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Matlack -- George Miller Matlack, a Los Alamos resident for 51 years, died on Sunday, May 7, 2000. He was born June 14, 1921, in Pittsburgh, Penn., a twin son of Mildred Miller and Allyn Wolcott Matlack. He attended schools in Steubenville, Ohio, until 1935, when he and his brother, David, moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where they attended and graduated from East High School in 1939. George graduated from Grinnell College in 1943 with an A.B. degree, then earned a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the State University of Iowa in 1949. While at Grinnell he met Meredith Madsen; they married in 1943 and had four children. He joined the Iowa Geological Survey as principal chemist in 1943, and worked there until he entered graduate school in 1946. Upon completion of his Ph.D. in 1949, he joined the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory's Analytical Chemistry Group, where he remained until his retirement in 1990. He continued to work with that group as Senior Advisor until 1994. During his career at the laboratory, his contributions were focused on the measurement of actinide elements including plutonium, americium, uranium and other heavy radioactive elements. A recognized authority on plutonium, he served as leader of a project to measure plutonium-238 in heat sources for use in artificial hearts. He also participated in the design and testing of a device to measure the uranium content of large quantities of fuel elements, which he presented at a symposium sponsored by the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. In recent years, he served as advisor for an archeological dig, working on detecting fossilized dinosaur bones by measuring their natural uranium content. He was a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemists and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Professional memberships included the American Chemical Society, American Nuclear Society, New York Academy of Sciences and Iowa Academy of Sciences. A longtime member of the United Church, George joined Trinity-on-the- Hill Episcopal Church in 1998. He was a Master Mason at Pajarito Lodge #66 AF&AM, and a member of Chapter #63, Order of Eastern Star. George took great pleasure in hiking, photography, fly fishing, fly tying, and all kinds of music. He was a member of The Four Fifths folk music group, Los Alamos Choral Society and Los Alamos Sinfonietta. His resonant baritone voice graced the United Church choir for many years. He also participated in Los Alamos Light Opera and the Don Juan Playhouse Group. A widely respected curmudgeon, he was known for his gentle ways of helping resolve difficult situations among people. Preceded in death by his youngest son, Allyn, he is survived by his beloved wife, Meredith; children, Nancy Williams of Logan, Utah, Christine Ward, Blooming Prairie, Minn., and Martin, Cedar Crest, New Mexico; his brother, David Wolcott Matlack of Los Angeles; grandchildren, Elisabeth, Johannah, Patrick, Anna, Jeremy and Nicholas; and great-grandchildren, Luke, Ruth, Ian, Kade and William Allyn. A Memorial service will be held at Trinity-on-the-Hill Episcopal Church on Friday, May 12th, at 11:00 a.m. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, those who wish may make memorial contributions to Los Alamos Visiting Nurse Service Inc., 116 Central Park Square, Los Alamos, NM 87544.
        Published on: Tue May 09, 2000