Billy Edward "Bill" Bonner

Billy "Bill" Edward Bonner, PhD, MA died peacefully on August 8, 2024 in the Woodlands, TX. He was 84 years old. Bill was born in 1939 in Bastrop, LA to James Wilbur Bonner and Julia Elnora (nee Deer) Bonner, the oldest of three children. He was the first in his family to attend college. He graduated from Louisiana Tech University, where a passion for science led him to study physics. Bill obtained a PhD in high-energy physics from Rice University. He then did postdoctoral research at Rutherford Laboratory in Oxford, England, and at the University of California Davis. Bill spent 13 years as a Physicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. He also held appointments abroad, first at the Rutherford High Energy Laboratory in Berkshire, England, and later at the European Organization of Nuclear Research in Geneva, Switzerland.
In 1985, Bill joined the Physics Department at Rice University as a Professor where he spent the remainder of his career as Director of the T. W. Bonner Nuclear Laboratory from 1987-2009 and as Chairman of the Physics Department from 1986-1991. Bill was a beloved researcher and teacher of physics to the senior physics majors and physics graduate students. He also taught "physics for poets" where he instilled his love of physics in students studying the humanities.
Bill was an avid reader of all subject matter and a lover of classical music. He loved wine, cooking, fishing, and growing his vegetables, especially hot peppers. Bill is survived by his wife of 35 years, Margaret "Margo" Bonner, his stepdaughter, Heather Huet, step-grandchildren, Eliane Huet and Arno Huet, and border collie, Roz. Per Bill's request, no memorial services will be held. The family suggests donations to the American Lung Association in remembrance of his life. You may leave written memories to his family at www.shmfh.com