Lawrence Seymour 'Larry' Germain
Larry Germain of Albuquerque, New Mexico, died June 22. He was 93.
Germain was born Oct. 26, 1923, in Fresno, California, to educators John and Frances Germain. After attending local schools in Stockton, California, he entered the University of California, Berkeley where he earned a doctorate in physics in June 1949 with a thesis related to cosmic ray-mesotrons. That summer, he moved to Portland, Oregon, with his new wife, Sally Layport from Berkeley, California, and joined the faculty of Reed College. He enjoyed teaching physics at Reed and spent his summers working with Nobel Prize winner Earnest Orlando Lawrence's group at UC Berkeley. This research group moved to Livermore in the fall of 1952 to form what is now the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Germain rejoined this group full-time after the 1952-53 school year at Reed, and moved to Danville, California with his wife and son, Keith. While living in Danville, Germain became the senior warden at St. Timothy's Episcopal Church and assumed responsibility for church finances, selecting rectors and teaching the high school Sunday school class.
At LLNL, Germain designed fission weapons and took an active role in their testing in the Pacific Proving Grounds and later at the Nevada Test Site, when underground testing was required by the Limited Test Ban Treaty. In 1971, he supported the U.S. delegation in Geneva, Switzerland, engaging in the Strategic Arms Limitations Talks (SALT). He also led the Lab's efforts to contain all nuclear radiation underground, and in 1975, became the division leader of the Earth Sciences Division.
In 1975, Germain married his "soulmate," Barbara Killian, originally from San Diego, California, who also worked at the Lab. They celebrated their wedding in the beautiful setting of Bandelier National Park in New Mexico. Together they subsequently designed and built two beautiful homes with amazing views -- one in White Rock, New Mexico, and the other on the Sandia Mountain in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
In 1976, Germain moved to New Mexico with Barbara, and transferred to the Los Alamos National Laboratory where his extensive knowledge and experience were leveraged in supporting a broad range of issues ranging from nuclear testing to geothermal energy and special projects for the laboratory director. Upon retiring from the national laboratories in 1985, he continued for several years as a consultant with R & D Associates on contracts with the Defense Nuclear Agency.
In 1984, Germain published "A Diary of the Falklands Conflict," which was included in the book "Military Lessons of the Falkland Islands War Views from the United States," edited by Bruce W. Watson and Peter M. Dunn. Germain's involvement in this project was driven by his life-long interest in history.
Germain was known to his friends and family for his many mountain adventures. He traversed the entire John Muir Trail as a graduate student and continued this High Sierra tradition through annual family back pack trips, B Division (Lab) treks and by leading highlight trips for the Sierra Club. He took up backpacking at the recommendation of his doctor as therapy for polio, which he contracted in high school. He had a particularly strong attraction to geology, geography and maps, and was considered by family members to be a state-of-the-art human GPS system.
Upon relocating to New Mexico, Germain and his wife, Barbara, became avid art collectors and particularly enjoyed participating in auctions throughout the Southwest. The pair loved to travel and visited many exotic locations, including Antarctica, the Amazon Basin, Australia, the Galapagos Islands, Greenland and New Zealand.
In 2000, Germain experienced a serious stroke that caused partial paralysis on the right side of his body and outgoing aphasia. With his "can do" approach to life and Barbara's loving care, he embraced life and continued traveling and enjoying his friends, family and varied interests. Throughout all of his challenges, he retained his sharp wit and sense of humor for which he was famous.
Germain is survived by his wife, Barbara Germain Killian of Albuquerque, New Mexico; former wife, Sally Germain Goldner of Danville, California; son, Keith Germain (Julie) of Concord, California; daughter, Nancy Germain of Danville, California; grandchildren, Michelle Acu (Robert) of Noblesville, Indiana, Jackie Siino (Christopher) of Brentwood, California, Brittany Germain of Fair Oaks, California, and JL Yun of Riverside, California; and great-grandchildren, Hailey Siino, Brayden Siino and Madison Acu. He is preceded in death by his daughter, Diane Germain of Seattle, Washington.
The family is planning for a celebration of Germain's life in the near future. Please visit the online guestbook.
