Howard Charles Volkin

Dr. Howard C. Volkin passed away on Dec. 27, 2014, at the age of 91. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, December 31, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. at Congregation Albert, 3800 Louisiana Blvd. NE. Interment will follow at Fairview Cemetery in Albuquerque. Howard is survived by his wife of 56 years, Hilda Appel Volkin; two daughters, Paula Volkin Kehoe and her husband, Steve Kehoe, of Boulder, CO, and Laurie Volkin and her husband, Richard S. Dargan, of Albuquerque; and a son, David Volkin, and his wife, Anna Hagen, of Lawrence, KS. He also leaves behind five grandchildren, Jonathan and Lisa Volkin, Richard J. Dargan, Carina and Louis Kehoe; his niece, Barbara Klein; and many other friends and family. Howard was born in Pittsburgh, PA, in 1923 and attended Carnegie-Mellon University, where he received a Bachelor's in Applied Mathematics in 1943. After graduation, he joined the U.S. Navy's new radar training program and went on to serve in the Pacific Fleet on the USS Escambia ship during World War II. He returned to Carnegie Mellon after the war to earn a Master's degree in Applied Mathematics in 1947 and a Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) in 1951. Howard joined the NASA Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, OH, after graduation and spent more than 20 years working there in aerospace research. He met Hilda while serving as a research fellow in physics at Harvard University in 1956. In 1974, he moved across the country to join the staff at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, where he spent six years in laser research and development. In 1981, he moved to Albuquerque and worked for contractors at Kirtland Air Force Base, including Rocketdyne and the University of Dayton Research Institute. During his professional career, he authored numerous journal papers and reports and was an inventor for a patent. He retired in 1991. In his 70s and 80s, Howard returned to school to take graduate-level physics classes at the University of New Mexico. Outside of work, he enjoyed reading, cooking, the outdoors, travel and spending time with family and friends. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Congregation Albert, 3800 Louisiana Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110. FRENCH - University 1111 University Blvd NE 505-843-6333