Robert Everest Newnham, 80, of State College, Pennsylvania, a resident of Foxdale Village, died at Penn State Hershey Medical Center on April 16, 2009. He was born March 28, 1929, in Amsterdam, New York, the son of the late William E. and Dorothy M. Hamm Newnham. On July 26, 1964, Bob married Patricia Friss Newnham, a beautiful nurse from East Hartford, Connecticut, who survives. Bob and Pat had two children: a son, Randall E. Newnham of Reading, Pennsylvania, and a daughter, Rosemary E. Newnham of New York City. They survive, along with Randall's wife Janet Graden, a grandson - Johnathan Robert Newnham, and Rosemary's husband Patrick Ying. His sister Mary Lucy Carlson, her husband Rupert, and numerous nieces and nephews also survive. A graduate of four universities, Bob studied mathematics at Hartwick College (B.S., 1950), physics at Colorado State University (M.S., 1952), physics and mineralogy at Penn State (Ph.D., 1956) and crystallography at Cambridge University (Ph.D., 1960). Prior to joining the Penn State faculty in 1966, he was a Fellow at the Cavendish Laboratory of Cambridge University and taught at M.I.T. for 10 years. At Penn State, Bob taught courses on Crystal Physics, Crystal Chemistry, Electroceramics, Mineralogy, and Biomaterials. Widely known for his enthusiastic lectures and colorful illustrations, Bob was honored with the Outstanding Educator Award of the Ceramic Education Council and the Wilson Teaching Prize of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. After retirement, Bob taught for two years at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He served as Editor of the Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Secretary of the Materials Research Society, President of the American Crystallographic Association, and Distinguished Lecturer for the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. Among his many awards was the 2004 Benjamin Franklin Medal for Electrical Engineering from the Franklin Institute, and the Basic Research Award of the World Academy of Ceramics. A member of the National Academy of Engineering, Bob wrote more than 500 research papers, 20 patents, and five books, and was working on two more books at the time of his death. The transducers developed in his laboratory revolutionized the quality of ultrasound images in cardiology, obstetrics, and underwater sonar. Every major ultrasonics manufacturer in the world, including several in Central Pennsylvania, use composite transducers based on his designs. He retired from Penn State in 1999 as Alcoa Professor Emeritus after serving eight years as Associate Director of the Materials Research Laboratory and 18 years as Director of the Intercollege Program on Solid State Science. He is remembered with great love by friends, former students, and scientific colleagues around the globe. In private life, Bob was an unabashed liberal in politics and religion. He and his wife Pat were strong supporters of the peace movement, the Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship of Centre County, and numerous liberal charities. In his spare time, he was an ardent mineral collector and model airplane builder. He loved the smell of airplane glue.
A memorial service will be held on at 3 pm on Saturday May 30 in the Kern Building Auditorium on the Penn State campus. The family also encourages friends to honor his memory by attending the peace vigils held at College and Allen Wednesdays at 5 and Saturdays at 1:30.
Donations may be made to the Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship of Centre County (780Waupelani Drive Extension, State College, PA 16801) or to the Robert E. Newnham Graduate Fellowship in Material Science and Engineering (checks made out to Penn State 16802).with "Robert Newnham Fellowship" noted and mailed to One Old Main, University Park, PA