Michael Meltzer

Michael Paul Meltzer died Feb. 8. He was 68.

Meltzer was born Dec. 19, 1946, to Harold and Henrietta Meltzer, and grew up in Fresh Meadows, New York. He had a zest for life, a child's enthusiasm for learning and a tremendous love for family and friends. From the moment four-year old 'Mikey' gazed up in wonder at the stars during his first planetarium trip, to when he was licensed at nine years old as Long Island's youngest ham radio operator, to his winning first place 40 years later in a national Writers of the Future contest, Meltzer never stopped growing, wondering, exploring and deeply inspiring every person he knew.

Meltzer earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from UC Berkeley and his doctorate in environmental engineering from UCLA. As a socially conscious scientist, Meltzer started the pollution prevention program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where he worked for 15 years and collaborated on several patents. He published books about solar heating and commercial fishing, wrote three space science books for NASA and created many stories, books and screenplays.

Of Meltzer's many accomplishments, the one he was most proud of, that he shared with his wife, was their daughter, Jordana.

Meltzer was predeceased by his mother, Henrietta (Roth) Meltzer. He is survived by his wife, Norma (Naisa) Kaufman; daughter, Jordana; father, Harold; brother, Jonathan; sister, Deborah; and many other relatives and friends.

Donations in Meltzer’s memory may be made to Congregation Netivot Shalom, 1316 University Ave., Berkeley, California.