Chankey N. Touart

TOUART, Chankey N. 90, a scientist and longtime civilian employee of the Air Force, died peacefully on October 14 at his home in Lexington. He had cancer. Mr. Touart, well known in the international scientific community, was a 1976 recipient of the U.S. Air Force Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service - the service's highest civilian honor - for weather support to the Advanced Ballistic Reentry Systems Program. He was cited by the Secretary of the Air Force for scientific cooperation in atmospheric physics and outstanding research achievements involving major meteorological programs, which had far reaching effects on air force missions and missile development and operations. Mr. Touart served for 11 years as Director of the Atmospheric Sciences Division of the Geophysics Research Directorate at Hanscom Field in Bedford, MA, beginning in 1951, and subsequently as a Senior Scientist of the Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratory. Following his retirement from the Air Force in 1980, he worked as a Principal Investigator and Senior Scientist for Hughes STX Corporation. He was a fellow of the American Meteorological Society, and a member of various scientific societies, including the American Geophysical Union, the American Mathematical Society, Sigma Xi, and the Boston Computer Society. He also served for a term on the Town of Lexington Capital Expenditure Committee. Chankey Nathaniel Touart was born on November 29, 1919 in Orlando, Florida, the son of Colonel Clarence Nathan Touart who served in both WWI and WWII and Halleen Barnes Touart. He enrolled in the University of Chicago at age 16 and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with an SB in Physics. In 1940, he enlisted as an Air Corps Cadet at the Institute of Meteorology of the University of Chicago and in 1942 led the original cadre of U.S. Army Air Corps weather personnel to Great Britain, where they helped direct bombing missions over Germany during World War II. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel while serving as a weather officer the in 8th Air Force. Following the war, he did graduate work at the Courant Institute at New York University before rejoining the Air Force as a civilian scientist. Survivors include his wife of 61 years, Mary Louise (Chorley) Touart, daughters Ellen Touart-Grob and her husband Larry Grob of Weston, MA and Katherine Touart and her husband Kinsey Wilson of Chevy Chase, Maryland, a son, Douglas Touart and his wife Kathleen Byrnes of Lexington and five granddaughters: Caroline, Erika and Anabel Grob, and Eliza and Susannah Wilson. Interment is at Westview Cemetery. In Lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to The American Meteorological Society Scholarship Fund, 45 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02108.