Russell James Donnelly

1930 - 2015

Russell James

Donnelly

Russell James Donnelly, who was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, on April 16, 1930, died In Eugene, Oregon, on June 13, 2015, from complications following pneumonia.

He received his bachelors and masters degrees from McMaster University, a second masters degree and his PhD from Yale University. Russell met his first wife Marian Card at Yale; they received their doctorates in the same ceremony in 1956. They were married in 1956 and their son James Armstrong Donnelly was born in Chicago in 1957.

Donnelly was recruited to the physics department at the University of Chicago in 1956 where he soon became professor. In 1966 the Donnellys moved to the University of Oregon. Russell served as chair of the department of physics from 1966 to 1972 and again in 1982-1983. His wife Marian Card Donnelly was a faculty member and head of the Art History Department at the University of Oregon.

In Oregon, one of Donnelly's first major projects was the founding of the University of Oregon's Pine Mountain Observatory in 1967. The observatory has been enjoyed by many amateur and professional astronomers ever since.

During his years as a professor of physics, he collaborated with many of the leading physicists, studying among other things the properties of superfluid helium, quantum turbulence, and vortex ring dynamics. He spoke at conferences and universities all over the world. While on sabbatical in 1972 he served as a guest lecturer at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Donnelly's interest in cryogenics gave him the idea to investigate air pollution mitigation. In 1978 his research yielded a technique for capturing sulfur and other elements from paper and coal plants. This research to mitigate air pollution continued until his final illness. His last research grant was funded in 2014 by the US Department of Energy.

In addition, Donnelly served as the Principal Science Consultant for "Absolute Zero," a two-part special for the PBS-TV series that NOVA aired in Europe and the United States in 2008. The Nova project combined Donnelly's enthusiasm for science education with his passion for the history of science.

Russell Donnelly received many awards and honors. He was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Institute of Physics, London, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He also was a recipient of the Otto Laporte Award from the American Physical Society in 1974, the Lars Onsager Medal in 1996, and the Fritz London Memorial Prize in Low Temperature Physics in 2002. He received an honorary Doctor of Law degree from McMaster University in 1999 and the Distinguished Service Award from the University of Oregon in 2004. In addition, he was a member of the Cosmos Club in Washington DC.

In 1993, to honor his Yale thesis advisor, Russell and Marian Donnelly endowed the Lars Onsager Award at the American Physical Society to recognize research in statistical and quantum physics.

In addition to his scholarly pursuits, Russell was very active in many educational, scientific, and musical organizations, serving, among others, on the boards of the Lane County Cooperative Museum Commission, the Oregon Mozart Players, and as a tireless advocate for the Oregon Bach Festival.

In 2006 Russell married Joyce Holmes Benjamin, an attorney, who was his devoted companion during the final years of his life. Russ was very much a family man who enjoyed his enlarged family. He is survived by his son Jim and his wife Jan, his four nieces known in the family as the Donnelly Girls, his wife Joyce, as well as his stepson Andy and stepdaughters Emelia and Elisabeth Benjamin, and their spouses along with six step-grandchildren.

Russell will be sorely missed not only by his family and many friends and associates in the Eugene area, but also by the larger scientific community throughout the world.

A memorial gathering will be held July 22, 2015, at 3:00 p.m. at Willamette Hall, 1371 E. 13th Avenue, on the University of Oregon campus. In lieu of flowers, donations in honor of Russell J. Donnelly, PhD may be made to a dedicated fund for physics students to purchase books and travel, established at the University of Oregon Foundation, 1720 E. 13th Avenue, Suite 410, Eugene, OR 97403-2253; phone: 541-302-0300.