ERNEST E. PITTELLI

1932 - 2023

PITTELLI, Ernest E Age 91, of Belmont, MA, died on October 16, 2023, at Rogerson House, his place of residence for the past three years in Boston. He was the son of Stephen Pittelli and Catherine (Gatto) Pittelli, both of whom emigrated to the United States as children. Ernest's boyhood was spent in Kulpmont, PA, while his father was a coal miner and later in Philadelphia, where his parents operated a grocery store. He graduated from Villanova and earned a PhD in theoretical physics from the University of Pennsylvania. During the Apollo moon program, he worked at NASA's Electronics Research Center in Cambridge, MA, researching semiconductors that can operate in high-temperature and high-radiation environments. When the center was closed during the Nixon Administration, he began his 30-year career of teaching physics, astronomy and philosophy of science at Middlesex School, in Concord. After Ernest's retirement in 2000, he continued to exercise his outstanding classroom skills by leading numerous courses at the Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement, where he was once awarded a standing ovation. His primary interest at that stage in life was history, and he often said that he wished he'd chosen history over physics. His heroes were Guiseppe Garibaldi and Bertrand Russell; Russell had a profound influence on Ernest's philosophy of life. He is survived by his partner of 34 years, Martha Spaulding; his brother, Joseph Pittelli; sister-in-law, Jan Pittelli; and brother-in-law, Cosmo DiCecco; his children by his ex-wife, Alexandra Wilson; Lauren, David and Randal Pittelli; David's wife, Amy Stevens; and their children, Catherine and Alexander Pittelli; and Martha's daughter, Rachel Greenberger and her husband, Cristiano Bonino. Donations in his memory may be made to Rogerson House, 434 Jamaicaway, Boston, MA 02130. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

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