Robert D. Cowan
About Optica
In Memoriam: Robert D. Cowan, 1919-2018
26 July 2018
Robert Cowan, OSA Fellow and William F. Meggars Award recipient, passed away on 26 July 2018 at the age of 98. Cowan was known for his work in the field of atomic structure and spectra and for developing computer programs for the calculation of these quantities. Cowan spent the majority of his career at the Los Alamos Scientific (later National) Laboratory, working in the Theoretical Physics Division.
Cowan received his undergraduate degree from Friends University (FU) in Wichita, Kansas, and pursued a doctorate in physics at John Hopkins University (1946). He met his wife, Dorothy, in 1944 at FU and they moved to Chicago for Cowan to do postdoctoral research at the University of Chicago. In 1951, the family moved to Los Alamos, NM, where Cowan began his career at Los Alamos Scientific (later National) Laboratory (LANL). Cowan worked there until his retirement in 1985.
Cowan was a Fellow of the American Physical Society, The Optical Society, and LANL. Other recognitions included an honorary doctorate from Lund University (1982), the Los Alamos Medal (2008), and the OSA William F. Meggars Medal (1984) for his world-recognized contributions to the theory of atomic structure and spectra. Cowan published more than 120 papers and was the author of The Theory of Atomic Structure and Spectra (1981).
Cowan was very active during his retirement, having worked part-time at LANL for an additional ten years and continuing his research collaborations. Cowan was also a committed community volunteer having served as an umpire for Lassie League softball games, Boy Scout leader, and English as a Second Language tutor. He enjoyed being a member of the Los Alamos Mountaineers and traveling with his wife and family. Cowan is survived by his wife, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
OSA and the scientific community mourns the loss of Bob Cowan.
