Keith Pierce

Keith Pierce, 86, Tuscon, Ariz., formerly Lincoln, passed away peacefully on March 11, 2005, of colon cancer. He was an astronomer emeritus at the National Solar Observatory. He attended Lincoln Public Schools and graduated in 1938. Known internationally for his research in solar physics, Keith was instrumental in selecting Kitt Peak as the site for the national observatory and in designing and overseeing the construction of the world's largest solar telescope. At the 30th anniversary of the telescope in 1992, the McMath Solar Telescope was renamed the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope to honor his contributions as leader of the solar program for many years. Keith earned his Ph.D. at the University of California at Berkeley, where he took classes from Robert Oppenheimer. Keith worked on the Manhattan Project to develop the atom bomb at the Lawrence Radiation Lab in Berkeley and at Oak Ridge, Tenn. After the war, he joined the staff of the McMath-Hulbert Observatory near Pontiac, Mich., before moving to Tucson, Ariz., in 1958 to direct construction of the solar telescope.

Keith is survived by: his wife of 25 years, Trudy Griffin-Pierce; his children, Barbara Isabel Orville and Willard Ross Pierce. His son, John Tracy Pierce, died in 1996.

A celebration of Keith's life will be held at 5 p.m., April 29, at the Tucson Botanical Gardens. In lieu of flowers, the family invites tax-free donations in Keith's memory to the Nature Conservancy of Arizona, 1510 E. Fort Lowell, Tucson, AZ 85719.