Dr. John Rundo, of Lisle, passed away on November 21, 2003 at the age of 77. Born in Britain, John Rundo completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. at Imperial College, University of London, embarking on a scientific career at Harwell, the British atomic energy research authority, where his areas of study included developing methods for the measurement of body radioactivity, leading to pioneering applications in medical diagnosis and important studies relevant to community health. In 1969, he moved to Argonne National Laboratory where for just over 20 years of activity until his retirement in 1991 he was a Senior Biophysicist. During the course of his distinguished career, Dr. Rundo served as a contributing editor for numerous scientific journals and publications and held an appointment as an adjunct professor of civil engineering at Northwestern University. One of his many achievements was to spearhead a research project, which showed for the first time that environmental radon could be a health hazard. The author of numerous papers published in scientific journals and presented at international conferences, Dr. Rundo was awarded a D. Sc. from the University of London in 1979 and the prestigious Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award of the Health Physics Society in 1995. After retiring from Argonne, Dr. Rundo was a consultant for the Vienna-based Atomic Energy Agency, traveling extensively to Third World countries where he advised on nuclear health issues. Outside the laboratory, much of his leisure time was devoted to his life-long passion for philately, focusing on British stamps, in addition to voluntary activities in the Downers Grove area, such as recording for the blind, helping senior citizens to fill in their tax forms, activity in the laboratory of the Morton Arboretum and being a member of the Board of Directors of the Downers Grove Friends of the Library. Very much a family man, Dr. Rundo leaves his wife of fifty years, Katrine, nee Have, Rundo; three children, Elizabeth Lardy (Annecy, France), Marie Rundo (Hingham, MA) and David Rundo (Naperville, IL); seven grandchildren; a brother, Peter Rundo (Dundee, Scotland) and a sister, Joan Rundo (Milan, Italy). He will be sorely missed by family, friends and former colleagues on both sides of the Atlantic. A memorial service was held privately.
