved wife of 57 years, Winnie. The couple had been longtime residents of Santa Fe, but moved to Albuquerque in 2009 to be close to their oldest son. Born in Denver, George was the sixth child of Harry and Elizabeth Baldwin. He showed an early aptitude for learning and a keen interest in science. His father's work for the U.S. Geological Survey required frequent moves; George attended eight schools in four states as a young boy. He attended Westminster Junior College in Salt Lake City, continued at the University of Utah, and finished at Kalamazoo College in 1939 with a bachelor's degree in physics. After completing a PhD at the University of Illinois Urbana in 1943, he joined the General Electric Company as a research physicist. While working in Schenectady, New York, he met and later married Winifred Gould, an exchange teacher from London, England. The couple raised three children. George was elected to a term as town councilman in the family's hometown of Niskayuna, New York. In 1967 he left GE to teach nuclear engineering and science at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. Retiring as Professor Emeritus in 1978, George then joined the staff of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. He and his wife moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, fulfilling a dream since visiting on their honeymoon in 1952. George retired from Los Alamos in 1987. In his free time, George was an avid amateur astronomer, a self-taught pianist, and a historical researcher. He wrote many scientific and technical articles and authored two books, "An Introduction to Nonlinear Optics" (1969) and a memoir, "The Science Was Fun" (2006). He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, Gamma Alpha, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a fellow of the American Physical Society. In his retirement, one of George's most notable accomplishments was locating an inscription left by the Escalante Expedition, discovered originally in 1884 by his father on a surveying expedition. George was predeceased by his parents; brothers; and sisters. He is survived by his three children; seven grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, a donation to either the Santa Fe Community Foundation or to Kalamazoo College is suggested. A celebration of his life is being arranged by his family for June, 2010. Arrangements are under the direction of Berardinelli Family Funeral Service 1399 Luisa Street Santa Fe, NM 87505 (505) 984-8600
|
