Eugene Bernstein

Bernstein, Eugene 2/20/2016 San Diego, CA Eugene (Gene) M. Bernstein, PhD died peacefully on Feb 20, 2016 in San Diego, California at the age of 85. Gene is survived by his beloved companion Barbara Lien of Huntington Beach, California, his children, John Lohr and wife Jan Clausen of San Diego, Kathy Lansford-Powell and husband Doug of Austin, Texas, Robert Bernstein and wife Robyn of San Diego, and Lisa Bernstein and husband Mike Blum of Palo Alto, California, his brother, Melvin Bernstein and wife Blanche of Baltimore, Maryland, numerous brothers-and-sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, cousins and one great-grandchild. Dr. Bernstein was born in 1931 to Isidore and Ethel Bernstein nee Karsh in Baltimore, Maryland. His interest in science was sparked (perhaps literally) by his investigations of the inner workings of radios in the Bernstein family furniture store. After graduation from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, Gene attended Duke University, where he was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society (1952) and earned a BS (1953) in physics. He remained at Duke, receiving MS (1954) and PhD (1956) degrees, both in physics, for experimental nuclear physics research. He began his career in the Physics Department at the University of Wisconsin (UW), Madison, continuing at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark, the University of Texas and Los Alamos National Laboratory. At UW in Madison Gene met his future wife Jean Lohr nee Stuesser and children John and Kathy. Gene and Jean were married in Copenhagen in 1960. By 1963 the family had welcomed two more children, Bob and Lisa. In 1968, Gene was recruited to the faculty of Western Michigan University (WMU) in Kalamazoo. There, he guided the development of a tandem Van de Graaf accelerator lab and research program. He spent 24 years at WMU, contributing broadly via teaching, research and university service. He was a dedicated teacher at all levels, from undergraduate-level mechanics to advising graduate students on their research. Continuing his own work in atomic and nuclear physics, he acquired grant funding to support the lab and published numerous articles in scientific journals. In 1976 he was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society. Dr. Bernstein rose to the rank of full professor and served nine years as chair of the Physics Department. As chair and through service on university committees, he advocated successfully for increased research support across the campus. He promoted research both for its own sake and for its added value to teaching: "You can't train investigators unless you are doing investigating yourself." (Kalamazoo Gazette, 10/13/81). He was particularly proud of his successful effort to establish WMU's Physics PhD program; that program has produced graduates pursuing scientific careers at universities and labs around the world. https://wmich.edu/physics/alumni In 1981, Professor Bernstein was awarded the WMU Distinguished Faculty Scholar Award, which honors scholarly achievement that is recognized widely beyond WMU. Arts and Sciences Dean Bruce Clark noted, "Dr. Bernstein is that excellent combination of outstanding scholar, teacher and academic administrator that is most valuable to the university". Over the years, Dr. Bernstein enjoyed establishing new collaborations through sabbatical appointments in the Physics Department at the University of Arizona, Tucson, the Lawrence Berkeley Lab, and the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt, Germany. He retired in 1992 and moved with Jean to Arizona, where grown children were closer and the golf is year-round. An avid golfer, he enjoyed many happy times with golf buddies both on and off the course, including three holes-in-one. Gene was a quiet man with a dry sense of humor who was not afraid to speak up on behalf of someone he believed was being treated unjustly. His children remember him as a conscientious, caring father who supported their education and was present in their lives, with a kind word when things went wrong and a proud smile on joyful occasions. He was widowed in 2004 and eventually found Barbara, with whom he shared a happy decade, golfing, joking, and spending time with each other, friends, and family in Sun City, and Pinetop, Arizona and later in Southern California. The family expresses its sincere gratitude and admiration for the wonderful health professionals and caregivers who contributed to his quality of life over the past three years. In lieu of flowers, please honor Gene Bernstein's request that memorial contributions be sent to the Duke University Department of Physics or Freedom Service Dogs of America. Condolences can be sent to 9521 Oviedo Street, San Diego, CA 92129.