Melvin B. Gottlieb, Hadley Conn Jr., Kenneth Dorey, John B. Stagg.
Melvin B. Gottlieb
Led Plasma Physics lab
HAVERFORD, Pa. – Melvin B. Gottlieb, a physicist who was an international leader in the field of research on fusion energy, died Dec. 1. He was 83.
He and his wife, Golda, lived in Princeton from 1954 to 1997.
Dr. Gottlieb, educated at the University of Chicago, spent much of his career at Princeton University, where he was professor of astrophysical sciences and from 1961-1980 director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, the largest facility in the United States studying the physics of the high temperature gases, called plasmas, which are used to create fusion energy.
Dr. Gottlieb led the laboratory at a very critical period. In the mid-1960s, initial experimental results from the Soviet Union pointed to a new path to the very high temperature plasmas, or ionized gases, needed for making fusion energy. Under Dr. Gottlieb’s leadership, the laboratory took the international lead in extending these results, passing quickly through three generations of highly successful "tokamak" experiments. The Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor, whose construction started under Dr. Gottlieb, created plasmas at nearly a billion degrees Fahrenheit, and made more than 10 million watts of fusion power.
Dr. Gottlieb, known widely as Mel, is remembered for his warm personal style as well as his scientific leadership.
Dr. Gottlieb devoted considerable time to working toward better understanding and cooperation with other nations in the development of fusion power. The fusion program at Princeton was classified until 1958. Thereafter, the program became international, involving cooperation and sharing of information. Laboratory personnel including Dr. Gottlieb made frequent trips to meet with scientists abroad and encouraged extended visits to Princeton by foreign scientists.
During his tenure as director at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Dr. Gottlieb was also involved in high-level discussions with government officials responsible for energy policy in many countries including France, England, Germany, Italy, Norway, Japan, China, South Korea, Spain, Brazil, Canada, U.S.S.R. and the European Economic Community.
He was a member of the U.S. Fusion Power Coordinating Committee, the U.S.-U.S.S.R. Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, the U.S.-People’s Republic of China Committee on Fusion Cooperation, and the U.S.-Japan Fusion Cooperation Committee. In 1971, he was a recipient of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Senior Foreign Fellowships in Science.
At the national level, Dr. Gottlieb was active in many organizations whose purposes included finding alternative safe sources of energy. He had a long association with the American Physical Society and was founder and first chairman of its Plasma Physics Division. In 1980, he was vice chairman of its panel on Public Affairs. He was also a member of the American Nuclear Society and of Scientists and Engineers For Safe Energy.
After his retirement from the laboratory, Dr. Gottlieb continued consulting in his field and, from 1980 to 1992, served as chairman of the Nuclear Oversight Committee of the Public Service Electric & Gas Co. of New Jersey.
Father of the late Martha Gottlieb, he is survived by his wife of 52 years, Golda Gottlieb of Haverford, Pa.; daughter Paula Bastian of Cedar Run; grandchildren Will Bastian and Mary Kate Bastian; and nephews David and Edward Mehlman of Chicago.
Dr. Hadley Conn Jr.
Physician and educator
Dr. Hadley L. Conn Jr. of Princeton died Sunday at home. He was 79.
Born in Danville, Ind., he was a Rosemont, Pa. resident before moving to Princeton in 1973.
Dr. Conn was a physician, educator and author.
He received his bachelor’s degree and doctorate in medicine from Indiana University.
He served in the Army at Gorgas General Hospital in the Panama Canal Zone.
He was professor of medicine and chairman of the Department of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania-Presbyterian Campus, professor of medicine and chairman of the Department of Medicine at Rutgers University – The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. He was a professor of medicine and director of the Cardiovascular Institute and chairman emeritus of the Department of Medicine at U.M.D.N.J.-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
He also had served as a visiting professor of medicine at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon.
He had been a member of the board of trustees of the American College of Cardiology and the American Board of Internal Medicine and was secretary of the National Board of Medical Examiners.
His memberships included Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Physicians, New York Academy of Sciences, American College of Cardiology and the Merion Cricket Club.
He was an author and editor, with numerous scientific articles published.
He is survived by his wife, Betty Aubertin Conn; sons and daughters-in-law Dr. Eric H. and Kathy Conn of Chattanooga, Tenn., Jeffrey W. and Linda Conn of Wayne, Pa., Thomas B. and Mary Conn of Nashville, Tenn. and Dr. Andrew R. and Teresa Conn of Moorestown; daughter and son-in-law Lisabeth A. and Michael Stell of Chicago; and six grandchildren.
Memorial services will be held 1 p.m. Dec. 22 at the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville, Lawrence Township, with the Rev. H. Dana Fearon officiating.
Burial will be at the convenience of the family at Princeton Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Hadley L. Conn Jr. Educational Fund, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, c/o Andrew R. Conn, 251 N. Stanwick Road, Moorestown, NJ 08057.
Arrangements are by Ivans & Taylor Inc., Trenton.
J. Kenneth Dorey
Lifelong Blawenburg resident
MONTGOMERY – J. Kenneth Dorey of the Blawenburg section died Monday at the Somerset Medical Center. He was 79.
Born and raised in Blawenburg, he was a lifelong resident.
He was a business analyst and auditor for Western Electric and AT&T.
He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II.
He was a member and a treasurer of the Blawenburg Reformed Church.
He was a 50-year and charter member of Blawenburg Fire Co. #2, where he also served as fire commissioner and treasurer.
He was a member and a treasurer of the Princeton Shrine Club and the Telephone Pioneers of Central New Jersey.
He was a member of Hopewell Masonic Lodge 155; Crescent Temple Shrine, Trenton; Scottish Rite, Trenton; Princeton Elks and Princeton Masonic Lodge.
Son of the late Stanley and Mable Dorey, he is survived by his wife of 58 years, Dorothy Dorey of Blawenburg; sons Jack Dorey of Fairless Hills, Pa.and Chris Dorey of Blawenburg; daughter and son-in-law Sheila and Tom Lichy of Salem, Ore.; four grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
The funeral will be 11 a.m. today at Blawenburg Reformed Church, Route 518.
Burial will be in Blawenburg Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Blawenburg Church Memorial Fund, Route 518, Blawenburg, NJ 08504 or to the Blawenburg Fire Co., Route 518, Blawenburg, NJ 08504.
Arrangements are by Cromwell Memorial Home, Hopewell.
John B. Stagg
Accountant
RIO RANCHO, N.M. – John B. Stagg died Sunday of pneumonia. He was 93.
Born in Haledon, he also lived in Brooksville, Fla. and Atlanta.
He was a public accountant.
He was a Boy Scout leader and an active in his church.
He is survived by his wife, Anne of Atlanta; daughter Mary Ellen Capek and partner Susan Hullgart of Corrales, N.M. and formerly of Princeton; son and daughter-in-law Peter J. and Joanne Stagg of Butler; stepchildren Roberta Carney and Paula and Stephen Goldman of Atlanta; 12 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Metropolitan Ministries, 2002 N. Florida Ave., Tampa, Fla. 33602.