E. Gail de Planque

de PLANQUE Dr. E. GAIL de PLANQUE (Age 65) A former commissioner of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission who achieved many firsts for women in nuclear physics, died on Wednesday, September 8, 2010. She was president of the consulting firm Strategy Matters and director of Energy Strategists Consultancy in Maryland, and was a board member of Northeast Utilities, BHP Billiton and Energy Solutions, Inc. She began her 40-year career as a physicist with the U.S. Department of Energy''s Environmental Measurements Laboratory, later becoming its director. She was nominated by the president to the NRC, serving from 1991-1995. She was recognized with the Women of Achievement in Energy award in 1990, the Outstanding Woman Scientist of the Year award in 1991 and the Henry DeWolf Smyth award for Nuclear Statesmanship in 2003. She was a past president of the American Nuclear Society and was a member of various organizations for the peaceful advancement of nuclear energy. A New Jersey native raised in Maryland, she earned an A.B. in Mathematics from Immaculata University, an M.S. in Physics from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Environmental Health Science from New York University. Dr. de Planque is survived by four cousins, Jeanne Kathryn de Planque, Carol Daley, Connie Monell and Seton Junor. A memorial service will be held 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, October 24, 2010 at the City Tavern Club, 3206 M St., Washington, DC. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the American Nuclear Society of LaGrange Park, Illinois, and Benedictine Academy of Elizabeth, New Jersey.