Former Deputy Director Duane Sewell dies
Physicist Duane Sewell, a "founding father" who helped shape the Laboratory for more than four decades, died Wednesday, Oct. 22, in Livermore. He was 90.
Sewell began his Livermore career in 1952 as director of scientific operations, a position for which he was hand-picked by Lab founder E.O. Lawrence. He went on to hold a number of senior management positions, retiring in 1993 as a director at large. He also served as an assistant secretary of energy as well as a consultant to the U.S. Department of Energy and private industry in the fields of nuclear energy and weapons.
"Ernest Lawrence and I depended on Duane Sewell to make the Laboratory work, and that is what he did for most of his life," said Herb York, who served as the Lab’s first director from 1952-58 and hired Sewell.
Former Director Michael May echoed that sentiment, noting that Sewell served seven successive Laboratory directors, including York, Harold Brown, Edward Teller, John Foster, Michael May, Roger Batzel and John Nuckolls.
"Duane was a tower of strength, knowledge and integrity throughout that period. He managed the support divisions, which comprise the greater number of personnel at the Lab, and he took a leading role in the programs as well," May said. "He was a friend, as well as often a guide and mentor, to successive directors. Duane was in many ways ‘Mr. Laboratory.’ The Laboratory and the nation owe him a debt of gratitude. I will miss him as a trusted friend."
"The Lab was started by four scientists: Lawrence, Teller and York and Duane Sewell, who served as director of Lab operations. They brought a legacy of success in big science from Lawrence Berkeley Radiation Laboratory," said John Foster, former Lab director. "For a succession of seven directors, it was Duane Sewell who orchestrated the successful implementation of the major scientific programs. We are now saddened by the passing of an old friend and exceptional director of operations."
Sewell involved himself in every aspect of Lab operations and planning, as well as programmatic activities. He and York sketched out the design for the Laboratory’s first computer building, what would become Bldg. 231, on a yellow legal pad.
"Duane Sewell was the embodiment of everything E. O. Lawrence stood for in running an R&D lab: teams of people focused on large-scale projects, exceedingly high standards for safety and operations, and commitment to the goals of the project," Director Emeritus Bruce Tarter said. "Duane instilled that genetic code throughout the Laboratory by his leadership as deputy director for many decades and in his personal behavior as a role model for all of us. He was one of the outstanding citizens of the AEC/DOE complex throughout all his years of high-level service."
Appointed the first assistant secretary for DOE Defense Programs by President Jimmy Carter in 1978, Sewell is credited with improving nuclear safeguards and security throughout the weapons complex, an accomplishment that earned him accolades from Congress. He served in that position until 1981.
Sewell began his 52-year career in science as a physicist at Lawrence Berkeley in 1941. During World War II, he worked on the Manhattan Project developing a process to separate uranium-235 from its other isotopes.
"We are very saddened to hear of the death of Duane Sewell. Duane was one of the Lab’s founding fathers, and during his more than 40-year Laboratory career he served in a number of high-level management positions at Livermore and DOE," Director George Miller said. "Duane was a tireless advocate for integrating mission and operational excellence and for constant vigilance where safety is concerned. Duane will be remembered as a man of action and integrity, with a true love for Lawrence Livermore."
A memorial tribute will be held at a date to be announced.
