Richard J. Weiss Ph.D.

WEISS, Richard J., Ph.D. 1923-2008, of Avon, MA, formerly of New York City, December 13, 2008. Beloved husband of Daphne Pat Weiss (Watson) of Avon. Father of Catharine Weiss-Habig of Easton, MA, Christopher Weiss of Ashburn, VA, and the late Randi-Lyn Gordon of Atlanta, GA. Brother of Sanford Weiss, of Dana Sol, CA. Grandfather to Alex and Olivia Habig of Easton, MA. Also survived by many nieces and nephews. Noted physicist, researcher, author, and tavern keeper, Dr. Weiss grew up in New York City during the Great Depression. He received a B.S. from City College of New York during W.W. II, was commissioned by the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis into the U.S. Navy, where he served as a Lieutenant on the USS Bougainville, an escort carrier that ferried airplanes and supplies between Pearl Harbor and the front lines of the Pacific. After the war, Richard received an M.A. in Physics from the University of California, at Berkeley, and his Ph.D. from New York University and Brookhaven National Laboratory, where he studied under Oppenheimer. Richard joined the staff of the U.S. Army Materials Technology Laboratory in Watertown, MA, in 1950 and retired in 1980, after a distinguished career as a world-renowned physicist. He was recognized with the Rockefeller Public Service Award in 1956 and as a Secretary of the Army Fellow in 1962. He reached the civilian rank of Colonel. During his career, Richard authored more than one hundred publications and many books on solid state physics, X-ray measurements, as well as books for a broader audience in science. He is also the holder of multiple patents, and served as an editor or contributing editor on multiple international scientific publications, including the World Scientific Series in Popular Science. Dr. Weiss held appointments in physics at Brookhaven National Laboratory, Materials Research Laboratory, King's College London (UK), Cavendish Laboratories at Cambridge, Imperial College (UK), the University of Surrey (UK), the British Atomic Energy Establishment at Harwell (UK), the University of Munich, and the University of Helsinki in Finland. He was named one of the 2,000 Outstanding Scientists of the 21st Century by the International Biographical Centre, Cambridge (UK). Dr. Weiss also wrote numerous stage plays, screenplays, and radio plays, which were performed by the BBC London. After retiring, he directed the operation of Blanchard's Tavern, a colonial tavern of the Revolutionary War, located in Avon, MA. He also created, with his brother Sandford Weiss and Walter McCrone (Turin Shroud), The Organization for the Detection of Fakery in Art. There he worked with McCrone and his brother on expanding the use of carbon dating as a method of true historical dating of artistic masterpieces. A Celebration of Dr. Weiss' life and accomplishments will be held on Saturday, January 17th at 11 AM at the Avon Baptist Church (98 North Main St., Avon, MA 02322). In lieu of flowers, kindly donate to the City College 21st Century Foundation and write "For FVE in memory of Richard J. Weiss" in the memo line. FVE is the Fund for Veterans' Education, which provides scholarships to Veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan since September 11, 2001. Donations can be mailed to: The City College of New York Office of Development and Institutional Advancement, 60 Convent Avenue, Shepard 154 New York, NY 10031.