DAVID CHANDLER Obituary

CHANDLER--David,

pillar of the physical chemistry scientific community and Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at the University of California at Berkeley, died April 18, 2017 at the age of 72 at his home in Berkeley, CA. David's life could not be extracted from his science. Spanning a career that changed the course of the field of physical chemistry, he is credited with crafting the modern language and concepts for describing structure and dynamics of condensed matter and developing methods by which rare events can be simulated with computers. David was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Royal Society. He was born on October 15, 1944 in New York to Herbert S. Chandler and Sylvia Brody Chandler. He earned a BS in Chemistry from MIT and a PhD in Chemistry from Harvard University. He is survived by his wife and fellow scientist Elaine Chandler (nee Ackles), who inform and inspired his career, and by daughters Phoebe Chandler and Cynthia Chandler and four grandchildren, all of California. David also is survived by his sister Elsie Chandler and many cousins in New York. His influence in science carries forward through thousands of scientists he mentored and inspired. David's intensity, brilliance, and courage will be missed. A public Life and Work Celebration will take place at UC Berkeley in June 2017. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to support an annual David Chandler Memorial Lecture. Details at: http://www.sunsetviewcemetery.com/obituaries/David-Chandler-10/

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Published by New York Times on Apr. 30, 2017.

Memories and Condolences
for DAVID CHANDLER

13 Entries

James Wynne

April 15, 2020

The last time I saw David was when I was giving a presentation at a physics conference in San Antonio, TX, on March 5th, 2015. Much to my surprise, David and Elaine were sitting in the front row. When I recognized them, I was able to insert something into my talk about my first encounter with David way back in 1961 at our tennis club on Long Island, NY. Back then, little did I realize that we would meet again in 1966 as graduate students at Harvard, play tennis regularly, and be coached by him, with very positive results to my tennis game. If he had coached me earlier, like in 1961 or 62, I might have become good enough to pursue a career as a tennis player, rather than as a physicist. Anyway, things worked out quite well for me. I'm a happy physicist, and I still play recreational tennis, using all the strokes he taught me.
I really miss David, but I have many fond memories of our >50 years of friendship.

Artur Braun

August 20, 2017

I met Professor Chandler in 2009 at the MRS Spring Meeting in San Francisco.
We had invited him to deliver a talk in our photoelectrochemistry symposium because we wanted to understand the liquid part in water splitting for a sustainable energy future.
His wife shared with me that he was suffering or had been suffering from cancer; But I can state Prof. Chandler was looking very good that day in Spring 2009.

Tonight, my literature search for a review article pointed me to David Chandler's work on the "hydrated electron".

I wanted to send him an email asking for further information on this kind of research - and then memorized that he had a cancer issue in 2009.

A quick search engine check pointed me to UCB's obituary site:
http://chemistry.berkeley.edu/news/david-chandler-dies-at-age-72

His scientific contributions as pillar of physical chemistry are in the records for himself and for the 100 disciples which he mentored.

I read from the obituary website that David Chandler was a family man and that he got a strong moral compass from his father.

Nowadays a life of 72 years seems short, but it was a successful life - with very good memories and a beautiful legacy with good example.

My condolence to his family.

Artur Braun
Empa Switzerland
currently at Yonsei University, Korea

Robert Gennis

May 3, 2017

I was a colleague of David for many years at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and got to know him, Elaine and the two kids (they were kids at that time). He was a brilliant scientist and great teacher. I loved hearing him lecture. Creative, competitive and loved to play with ideas. I was very lucky to have had the opportunity to know him. He will be missed by those closest to him as well as those he touched through his science.

May 3, 2017

May memories and prayers comfort family and friends as David R.I.P

James Wynne

May 1, 2017

I have many fond memories of David and his wife, Elaine, who were my wife's and my good friends for more than 50 years. Here I will limit my remarks to a great gift David bestowed on me. He taught me how to play a winning game of tennis, a sport I have played for the past 65 years.

David and I grew up in the same village, Great Neck, NY, but I did not get to know him until he and Elaine moved into the married students' apartments at Harvard, where my wife and I lived, while he and I were both attending graduate school. We were both tennis players. I had a big serve, but an inconsistent set of ground strokes, which prevented me from making my college tennis team. In contrast, David was as steady as a rock, and he was #1 on the MIT tennis team. Once we found another, naturally we started playing tennis on a regular basis. At first, he would beat me quite consistently, by hitting the ball low and short to my forehand, which gave me trouble because I did not bend my knees sufficiently. After a while, his inherent talent as an excellent teacher emerged, and he began to coach me, encouraging me to bend my knees and hit those low forehands with some underspin, something I had not been taught and could not figure out by myself. I took his advice, significantly improving my game, and by the time we completed graduate school, I could beat him in many of our friendly matches. I also found that I could now beat other opponents who used to beat me.

Others have commented on his talent for science, both as a researcher and a teacher. I wanted to highlight a different area of his expertise, namely as a competitive athlete.

I will miss him, and Barbara and I send our heartfelt condolences to Elaine, their children, and grandchildren.

April 30, 2017

Grief can be so hard, but our special memories help us cope. Remembering you and your loved one today and always.

Claudia and Walter Holmes

April 28, 2017

David, we admired you as a scientist, but mostly we loved you as a friend. You left us way too soon.

Harriet Katz

April 28, 2017

David was a caring, supportive friend not only in high school but also on the occasions when we were in touch over the years. Our high school class (Great Neck South '62) has been sharing an outpouring of memories, and we are all so sad at this loss.

Kelvin White

April 27, 2017

May God's loving kindness and comfort help you and your family through this very sad time Psalms 29:11

April 26, 2017

With deepest sympathy, may the power of prayer ease your sorrow, give you peace and provide much comfort for you during this difficult time. Matthew 21:22

Jordi Marti

April 25, 2017

David was a great scientist, with a huge instinct for new ideas. Undoubtedly, one of the top physical chemists of the world. And, even most important, he was also a good human being, friendly person who allowed me to work in Berkeley for a year in his lab and from whom I learned a lot. I will always be grateful to him. May he rest in peace.

Steven Schwartz

April 21, 2017

David was a towering figure of modern statistical physical chemistry. He was also a good friend. I never worked with him in any fashion, but he was a wonderful mentor to me. He will be deeply deeply missed.

Mark Tuckerman

April 20, 2017

David was a pillar of the physical chemistry community who will be sorely missed. His scientific contributions have been incredibly impactful: He created a generation of young scientists who are carrying on the legacy of his amazing work. I, myself, learned a tremendous amount from David's papers, and although I never studied with him directly, I still consider him one of my most valued and respected mentors.

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