Alan Gilbert Beattie

1934 - 2022

Alan Gilbert Beattie



Alan Gilbert Beattie was born April 2, 1934 in Berkeley, CA to Ronald and Inez (Morris) Beattie and died at age 88 on August 13, 2022 in Ames, IA. Alan spent his early years in Washington, DC and his high school years in Sacramento, CA, before attending the University of California in both Davis and Berkeley, with a 21-month army service interlude stationed in the beautiful Marin headlands of San Francisco. He earned his BA in Physics from UC-Berkeley (1959) and his MS (1960) and PhD (1965) in Physics from the University of Washington-Seattle. A long career followed at Sandia National Laboratories in NM â€" a career that started in solid-state physics and grew into a specialty in acoustic emissions, which he applied broadly in nondestructive testing â€" from nuclear warheads to aircraft fire extinguishers and wind turbines. He remained active in his work long into retirement continuing to review articles for more than a decade.

Alan thoroughly enjoyed both his work and his family. He met his wife-to-be at age 14 and they were married in 1961. His three daughters benefitted from his support and encouragement in each of their varied endeavors. He greatly enjoyed farming in Corrales, NM, looking up at the Sandia Mountains as he planted a vineyard with great hopes of making wine, only to be dashed by developing an allergy to alcohol. After retirement, he moved to Port Townsend, WA, where he spent his time watching the boats go by toward Puget Sound, loving the town, people and fresh seafood from the dock. He spent his last years enjoying his family and trying to get used to the idea of living in the flatlands of Ames, IA.

Alan was preceded in death both by his daughter Jaime Bell and her husband Steve Bell. He is survived by his wife Barbara (Stover) Beattie in Ames, IA, his daughter Marcia James and her husband Richard James (Lebanon, MO), his daughter Gwyn Beattie and her husband Larry Halverson (Ames, IA), his daughter-in-law Charlotte Meehan (Attleboro, MA), his brothers and sisters-in-law Dwight and Barbara Beattie (Sacramento, CA) and Robert and Susan Beattie (Rockport, MA), his grandchildren Chelsea, Daniel, Amber, Hans, Karin, Allison and Margot, and his great-grandchildren Noah, Nash, and Elliot. He will be greatly missed by all.