Here is a list of key dates in his life:

1922: Born in Detroit, Michigan.

1939

Graduated Northwestern High

Went to Wayne University, Detroi1942

June: Went to Chicago

Odd Jobs: Bussing at commons

Worked for Greek fellow who thought he could square circle

 

1943

March: Graduated with Bachelors and Masters in Physics, U. of Chicago

Started work as a physicist at Manhattan Project to avoid draft

Saw Enrico Fermi ice skating while working on project.

 

1945

Summer: got his dog Boojum

First hitchhiked to Colorado. Wanted to see a mountain and those were closest. Went to Mt. Elbert, CO. Didn’t get to top. 

On his way back from backpacking in Colorado, he happened to pass through the small town of Abilene, KS, looking rather scruffy as he had just come from the mountains. He was traveling with his trusty army rucksack that he used for backpacking. Having been out of civilization for weeks, he didn't realize President Eisenhower was passing through this town. Sadly, he ended up spending a night in jail instead of being able to see the President because law enforcement was concerned that his backpack might have a bomb.  Of the 47 states that he visited in his lifetime, this was the only one he said he would never return to. He had voted for Eisenhower. 

1946

Summer: bicycled to MN and canoed in Lake of Woods Provincial Park in Canada

Bicycled around Lake Michigan back to Chicago

Sailboat on Lake Michigan

Hitchhiked to California to pick up car that had let friends drive across country, but had broken down in Colorado (left Boojum in Detroit)

Worked at Montana ranch for a few weeks.

Sister May got married.

While working at the Manhattan Project's Metallurgic Laboratory, signed the Szilard petition asking President Truman to consider observing a demonstration of the atomic bomb first before it was dropped on people (the petition, which evidently didn't make it to President Truman was declassified and made public in 1961).

1947

March: Boojum died from eating poisoned food.

April: Quit Manhattan Project job because too old for draft.

Worked at Montana Ranch for board and keep.

Met brother Joe at Grand Canyon.

June: Went to summer school in University of Mexico, Mexico City.

Met archaeologist who told about Mayan temple (Bonampak) discovered previous year in Chiapas, southern Mexico jungle:. Went to ruins with two other students. Second Caucasians to visit. Turned down opportunity to eat monkey and armadillo. Swam Usumacinta River and almost drowned.

Went back to Detroit.

 

1948

Spring: Taught Physics Labs at Wayne.

 

Fall. Returned to Chicago. Went to U. of Illinois, Champagne-Urbana as graduate student for one semester.

 

1949

Worked at Bureau of Standards for Year in Washington, DC.

One of three patents that he co-authored was awarded for a Radiation Exposure Meter. U.S. Patent 2,483,991.


1950

Summer: Took up rock climbing in Washington DC.

Went with DC climbers from Appalachian Trail Club to climb in Wind River Range in Montana.

Two of people from climbers and one other person plus dad did a first ascent on Neptune Mountain in the Selkirk Range in Rocky Mountains of Canada.

Went to Jackson Hole, MT and climbed in Tetons with Philadelphia Rock Climbers.

Went to Berkeley before Labor Day climbed in Sierras with Sierra Club Rock Climbers.

Stayed with brother Joe who was living in California.

Went with Joe to lowest point in California: Badwater, Death Valley, (282 feet below sea level) and climbed Mount Whitney (highest point: 14,497 feet) the next morning.

Wanted to climb a Mt. Palisades Peak. Almost had an accident. Climbed Mt. Sill.

Fall: Doing rock climbing.

 

1951

January. Worked for month in Mare Island Shipyard. Preliminary work on nuclear submarine.

Winter crossing of Sierras with Rock Climbers.

Some time during his mountain climbing days with the Sierra Club, he and a colleague were the first to make an ascent of one side of the mountain Cloud's Rest in Yosemite.

Drove to Chicago with Nakadegawas and sold his car to them that he had bought in Washington.  He remained friends with the Nakadegawas during his life.

Went back to California.

Summer. Hiked most of John Muir Trail. Planned to do all, but cut short because University of California Berkeley application was turned down. Successfully appealed UC Berkeley rejection.  

Fall. Studied for two years at U.C. Berkeley towards PhD in Geophysics.

1953

Fall. Took job at Air Force Cambridge Center in Boston because wanted to go to Arctic as a geophysicist for measuring three ice floes called T-3. 

1954

January –May. First Arctic trip. Couldn’t go to Joe’s wedding because in Greenland.

1955

April-September. Second Arctic trip.

1957

March-June. Third trip for Geophysics International Year.

Summer . Quit and came back to California.

Worked at a temp job air Beale Air Force Base near Marysville for four months.

Met Easter during that time, probably at Joe’s house - they were both in the Berkeley Hiking Club. Easter was Joe's wife Betty's good friend from high school. They were also all members of the Sierra Club.

November. Moved back to Berkeley, was thinking of finishing his PhD.

1958: 

Married Easter on January 9.

Had thought about working on PhD, but recruited by physics professor at Chico State College to teach physics there for year. Turned out to be 2 ½ years.  Started in January.  Easter couldn’t join until summer.

Summer: Drove to Detroit on vacation and back through Canada.

1959-1966: Had five children.

1961 Summer: Wanted to return to Berkeley (Easter's family was in Oakland). Moved back to Berkeley and bought a house in the Berkeley Hills, where he and Easter lived until 2007.

Bought TV repair business since not sure going to get government job, but did.

December: Started job at Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory, San Francisco: developing techniques for measuring high energy particles.  

1968: Patent co-authored with Eugene Scheiger, filed in 1965, granted. Appartus for Thermally Measuring Absorbed Radiation Doses. #3,394,258. 

1969

Government closed lab in San Francisco and had the choice to stay with Naval Research and move to Maryland. He and Easter decided to stay in the Bay Area.

Got a job in San Leandro at Physics International measuring high energy flash x-rays.  Received an award.

Took his two eldest daughters on their first backpacking trip (two nights) in Yosemite to Bud Lake. Easter and the other three children stayed in camp. Every summer after that the family went backpacking. Often with his brother Joe's family.

Late 70’s

Job ended. Consulted for Radiation Detection Company (RDC), Sunnyvale and for Physics Inernational. RDC needed somebody who knew about measuring with lithium fluoride. Later hired as vice president of measurement/interpreting film badges - was one of the few experts in this area.

1979: Alaska trip 

1980: First China trip (he and Easter went three times).

1980s: After reaching retirement age, started to cut his hours at Radiation Detection Company. First worked two days a week and then stopped when it became too hard to commute an hour a day to Sunnyvale (via public transportation).

1985: Two month England trip - first of several. He really enjoyed England. 

1986: July, Peru trip

1987: Katmandu, Nepal, Mt. Everest trip.

1989: Northern Capitols trip in Europe

1996: Baltics & Russia trip

1997: Trip to Maine and New Brunswick to see Tidal Bore

2007: The house was too much to take care of, moved to El Cerrito. Got rid of car. Easter started getting dementia.

2009: When it became difficult to walk and do the grocery shopping, decided to move from El Cerrito to San Diego to St. Paul's Manor, an independent living home across the street from his sister's Ida's condominium. Moved in June. Easter's dementia started getting worse. Had a lovely apartment on the 8th floor with a view of downtown San Diego from the bedroom window and a view of the ocean from the living room window. Missed the cool of the Bay Area.

2012 Autumn: When it became too difficult to walk (was having falls), St. Paul's Manor requested that he move to Assisted Living. 

2013: February, he and Easter moved to the studio apartment behind Ming's house. Ming supervised their care and arranged caregivers for them during the days. Liked to walk along the Bay or Ocean which are a few blocks from Ming's house. Read the entire Encyclopedia Brittanica from A-Z over the course of the next year. Easter's dementia continued to affect her memory and vocabulary. 

2016: Was becoming increasing difficult to walk. Wanted to live to the November election to see the first women president elected.

2017 January: Departed earthy realm.