Edward Clancy

1913 - 2018

SCARBOROUGH, ME – Edward Philbrook Clancy, 105, of Scarborough died in the early morning of September 28, 2018.

Born July 3, 1913, in Beloit, Wisconsin, he was the son of Bernice Philbrook Clancy, born in Castine, Maine, and her husband George Carpenter Clancy, of Northampton, Mass., who was an English professor at Beloit College.

Edward earned his undergraduate degree in physics from Beloit College in 1935 and then earned his master's and doctorate in physics at Harvard University (1940); his thesis: "The Induced Radioactivity of Krypton and Xenon." He taught physics to World War II naval officers and undergraduates at Harvard and Radcliffe College.

He also conducted classified national defense research at the Harvard Underwater Sound Laboratory. He had worked on the Harvard Cyclotron, the particle accelerator, before moving to sonar research.

While teaching at Harvard, Dr. Clancy met his future wife, Elizabeth Beale, who was a student in his class. They married in Newton, Mass. and in 1946, moved to South Hadley, Mass, where Ed had been appointed physics professor at Mount Holyoke College.

There, he served as chairman of the physics department, and in 1968 he authored the book, "The Tides, Pulse of the Earth," which was published in 23 languages and remains an authoritative text to this day.

He also published scientific articles, spoke at a number of academic conferences over the years and took research sabbaticals in Pasadena, California; Sedona, Arizona; Auckland, New Zealand; and Honolulu, Hawaii.

He and Elizabeth had five children and enjoyed the adventures of raising them in a lively community filled with large families of all backgrounds. In 1971, he took his family on a year's tour of the world, leaving Maine and circumventing through the Pacific, South East Asia, the Middle East, India, Europe and back to the U.S.

Ed retired from Mount Holyoke in 1979, whereupon he traveled worldwide, hiking with the Appalachian Mountain Club and Elderhostel.

His 42-year marriage to Elizabeth Beale Clancy ended in divorce. Later, he would marry longtime family friend, Mary "Peggy" Giamatti of South Hadley, Mass. Together, they enjoyed wonderful adventures until her death in 2006.

Throughout his life, Ed Clancy was regarded a gentleman and a humanist. He believed strongly in civil rights and social justice, and encouraged women to pursue higher education, especially in the sciences. He set the bar high for himself and others, and forever treated those around him with dignity and respect.

Ed leaves five children: Cynthia Thompson (John Benjamin) of Augusta, Maine; Gwendolyn Clancy of Reno, Nevada; Jonathan Clancy (Cheryl) of Pullman, Washington; Benjamin Clancy (Julie) of Kwajalein, Republic of Marshall Islands; and Lynda Clancy (James Dill) of Rockport, Maine, as well as his first wife, Elizabeth Beale-Clancy, with whom he remained great friends.

He is also survived by 13 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

In Summer 2019, the family will hold a celebration of life for Ed Clancy on Cape Rosier.

Ed's family extends the deepest gratitude to the staff and volunteers at Piper Shores in Scarborough, who lovingly cared for him in what everyone referred to as his remarkable "Super Age."

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Doctors Without Borders, Death with Dignity, Union of Concerned Scientists, Planned Parenthood, Mount Holyoke College and entities that encourage women in the sciences.

A.T. Hutchins of Portland, Maine, is handling the arrangements, www.athutchins.com