DAVID A. SWICK

DAVID A. SWICK, Ph.D.  
Of Silver Spring, MD, formerly of Accokeek, MD, died February 8, 2012 of complications of pneumonia. Born 1925 in New York City, a high school interest in photography was followed by service in the Navy as a Photographer's Mate during World War II. Navy aerial photography talents returned in the 1960's as he assisted with the establishment of Piscataway Park preserving the scenic view from Mt. Vernon across the Potomac.After Navy service, David earned a degree in physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and joined the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) where he worked with Drs. Herbert Hauptman and Jerome Karle, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1985 for their contributions to x-ray crystallography. David's talents during this period led to his receiving a US patent. In 1972, David earned a doctorate in mathematical statistics from George Washington University.After retiring from NRL, David taught mathematics part-time at Prince George's Community College.Following his second retirement, David resumed interest in the arts, continuing photography and taking up sculpture. Though a rapid progression of Parkinson's Disease severely curtailed David's artistic endeavors in his final two years, he continued his photographic projects.David is survived by his wife, Eloise; sister, Betty (Swick) Ender; sons, Ralph and Wayne; daughter, Gail and their spouses, Jeanine Swick, Denise Paquette and Michael Goodman; four grandchildren, Elaine (Swick) Sims, Joseph Swick, Hadalee Goodman and Abraham Goodman; with spouses, David Sims and Geraldine Winter-Swick; and two great-grandchildren, Samantha Hirsch and Aaron Sims.David's final contributions were to medical research and to the Parkinson's Disease Research Center at Johns Hopkins University. A Celebration of David's Life will be held in Town Center at Riderwood, 3140 Gracefield Rd., Silver Spring, MD on Sunday, June 3. Memorial donations may be made to Parkinson's Disease research organizations.