Dr. Clarence Frederic Kooi

Dr. Clarence Kooi
May 3, 1925 - May 17, 2025
Dr. Clarence Kooi passed away peacefully on May 17, 2025, at the age of 100. A remarkable man of intellect, service, and heart, he lived a life defined by courage, curiosity, and a deep commitment to the world around him.
He was born on May 3, 1925 in Sioux County, Iowa, one of twelve children born to Fred and Ida Kooi. He attended a one room elementary school, graduating from the 8th grade as he turned 13 years old. From 13 to 18, he worked full time on the family and neighboring farms, not going to high school. He entered the United States Army Air Force in October 1943 and served in the European Theater as a ball turret gunner on a B-17 heavy bomber. He flew 28 missions over France and Germany, including in support of the Battle of the Bulge. For his service, he was awarded the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters. (The European part of his wartime diary is online at http://www.486th.org/Photos/Letters2/kooi.htm.)
After leaving the Army in 1945, he attended high school and received a high school diploma from Emily Griffith School in Denver, CO. He then entered the University of Denver and received a B.A. in Physics in 1949. He was admitted to the University of California, Berkeley in 1949 and received his Ph.D. in Physics in 1954.
Upon receiving his Ph.D., he worked as a scientist at the Collins Radio Company Laboratory in Burbank, CA. In 1956, he began his employment at Lockheed Palo Alto Research laboratory where he engaged in basic research in solid state physics for 15 years publishing 35 articles in the major physics journals. The next nine years were spent in various areas of applied physics, including nuclear weapon effects carried out at the underground weapons testing site in Nevada.
During this time, he also received a National Science Foundation senior post-doctoral fellowship and a Fulbright fellowship which allowed him to spend a year at the laboratory of Louis Néel (Prix Nobel) in Grenoble, France (academic year 1966-67). Ten years later he received a second Fulbright fellowship under which he spent a year as professor of physics at the University of Dakar, Senegal (academic year 1976-77).
After retiring early from Lockheed Palo Alto Research laboratory in 1980, he immediately went to work as a contractor for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as the 'new and renewable energy' consultant for the Economic Community of West African States. He spent 3.5 years in West Africa, living mainly in the Ivory Coast and Republic of Cape Verde. In 1984, he continued the renewable energy work in Haiti and returned to the United States in 1989. In 1998, he founded a student garden at the local elementary school and remained there as the gardener for the next 20 years instructing students in food production. For several years, he also served as a teacher's assistant in science.
He had a variety of passions that kept him busy. He maintained his home garden, where he grew kale, tomatoes, corn, peas, artichokes, asparagus, figs, beans, potatoes, and more. He was the commander of the 486th Bomb Group Association, an association of WWII veterans, their descendants and supporters and attended the 8th Air Force reunion each year. He was also involved in discussions about water issues in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, regularly participating in scientific and political forums to advocate for a saltwater barrier. Lastly, his love for music endured. He held season tickets to the San Francisco Symphony and San Francisco Opera for over 25 years.
Dr. Clarence Kooi is survived by his wife, Marie-Therese Kooi; his children: Linda Kooi, Richard Kooi, Lynda (Kooi) West, and Claire-Marie Kooi; twelve grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his son, Robert Kooi, whom he loved dearly. He is also remembered with affection by many extended family members, former colleagues and students, and cherished friends around the world.
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