John M. West, of Cape Coral, FL, passed away Feb. 24, 2004 with his wife of 58 years, Navlion, nee Farmer, West, and his sons, Cornel and Clark, by his side. Mr. West was born in Stilwell, OK on Jan. 18, 1920 to the late James and Maude West. He received his B.S. in Physical Science and Mathematics from Northeastern Oklahoma State University in 1939 and his M.S. in Physics from the University of Iowa in 1941. A gifted scientist, Mr. West was a noted pioneer in nuclear physics, earned numerous patents for his groundbreaking work, and was honored with several awards throughout his career. He was especially proud to have received General Electric’s highest technical award, the Charles A. Coffin Award, when still in his twenties, and the prestigious Walter H. Zinn Award from the American Nuclear Society later in his career. He worked on the Manhattan Project and was employed by Dupont, General Electric, Argonne National Laboratory and General Nuclear Engineering Corp. After selling General Nuclear to Combustion Engineering in 1965, he moved to West Harford, CT to run Combustion’s nuclear division until his retirement in 1985. He was a charter member and fellow of the American Nuclear Society and an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering. Following his retirement, Mr. West remained active as an international consultant on a number of nuclear projects, including serving on a panel of renowned scientists convened to evaluate nuclear safety following the Chernobyl disaster. He recently published a comprehensive history of the nuclear industry. He cherished his family, was inspired by challenge, was known for his exemplary work ethic, and derived great fulfillment from his career accomplishments. In addition to his beloved wife, he is survived by two sons and their families, Cornel and Jonathan West of Streamwood, IL, and Clark, Pamela, Steve and Andrew West of Farmington, CT; he is also survived by two sisters and brothers-in-law, Vera and Lynn Robbins of Pasco, WA, and Kennie and Calvin Hembree of Midwest City, OK. He was predeceased by his brother and sister-in-law, Edgar and Lillian West, of Stilwell, OK. In lieu of flowers, friends may make memorial contributions to the American Heart Association, or to a charity of their choice. A funeral service will be held Saturday, March 6 at 12:30 p.m. at the Floral Haven Funeral Home, 6500 S. 129th East Ave., Broken Arrow, OK. Metz Funeral Chapel of Cape Coral, FL is in charge of arrangements. 239-542-2134 .
