Charles Violet

Charles Earl Violet passed Dec. 26. He was 88.

Born in Des Moines, Iowa, on May 1, 1924, to Earl Wayne Violet and Icy Alice Violet, Charles Violet received his bachelor's degree in philosophy in 1947 and his B.S. in meteorology in 1948 from the University of Chicago and his Ph.D. in physics in 1953 from the University of California, Berkeley.

He enlisted and served as a lieutenant with U.S. forces in Europe in 1945. In Berkeley, he met Eileen Lindquist. They married in 1951 and raised five children.

Violet came from a music-loving family and said he might have become a musician had it not been for the war. Starting with the violin, he later adopted the cello. He gained some recognition as a child and played in various orchestras as an adult.

In 1953, Violet launched his career in nuclear physics at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He headed the 1957 Rainier project, the first fully contained underground nuclear detonation. It produced successful measurements with no radioactive fallout, proving it was feasible. April 19-22, 1960, Violet testified before the Congress' Joint Committee on Atomic Energy. On its recommendations, the United States forward adopted the "Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space, and Under Water," better known as the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, signed in 1963 by the U.S., United Kingdom and USSR.

Violet was a pioneer in Mössbauer spectroscopy research, a budding field in the 1960s, and was published widely in major scientific journals. His research included the study of crystal lattice structures in gold-iron alloys, relevant to super conductivity with potential applications from micro-computing to magnetic levitationrailways.

Violet also was a sailor, a cook and an advocate of native plant habitat. But his passion was Angora goats. He entered his goats and fleeces in fairs in California, Washington, Oregon and Texas, and won several awards, including California State Grand Champion. He was one of California's leading Angora breeders and served as a judge at the California State Fair.

He is survived by his children: Mark and wife, Robin; David; Deborah Jimenez and husband, Jerry; Jeffrey and wife, Lisa; and Richard; nephews: Steve Massey and wife, Patti; and Bruce Massey and wife, Kanlaya; grandchildre: Melissa Blosser and husband, Buddy; Carla Violet, Matt Violet, Mike Holzkamp and Alexander Violet; and great grandchildren: Brody and Blake Blosser.

A memorial celebration will take place at 1 p.m., Feb. 2. RSVP (415) 724-1214. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to 4H at (925) 646-6543.