Clarence Hoenig

Clarence Hoenig, a long-time politically active Livermore resident, died Feb. 4. He was 81.

He was born Feb. 8, 1931 in Chester, Illinois, along the banks of the Mississippi River, to Ruby Juergens and Clarence Arthur Hoenig. His German grandfathers were Louis Juergens, born 1874 in Nopke and Johannes Honig, born 1818 in Lambsheim. His most admired humanitarians were Linus Pauling, Charles Darwin and Albert Schweitzer.

In Chester, Ill., Hoenig was named all conference football lineman while playing with the Chester Yellow Jackets High School. He attended Monmouth College, University of Illinois (bachelor's and master's degrees in science) and University of California, Berkeley (Ph.D.) and worked as a ceramic engineer at Argonne National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore Laboratory until retirement in 1992. He was an honored fellow in the American Ceramic Society and published several papers in that journal.

He was one of the founders of Save All Valley Environments (SAVE) in 1971. He recalls that this was the first initiative drive in Livermore or Pleasanton. The grassroots movement attracted national attention. He remained active in efforts to preserve the character of the Valley throughout the remainder of his life.

Hoenig also was an advocate for those who were less fortunate and was supportive of the arts.

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Patricia Warren Hoenig; children, Christopher Warren, Washington, D.C.; Elizabeth Anne, Olympia, Wash. and Gretchen Purdum Gulick, Whangarei, New Zealand; and four grandchildren, Noah Patrick and Mikayla Nami Gulick, Sophia A.R. Hoenig and Aaron A. Walter.

There will be no funeral or memorial services at his request. Contributions in his memory may be made to the Salvation Army and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).