James M. LeBlanc

James M. LeBlanc, a retired B Division physicist and resident of Livermore, died June 30. He was 85.

Born Feb. 27, 1925, in Paducah, Ky., he grew up in Monroe, La. His interest in science led him to finish high school and begin higher education at the age of 16. During World War II, he served in the Army Air Corps as a transport pilot in the Pacific.

He earned a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1954, with a dissertation on the beta and gamma radiations associated with several short-lived neutron-induced radioactivities. He worked on neutron physics at Argonne National Laboratory before coming to what was then the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory in 1956. In his early years at the Lab, he worked at the cyclotron. His later theoretical work included numerical simulations of magnetohydrodynamic behaviors and other problems in astrophysics.

Over the years, he enjoyed sharing his love of gardening and fruit tree growing with friends. After his retirement in 1991, he also devoted more time to drawing and painting. He volunteered in the art therapy program and as a friendly visitor at the Veterans Administration hospital.

He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Mary Brice LeBlanc, four children and three grandchildren.