Thomas Tillotson

Thomas Michael “Tom” Tillotson died on Dec. 24. He was 64.

Tillotson attended St. Bernard’s School and graduated in 1972 from Tracy High School. After a brief stint at the University of California, Berkeley, Tillotson transferred to Cal State University Stanislaus where he earned a bachelor of science in chemistry. After working as a chemist for Holly Sugar Corporation in Tracy and Brawley, he joined the Chemistry and Materials Science Department at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in 1981. He retired in 2015.

Tillotson was a dedicated, resourceful, scientist during his career at LLNL. He authored or co-authored 14 patents and more than 95 journal articles and LLNL reports. He made major contributions in the field of sol-gel chemistry, particularly in aerogels, and was a member of the first LLNL team to develop these famous materials through the 1980s. He invented the chemistry leading to lanthanide-doped and ultralow-density silica aerogels, for which he received international recognition and awards including an R&D 100 award in 1990. He also developed the sol-gel chemistry needed to fabricate “energetic aerogels,” leading to several patents, publications and national recognitions. In recognition for his exceptional contributions in sol-gel technology, he was selected by the LLNL team in the early 1990s for a sabbatical at the University of Wurzburg in Germany to work with the premier aerogel group under professor Jochen Fricke.

Later, he worked with the Forensic Science Center and with various Global Security programs on optics, chemical and radiation sensors.  In the 2011-2015 period Tom made important contributions to development of new plastic scintillators with high bismuth loading.

He was an avid outdoorsman, taking fishing trips to Alaska and kayaking the San Juan Islands in Washington.  He loved bicycling and also developed an interest in rowing in the last few years.

Tillotson was preceded in death by his parents Jack and Alice Tillotson of Tracy and his older brother Jack Tillotson from Omaha, Nebraska. He is survived by his sister Judy L. Tedards of Stockton, California, and numerous nieces and nephews.

A tribute to the life of Tom Tillotson will be held at the Tracy Moose Lodge, 35 East 6th Street, on Saturday, Jan. 26, between 1-5 p.m.