RALPH WESTON

WESTON--Ralph E., Jr.,

Senior Chemist Emeritus. Dr. Ralph Emerson Weston, Jr. died on April 22 in Nashua, NH. He was 94. Dr. Weston worked as a physical chemist in the Chemistry Department of Brooklyn National Laboratory from 1951 until his retirement in 1994. He was appointed Senior Chemist Emeritus in 2008. Weston was the author or co-author of over one hundred peer-reviewed papers and book chapters, as well as co-author (with H.A. Schwarz) of the textbook Chemical Kinetics. His early work at Brookhaven centered on isotope effects in chemical equilibria and reaction kinetics. He later became interested in another important part of chemical kinetics-molecular energy transfer. After retirement, he gave presentations at local schools, introducing the next generation to the joys of science while continuing to work at BNL, carrying out theoretical calculations of energy transfer in collaboration with his former post-doc. Dr. Weston's education at the University of California Berkeley was interrupted by three years of service in the U. S. Army Air Corps. He returned to UC and received a BS in chemistry in 1947. His graduate studies at Stanford University led to a PhD in physical chemistry in 1950. While doing his postdoc with Paul D. Bartlett at Harvard University, he met his future wife, Virginia Priest. They married in 1951 and he subsequently accepted his position at BNL. Weston was an avid fan of classical music and sang in various volunteer choruses up to the age of ninety. He loved sailing with his family in Great South Bay. He and his wife, Jinny, were world travelers and he spoke several languages. Besides enjoying great food and wine, he was a gourmet cook and wine collector. Dr. Weston was predeceased by his wife, Jinny, and is survived by three daughters, seven grandchildren, and a great-granddaughter.