Alan Horace Shapley

Alan Horace Shapley of Boulder died Friday October 20, 2006 at the Hospice Care Center in Louisville following a brief illness. He was 87.

The son of Harlow Shapley and Martha Betz Shapley, Alan was born in Pasadena, California, but spent his childhood years in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where his father was Director of Harvard College Observatory. He graduated from Harvard College in 1940. He married Kathryn E. (Maloney) Shapley on March 10, 1956, in Boulder. She died in 2004.

Alan came to Boulder in 1954 with the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) (now the National Institute for Science and Technology) from Washington, DC. He was a member of the committee that chose Boulder as the site for NBS, part of the post WW-II effort to distribute government facilities away from Washington, DC.

In 1956-1957, Alan was co-chairman of the United States Committee on the International Geophysical Year (IGY) which developed protocols for international sharing of research data on solar and geophysical events. He was very active over the years with Federation of Atomic Scientists, beginning in 1945 following the use of atomic bombs in Japan to end WW-II.

He traveled extensively internationally to promote cooperation in scientific research forums, including multiple trips to the USSR and various Soviet block countries, Japan, Australia and throughout Western Europe. He traveled to Antarctica twice, once in 1959 and again in 1969, and was instrumental in the establishment of research facilities on that continent. In 1980 he was an invited guest of the Chinese government, presenting several lectures around China on scientific topics. His efforts in research, administration and coordination of national and international scientific programs involved ionospheric physics, solar activity, Antarctica, earth satellite programs, and international data exchange.

Mr. Shapley joined the newly formed Central Radio Propagation Laboratory (CRPL) within the National Bureau of Standards in 1947, and remained with NBS and then the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration throughout his career, retiring in 1985. He was the founding director of the National Geophysical Data Center and the World Data Center "A" in Boulder. He was a member of the American Geophysical Union, the American Astronomical Society, the American Polar Society, the International Astronomical Union and many other national and international scientific organizations. His papers from his extensive activities are housed at the Library of Congress.

His role in bringing NBS to Boulder, executing the IGY, and promoting Boulder as a top location for science and scientific research have been recognized in the recent celebration of the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the Boulder NOAA Labs, and the upcoming 50th anniversary of the IGY. Alan was President of the Colorado Music Festival from 1979 to 1982, and served on the Board of the CMF Endowment Fund and was a founding member of the CMF Legacy Club. He was a founding member of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Boulder, and a long-time member of the Boulder chapter of the ACLU.

"Alan was a great partner and mentor to many scientists and researchers throughout the world, serving as an inspiration and guide who will be missed by many who study our earth and solar system," his family said.

Survivors include his daughter, Carol Etter of New Orleans; a sister, Mildred Shapley Matthews of Pasadena, Calif., two brothers, Lloyd Shapley of Pacific Palisades, Calif, and Carl Shapley; two grandchildren and one great-grandchild. He was preceded in death by his wife, Kathryn Shapley.

Contributions may be made in his name to the Colorado Music Festival Endowment, 900 Baseline Road, Cottage 100, Boulder, CO 80303. A memorial service will be scheduled at a later date. M.P. Murphy & Associates – Funeral Directors is in charge of arrangements.