Eric Stephen Beckjord

Eric S. Beckjord, a renowned nuclear engineer and researcher, died on August 17, 2022 in Westwood, MA. He was 93 years old.

Inspired by the potential of nuclear power to provide a viable and clean alternative to fossil fuels, Eric pursued a career that spanned nearly five decades in industry, government, and research. He devoted his life's work to advancing the technology, management, and safety of nuclear power as a resource that could help avert the course of global warming.

He served in multiple roles in government and sought by many means to improve the safety and reliability of nuclear power plants through research, development and international cooperation. When he retired in 1996, he was Chairman of the Committee on Safety of Nuclear Installation at the Nuclear Energy Agency for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, based in Paris, as well as Research Director of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Washington, DC. Earlier he had served at Argonne National Laboratory (1980-84), and while at the U.S. Department of Energy (1976-80), he directed many initiatives, including research and development of Breeder and Light Water Reactors and a multinational effort to study the nuclear fuel cycle and to work toward the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons. He was recognized with a Presidential Meritorious Award for his achievements in 1992.

His experience in industry included a stint at General Electric in San Jose, CA (1956-63), where he contributed to the design, study, and testing of early nuclear power technology, including the Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) and later the Dresden 1 Power station. Later at Westinghouse (1963-75) he was in charge of strategic planning and building of power plants in the US and Europe, first as manager of the Nuclear Energy Divisions Strategic Planning and later as VP of Westinghouse Nuclear Europe.

He relished his role as Visiting Professor in the Nuclear Energy Department at MIT (1985-86) and later as Executive Director of the MIT Study on the Future of Nuclear Power.

The son of Walter C. and Mary H. Beckjord, Eric studied at Harvard College (AB cum laude, Physics, 1951), at MIT (MS, Electrical Engineering, 1956), and at the University of Chicago (MBA 1984). He served in the US Navy as a lieutenant on the USS Bordelon during the Korean War before marrying the love of his life, Caroline (Gardner), in 1953. They were devoted parents and grandparents to their four children and two grandsons. Throughout his life, he loved to hike, canoe, and sail. He sustained his interest in US history by participating in reading and discussion groups. Although Eric's career took the family to live in many places-Norfolk, VA; Cambridge, MA; Schenectady, NY; Lombard, IL; Los Gatos, CA; Pittsburgh, PA; Brussels, Belgium; Chicago, IL; and Washington, DC-they returned to see friends and family in Sorrento, Maine every summer.

Eric was predeceased by his son Rick in 2014 and his wife Caroline in 2016. He is survived and sorely missed by his children, Suprabha of Washington, D.C., Charles (Nora) of Spring Grove, MN, Sarah (Alvaro Aramburu), of Brookline, MA, and his grandsons Tomas and Lucas Aramburu, as well as many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service for family and friends will be held at a later date. Instead of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the MIT Energy Initiative.