Dr. Peter David Barnes
Dr. Peter D. Barnes, one of the pioneers of high-energy nuclear physics, died at his home in Amagansett on Friday, March 25. He was 73 and the cause of death was lymphoma.
Dr. Barnes anticipated a trend in nuclear physics research toward ever-higher energy particle beams and was known for adapting the techniques of high energy particle physics in that new direction during his career, first at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and later at Brookhaven National Laboratory and CERN laboratory in Geneva.
Born October 10, 1937, in Garden City, Dr. Barnes was the third child of Arthur H. and Rosemary Lutz Barnes of Amagansett. His father was a professor of physics at Columbia University and the City College of New York, and later worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee as part of the Manhattan Project, and Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois. Dr. Barnes grew up in Illinois and spent every summer in Amagansett in the house his parents built with their own hands.
He was a 1959 graduate of Notre Dame University, and earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from Yale University in 1965. He was a Fulbright fellow at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark, and a postdoctoral fellow at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, before joining the faculty at Carngie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh as professor of nuclear and particle physics, a post he held for 23 years. In 1991, he returned to Los Alamos, as director of MP Division and Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility, a major particle accelerator facility, before becoming director of the Physics Division. He retired from the lab in 2005. He was a member of the American Physical Society, a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and was an author of more than 150 scientific papers and three books.
Dr. Barnes had a strong passion for the rural life in the woods and beaches of Amagansett. He especially enjoyed traveling overseas, and visited 26 countries across the world. Before each trip he would study the history, politics, and culture, then seek out specific sites and experiences off the beaten path, seeking to make authentic connections with people. Up to his death he was planning his next trip to Turkey, Greece and Egypt. In his last few weeks Dr. Barnes was deeply touched by the many expressions of concern and fond remembrances he received from colleagues and friends around the world.
He is survived by Angela La Guardia Barnes, his wife of 50 years; three children, Alexa B. Epstein of Pennsylvania, Peter D. Barnes Jr. of California, and Diana B. Philpott of Indiana; his brother Frederick Barnes of Amagansett; 12 nieces and nephews; and eight grandchildren.
Visitation was held Monday, March 28 at Yardley & Pino Funeral Home in East Hampton. A funeral Mass took place Tuesday, March 29, at the Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in East Hampton.
In lieu of flowers, donations to Catholic Relief Services, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21203-7090, would be appreciated by the family.
on Apr 12, 2011