George Lang, age 89, retired Professor of Physics at Pennsylvania State University, died on January 28 ^th , 2021 at the Mount Nittany Medical Center. He was born in 1931 on the North Side of Pittsburgh into a large and lively family of German descent. His parents were Lawrence Lang, a machinist, and Bertha (Schwertz) Lang, a seamstress and homemaker. George had the good fortune to be inspired by his mother's brother, "Uncle Bucky" Fred Schwertz, who encouraged his interest in physics, and to then meet Grace, his devoted wife of 68 years, when she was a student nurse caring for his father at Allegheny General Hospital.

George's enthusiasm for experimental physics began early. At age 17 he won first prize in the Buhl Science Fair for his home-made Wilson Cloud Chamber, and then a George Westinghouse Scholarship to attend Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon). After achieving his BSc, MSc and PhD in Physics, in 1958 he began his research in the new field of Mossbauer Spectroscopy, becoming an Assistant Professor at Carnegie Tech in 1960. From 1963 to 1973 George, Grace and their two young children lived in England, a treasured experience, while George continued his research at AERE Harwell. In 1973 George and his family returned to the US where he became a Professor of Physics at PSU, continuing his Mossbauer work that was crucial in making use of Mossbauer effects to investigate biological systems in the function of hemoglobin. He retired in 1993.

George enjoyed his home and workshop projects, and those later at the woodshop in Foxdale Village, often coming up with his own characteristically practical solutions. His outdoor activities included hiking, running, bicycling and canoeing, but he was most passionately a glider pilot following his move to State College, his pride and joy being his Schweizer 1-34 glider kept at Ridge Soaring Gliderport. After retirement George joined the State College English Speaking Union, discovering a late talent for humorous poetry and greatly enjoying visits to the Shaw Festival. George and Grace loved to travel, visiting friends and family in the US and around the world. George especially liked the family summer holidays in Rhode Island and at Schroon Lake, NY which reminded him of his own childhood summer times on Lake Erie and in the North Woods.

George will be remembered for his keen intellect, strong opinions, sociable nature, sense of humor, and his personal and professional integrity and generosity. As a professor, he always treated his students and postdocs as colleagues. A tall, handsome man with a large personality, he was also tender and caring. In addition to his beloved wife Grace, George is survived by son Bill and his partner Anne in England, by daughter Anne and her husband John in Connecticut, by grand-daughter Chloe and grandson Ethan, and by nephew Fred, son of his adored older sister Rose who died in 2018.

The family would like to thank all the staff at Foxdale Village for their outstanding support of both George and Grace over the past years. Due to progressive dementia, in his last 2 years George was cared for in Anthony House at Foxdale, always with great skill and kindness.

Although no gatherings are planned at this time, memorial donations may be made to George's favorite cause, Park Forest Preschool (814) 231-8492, where he and Grace greatly enjoyed volunteering for many years.