Obituaries

Recent Obituaries
In Memoriam Archive

Donald Riley Kalkwarf ’47

A picture of Donald Kalkwarf

Donald Riley Kalkwarf ’47, March 22, 2014, in Richland, Washington. Donald interrupted his studies at Reed to serve as a combat infantryman in the U.S. Army’s 44th Division in Europe. He returned to the college and earned a BA in chemistry. He also met Carol L. Rider ’46, whom he married in 1949. They went to Illinois, where Donald earned a PhD in physical chemistry from Northwestern University, and then moved to Richland, Washington, where Donald was a staff scientist for General Electric’s Hanford operation and for Battelle’s Pacific Northwest Laboratory. His keen enjoyment for the outdoors and mountain climbing cinched the decision to move west. Donald enjoyed photography and played the accordion. He was chairman of the board of trustees for Central United Protestant Church, and president of the Tri-Cities chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union and Sigma Xi Research Society. He also was chairman of the fluorescence section of the American Standards and Materials Society. Carol died in 1994. Donald later married her sister Elizabeth, who survives him. He is also survived by his three daughters, one son, and two grandchildren.

Appeared in Reed magazine: September 2014

comments powered by Disqus