Theodore H. Schoenberg

Theodore H. Schoenberg passed away Thursday, April 2, 2009, in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Albany Medical Center, with his family by his side. Beloved husband of Melba; devoted father of Linda Dumas of Saratoga Springs, Ted Schoenberg of Manlius, Jon Schoenberg of Harvard, MA, and Robin Adams of Alexandria, VA; and proud grandfather of five, Katrina, Kyle, Samantha, Zachary, and Benjamin; brother of Eleanor Fisher of Silver Spring, Maryland. Born March 31, 1928 in Brooklyn, he was the son of the late Samuel J. and Reba (Harriton) Schoenberg. Ted graduated from the Bronx High School of Science prior to enlisting in the Army during WWII. After the war, he graduated from Cornell University in 1950 with a degree in mechanical engineering. He started his professional career as a design engineer in General Electric's Guided Missiles Department. After a one-year assignment at the National Bureau of Standards, he served a fulfilling career in the Naval Nuclear Reactor program at Knolls Atomic Power Lab (KAPL) from 1954 to 1984. Concurrent responsibilities included principal engineer in the Schenectady Naval Reactor Office responsible for all KAPL activities in physics analysis and experimentation, computer procurement, facility construction and operations, power reactor environmental impact assessment and safety analyses, and advanced physio-chemical analytical methods. He was the captain of the KAPL Radiological Emergency Assistance Team and was the U.S. Department of Energy's senior environmental assessment officer at the Three Mile Island accident site. His senior positions included director of Safety Development Division, Trident Reactor Project Officer; deputy/acting manager for Operations, 1978 to1984, during which time he served a one-year special detail as Admiral H.G. Rickover's personal representative at KAPL. Ted enjoyed a 25-year retirement, during which he was actively affiliated with a number of professional organizations including the American Nuclear Society, the Health Physics Society, and the KAPL Retirees, where he was program chairman. In 2008, he was inducted into the Torch Club. He was active in the Friends of the Schenectady Library, Friends of the Kaydeross, Adirondack Mountain Club and Charlton Seniors. He taught downhill skiing to injured and developmentally challenged individuals for six seasons at Wyndham Mountain, an avocation especially meaningful for the friendships and camaraderie. He was a longtime member of the Edison Club playing countless rounds of golf with Melba and taught his kids discipline and the spirit of fair play that the game affords. He attended the ballet and symphony on many special summer evenings with Melba at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. He enjoyed cross country skiing, downhill skiing, hiking, and fishing in the Adirondacks. He was a voracious reader and enjoyed robust political discourse. He enjoyed memorable family vacations at Sacandaga and the home he built on Cape Cod. In later years, he enjoyed travel to Hilton Head Island, the western US, and Alaska. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his sister, Mildred Lewis. A memorial service will be held in his honor at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 2, 2009, at the William J. Burke & Sons/Bussing & Cunniff Funeral Homes, 628 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs. In lieu of flowers, kindly consider making memorial donations in Ted's honor for undergraduate education in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University, 105 Upson Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853. The family extends a special and heartfelt thank you to the Surgical ICU staff and was especially touched by the loving care extended by Dr. Heidi DeBlock, MD.