Henry E. Stanton, 81, a retired molecular physicist at Argonne National Laboratory, was president of Oak Lawn School District 123 and was a member of the rump group seated as Illinois delegates at the 1972 Democratic National Convention.
A resident of Oak Lawn since 1948, he died April 4 in Christ Hospital and Medical Center, Oak Lawn.
Mr. Stanton, who received his doctorate at the University of Chicago in 1944, worked there on the Manhattan Project, which created the atomic bomb. He was a Quaker and a pacifist and was not fully informed about the purpose of his research.
After he learned the bomb`s intended use, ”He hoped it wouldn`t work,”
said his wife, Evelyn.
He later joined the prominent list of scientists who protested the use of nuclear weapons.
Mr. Stanton was at Argonne from 1944 to 1975. At first he worked on the nuclear reactor and in the patent office. He later performed research in the field of mass spectroscopy.
He was a member and then president of the Oak Lawn school board in the 1950s. It was a period of rapid growth in the area, and he was involved in the building of several schools and the acquisition of school land in the suburb. ”Those who knew him best remember him for his sense of humor,” Evelyn Stanton said. ”He was very quiet and laid-back but was capable of passion and anger over what he felt strongly about.”
Other survivors include two daughters, Barbara and Margaret; and two grandchildren.
Memorial services were held Friday in Oak Lawn.
