Dr. Raymond Lane
Dr. Raymond Lane, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Physics at Ohio University, passed away on Oct. 2 at Lindley Inn in The Plains, Ohio. He was 96, according to his obituary in the Athens Messenger.
“Ray came to Ohio University in 1966 from Argonne National Laboratory and became our second distinguished professor in 1972. He helped Roger Finlay, with others, get the grant from the Atomic Energy Commission for the accelerator as well as establish our very successful nuclear physics program,” says Dr. David C. Ingram, Professor and Chair of Physics & Astronomy. “He retired fully from the university in 1994. He had many successful students and in the latter part of his career he worked extensively with Steve Grimes.”
Lane’s Distinguished Professor citation reads, “In 1966 Professor Lane left a position at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois to come to Ohio University. Dr. Lane, an experimental nuclear physicist, gained recognition for his work in the penetration of electrons in matter, beta ray spectroscopy, neutron scattering, and nuclear structure as well as for his contributions to the development of instrumentation and techniques for obtaining and analyzing new data. He was the author of 22 professional publications and read papers at colleges, universities, and research institutes. In addition, Dr. Lane was instrumental in helping the university secure the 11-MeV accelerator from the Atomic Energy Commission in 1968. In 1969 he was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society, an award given only to members who have made significant original contributions to the advancement of physics.”
The Edwards Accelerator Laboratory, home of the largest and highest energy accelerator in Ohio, began with a $1 million grant awarded by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission in the 1960s.
“I met Ray Lane when I arrived at Ohio University as a new Assistant Professor in 1988. Ray had just retired, and he had extensive experience in teaching classes, whereas I had no teaching experience when I arrived. Ray was very kind and provided a lot of good advice to me on how to teach. He had many good insights and I benefited a lot from his suggestions,” says Dr. Kenneth Hicks, Professor of Physics & Astronomy.
“For the past 30 years, I’ve run into Ray at times, either around campus or at Kroger. He always had a cheerful greeting and a smile when we met. Often he was with his wife, Bev, and I always enjoyed a short conversation with them both,” Hicks said. “Ray was always interested in what was happening at OU for many years after his retirement, even if he disagreed with some of the new policies, such as the transition from quarters to semesters. He had a loyalty to OU that I respected, and always wanted OU to succeed and improve on its academic mission.”
Comments