Arthur Nethercot Jr.

Arthur Hobart Nethercot, Jr. , 87, of Fairhaven, passed away Saturday, May 28th at 3 pm from advanced cancer of the palate. He had a great life, and was content with his time on this earth. He wrote in 1979 "The transience of Life is not a problem for me. Like a beautiful flower, life should be enjoyed and appreciated-especially because the duration of human life is limited." Born June 16, 1923, in Evanston, Illinois, to Arthur H. Nethercot and Mary MacDougall, Dad had one brother, William. His father served as a lieutenant in WWI and was a distinguished professor of English at Northwestern University for over 30 years. He was the world's leading scholar on George Bernard Shaw. While Ned was a student at Northwestern University, he met and married Phyllis Scifres of Lebanon, Indiana on July 30,1944. Arthur "Ned" Nethercot was a Big Ten champion wrestler at NU in the era of Otto Graham football and graduated in Physics with honors. He worked on the Manhattan Project at the University of Chicago during WWII, crossing paths with many eminent scientists. Ned earned his Masters at NU and received his PhD from U of Michigan. Upon moving to Brooklyn, NY, he did post- doctoral research at Columbia prior to joining IBM Labs in Yorktown Heights, NY. He had a satisfying career there while raising his family of four boys in Hastings-on-Hudson. Dad was active in this Westchester community, serving on the school board, playing viola in chamber groups, enjoying tennis and tending his flower garden. He published 27 scientific articles in "Physical Review", "Applied Physics", etc. He received the IBM outstanding contribution award for "Heat Pulse Method" in 1967. Ned's first wife, Phyllis, passed away at the young age of 54 in 1979. Ned was active in the Unitarian Church in Dobbs Ferry. He married Phyllis Warner, and upon retirement in 1990, they moved to Bellingham, WA. They enjoyed traveling, tennis and watching Phyllis' three sons start families. Dad performed for 10 years with the Whatcom Symphony. Ned and Phyllis were active in the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship. Phyllis passed away in May, 2006 after a long, courageous battle with Wegener's disease. For the past five years, Ned and his special friend, Alice Litton, have enjoyed theater, symphony, dance lessons, family reunions in Eastern Washington and church activities. Ned Nethercot is survived by his four sons, Ben (Topanga, CA), Peter (Berkeley), Tom (Oakland) and Zach (San Francisco) as well as stepsons Jim (Edmonds), Chuck (Edmonds) and Matthew (Bellingham). Ned had nine grandchildren, Jacob, Emily, Graham, Jackson and Elsa as well as step grandchildren, Riley, Sophie, Nathan and Max. Ned was thrilled to recently celebrate the birth of his great-granddaughter Aveline Faye on January 29. Lastly, he leaves his very dear niece, Martha Robins, in Stuyvesant, NY, and nephew, Hal, in San Francisco. A memorial service is planned for Sunday, June 12, 3:30 pm, at the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship, 1708 "I" Street. Bellingham, WA 98225-3122.