Albert Denver Frost

Albert Denver Frost

DURHAM - Albert Denver Frost of Durham, died at home on Jan. 23, 2014, following a brief illness. He was 91.

Al was born in Tewksbury, Massachusetts on Feb. 12, 1922, the only child of Albert and Clara Frost. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physics from Tufts University, then served in the U.S. Navy as a radar officer aboard the U.S.S. John Weeks in Japan from 1944-1946. Upon his return to the States, Al went on to earn a Master's degree in Engineering Science and Applied Physics from Harvard in 1947 and continued to teach at Tufts while earning a Doctorate in Applied Physics from MIT in 1952.

Al and Diana Frost Mansfield met at the Tufts Arena Theater where he had been president of Pen, Paint and Pretzels, the Tufts honorary dramatic Society. Diana was a drama major. They enjoyed participating in theater onstage and backstage as well as in the audience much of their married life ... they were married in August of 1956 and the couple moved to Durham, where Al accepted the position of Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering with the University of New Hampshire. He was promoted to full professor in 1962 and spent a long and distinguished career as a valued member of the EE Department conducting research, receiving patents, publishing numerous papers, and mentoring generations of students. He spent a year in Washington, D.C. with the Institute of Defense Analysis. He worked summers for a number of years in Boston for the Department of Transportation.

His research took him all over the country and the world to places like Peru, South Africa, and Grenoble, France. Al loved travel and took regular sabbaticals to move his family to England, where he was able to combine his professional and personal passions working as a consultant and visiting lecturer in England at Jodrel Bank, University of Manchester, Oxford University and King's College London. His family accompanied him to England from where they traveled onto the Continent visiting the countries of France, Italy, Germany and Switzerland to name a few.

Al retired from his position as a Professor at UNH in 1994 and continued to travel. He and Diana took trips all over the world, visiting Russia, China, Egypt, Italy, Holland, Hungary, Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Greece and Turkey.

Al was an active member of the Durham Community Church and oversaw the sound system for the church for decades. He also consulted as an acoustics expert for the Pease Development Authority, recorded many of his wife's choral concerts, volunteered for community events, and edited Loran Lines, the newsletter for the National Loran Association.

Al is survived by Diana, his wife of 57 years, and four children; Hilary Churchley and husband, Victor, of Wheatley, England; Stacey Shartzer and husband, Stephen, of Davis, California; Colin Frost and wife, Sherry of Dover; and Corey Frost of Huntsville, Alabama and six grandchildren, Al leaves behind countless friends and colleagues.

A celebration of Al's life will be heald at the Durham Community Church in Durham, N.H. on Saturday, March 22, 2014, at 2 p.m. in the afternoon. A reception will follow the service. For more information, please contact Reverand Dr. Mary Westfall at 603-868-1230.

Visit www.fosters.com/obits for an online guest book.