Friday, June 29, 2007
Richard W. JamesNavy Oceanographer
Richard W. James, 82, an oceanographer for the Department of the Navy, died of a subdural hematoma June 22 at Renaissance Gardens in Springfield. He also had dementia.
Dr. James worked from 1955 to 1987 for what became the Naval Oceanographic Office. An expert on wave formation, he wrote about giant waves as well as more than two dozen other topics in the field and presented papers in Russia, Germany and England.
In 1955, he co-authored "Practical Methods for Observing and Forecasting Ocean Waves by Means of Wave Spectra and Statistics." This study led him to help develop the Navy's Optimum Track Ship Routing program, which saved the Navy $10 million a year, as estimated in 1961.
Dr. James was born in Oak Park, Ill., and moved to Plainfield, N.J., as a child with his family. In 1943, in the middle of his senior year of high school, he enlisted in the Army Air Forces and served in the United States during World War II.
After the war, he graduated from New York University, where he received a master's degree in meteorology in 1951. After forecasting for a year for the oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, he returned to NYU for his doctorate in oceanography, awarded in 1957.
He moved to Temple Hills in 1955 and began working for the Navy. At the close of his government career, he served as scientific adviser to the Office of the Oceanographer of the Navy at the Naval Observatory in Washington.
After retirement, he built a house himself on two acres in Waldorf. He also took an art course and began oil painting of architectural subjects. He enjoyed sailing, travel and history.
Survivors include his wife of 59 years, Carol B. James of Springfield; five children, Jacqueline Siegel of Laguna Niguel, Calif., Douglas James of Alexandria, Chrystean Horsman of Arlington, Tex., Jeffrey James of Christchurch, New Zealand, and Jonathan James of Warrenton; two brothers; eight grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
-- Patricia Sullivan
Alfred SchockChemical, Nuclear Engineer
Alfred Schock, 81, a chemical and nuclear engineer who spent 30 years as director of the energy systems department at what became Orbital Sciences Corp., died June 20 at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda. He had congestive heart failure.
Mr. Schock, a Bethesda resident, retired from Orbital Sciences in 2002 as a Germantown-based engineer in the energy systems department.
When he began his career in the late 1950s, he joined what was then Fairchild, a commercial and military contractor. The company went through changes over the years and was acquired by Orbital Sciences in 1994.
He was a native of Vienna, Austria, and settled in New York with his parents in 1938 to escape anti-Semitism. He became a U.S. citizen in 1944 and served in the Navy in the South Pacific during World War II.
At Columbia University, he received a bachelor's degree (1948) and a master's degree (1950) in chemical engineering. He was a 1957 graduate of the Oak Ridge School of Reactor Technology in Tennessee.
He wrote many professional articles on ways to generate electricity in restricted environments, such as outer space. He served on independent review boards and assessment committees involving nuclear radioisotope and nuclear reactor power systems on spacecraft.
His honors included commendations from NASA and the Energy Department.
He was a member of Phi Lambda Upsilon, an honorary chemical society.
His avocations included attending opera performances.
Survivors include his wife of 54 years, Nora Weinraub Schock of Bethesda.
-- Adam Bernstein
Matthew J. PatkusHome Inspector
Matthew J. Patkus, 78, owner of a home inspection business and a former contractor, died June 18 of cardiovascular disease at his home in Chevy Chase.
Mr. Patkus was born in Chicago and grew up in Springfield, Ill. He served in the Merchant Marine in the late 1940s. During the Korean War, he served with the 44th Engineer Construction Battalion.
He moved to Wheaton in about 1952 and settled in Chevy Chase in 1961.
In the late 1950s, Mr. Patkus began a home remodeling business specializing in kitchens. In 1973, he started American Home Inspection Service and became a full-time home inspector. He was a charter member of the mid-Atlantic chapter of the American Society of Home Inspectors and spoke at meetings of the society. He retired in 1999. His son Danny continues to operate the business.
Mr. Patkus was a member of Chevy Chase United Methodist Church, the American Legion and the Brook Manor Country Club, which is now defunct.
His interests included gardening, cooking, fishing, golf and camping in his recreational vehicle.
His marriage to Virginia Patkus ended in divorce.
Survivors include his wife of 47 years, Nancy A. Patkus of Chevy Chase; a son from his first marriage, Lee Patkus of Maitland, Fla.; three children from his second marriage, Mark Patkus of Kensington, Danny Patkus of Bethesda and Jodie Patkus of Dickerson; a brother; six grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
-- Matt Schudel
James T. BurnsInternist
James T. Burns, 94, who practiced internal medicine for 31 years in Washington and in Silver Spring, died June 17 at his home in Rockville. He had heart ailments.
Dr. Burns was born in Washington and graduated from Eastern High School and George Washington University. He received a medical degree from George Washington's medical school in 1936. He entered a residency in internal medicine at the Cleveland Clinic in 1939 and in 1942 was asked to head the George Washington medical school's teaching program throughout World War II.
After the war, Dr. Burns returned to general practice as an internist with a specialty in allergies at 18th and I streets NW in Washington and for about five years in Silver Spring before retiring in 1977.
Dr. Burns and his wife traveled the world. He studied everything from Russian literature to economics for many years through the alumni course program at George Washington University. Family members said he had a passion for learning and helping people.
A daughter, Carole Anne Burns, died in 1996.
Survivors include his wife of 69 years, Ruby Lee Whitley Burns of Rockville; two children, James Theodore Burns Jr. of Olney and Christine Burns Kelly of Gaithersburg; three granddaughters; and four great-grandchildren.
-- Yvonne Shinhoster Lamb