Alan Pasternak

Alan D. Pasternak Was chosen by then-Governor Jerry Brown to be one of the original appointees to the California Energy Commission, where he served from 1975 through 1979. He was previously a member of the scientific staff of Lawrence Livermore Laboratory where he worked on the development of new energy technologies, including coal gasification and the use of methyl alcohol for fuel. He received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from UC Berkeley and his B.S. from Columbia University, where he rowed on the Varsity Lightweight Crew. He graduated from the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in New York City and after college served as an officer in the U.S. Navy from 1956-1959. After leaving the Energy Commission, Mr. Pasternak worked as a consultant and as the lobbyist and Technical Director of the California Radioactive Materials Management Forum, which he served for the remainder of his career. In 1990 he returned to Livermore part-time to resume his work on energy policy. In that capacity, in 2000 he wrote the paper, "Global Energy Futures and Human Development: A Framework for Analysis," which addresses the importance of electricity to the developing world. A Google search for that title will return some 1,700 hits representing citation in hundreds of articles and texts. Mr. Pasternak (who eschewed the designation "Doctor") passed away September 24 at his home in Lafayette, California. He is survived by his wife, Meta L. Pasternak, his children Jeremy, Benjamin, and Emelia, all of San Francisco, and his grandchildren, Abigail and Samuel.