Howard F. McMurdie (1905-2004) - An Appreciation
Alan Mighell, Gasper Piermarini, and Winnie Wong-Ng
Ceramics Division, NIST
Howard F. McMurdie – known as Mac to his friends and colleagues – was
an exemplar of good living. Blessed with excellent health, a loving family,
and many close colleagues, Mac was active and productive to the very
end. It is therefore
with the deepest regret that we report the death of Howard F. McMurdie at age
99 1/2 of pneumonia only a few months before an anticipated 100 year birthday
celebration (although according to several oriental calendars he was indeed
100½).
Mac’s death marks the end of an era—his life spanned almost the
entire 20th century and, seen in reverse, it would go back almost to the time
of George
Washington. His fruitful scientific career of 75 years began in 1928 and spans
3/4 of the history of NIST/NBS (National Institute of Standards and Technology/National
Bureau of Standards) and the entire history of the JCPDS (Joint Committee on
Powder Diffraction Standards/International Centre for Diffraction Data). This
time period included the entire history to date of two important widely used
scientific databases in which he played a critical role--the Powder Diffraction
File and the Phase Diagrams for Ceramists. Although Mac officially retired
from NBS in 1966, he continued to work as a consultant in crystallography until
2003.
During his “real retirement” party at NIST in April 2003, he was
awarded a special certificate of appreciation “for his significant contributions
to the Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory of NIST during the past
75 years.” The certificate noted that McMurdie's “research interests
encompassed areas such as measurements of phase equilibria and reference powder
X-ray patterns, characterization of solid-state materials, compilation and
evaluation of data for Phase Equilibria Diagrams, and for the Powder Diffraction
File.” During
the final two years of his life, he continued to interact scientifically and
socially with his colleagues at NIST and served as an invaluable consultant
on a variety of topics.
Howard McMurdie was born on February 5, 1905 in Kalamazoo, Michigan,
and graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
He went to work for what
was then called the National Bureau of Standards on April 2, 1928. In the
early 1930s he was sent to Riverside, California to test the cement
that was to be
used in the construction of Boulder (now Hoover) Dam. After returning to
NBS, he was assigned to the Petrographic Laboratory. His study of
Portland cement
was the start of what evolved into a lifetime interest in phase diagrams.
In those early days, McMurdie also pursued the use of X-ray powder
diffraction
for phase analysis of solids. These activities paved the way for him to become
Chief
of the Crystallographic Section. Mac was a beloved chief. He had confidence
in his people, encouraged them to pursue their independent research goals,
and supported
their work. In the role of Section Chief and as a researcher, McMurdie has
contributed significantly to many areas of research throughout his 75 years
at NIST/NBS.
McMurdie considered three areas as especially important, and he has been
closely related to two of them for the 38 years following his formal “retirement” in
1966.
His first area of interest centered on the production of powder
diffraction patterns and NBS’s productive association with the ICDD. In the late 1930’s,
Mac was one of the founding father of the Joint Committee on Power Diffraction
Standards. In 1953, he established an ICDD Research Associateship in the Crystallographic
Section. For more than 30 years, this Associateship, under his guidance and leadership,
prepared a broad set of important, accurate, and widely used experimental powder
diffraction patterns. After his retirement, Mac joined the Associateship and
served as an editor for the Powder Diffraction File (PDF). In 1984, he became
a Distinguished Fellow of the ICDD. In the 1980’s, he served as a special
consultant to the ICDD Board of Directors. His work with the PDF spanned over
60 years and remarkably he was still deeply interested in the PDF to within a
week of his death. In fact, at age 99, he was expressing a strong interest in
editing powder patterns again so as to remain mentally sharp. From the very beginning,
he loved to attend their periodic meetings in Swarthmore, Newtown Square, and
Colorado. Amazingly, his attendance and participation in such meetings continued
to age 97. He liked these meetings not only for the scientific discussions, but
also to especially socialize with his many friends. In addition to his numerous
scientific achievements, he also bestowed funds for a hi-tech video-conference
room in the ICDD headquarters. In the late 1990’s, ICDD set up a biennial
award – the McMurdie Award – to honor his tremendous contribution
to the organization and to the PDF. This award recognizes distinguished
work that improves the Powder Diffraction File in its function of identifying
and
characterizing inorganic solids.
His second area of interest focused on refractory oxides. It was
through research in this area that he established a relationship
with the American
Ceramic Society
(ACerS) and started the publication of the series, Phase Diagrams
for Ceramists. After his retirement, Mac continued to be an editor for
the phase diagrams
until age 98. The evolution and application of the Powder Diffraction
File and Phase
Diagrams for Ceramists are synergistically entwined. Over the years,
the two files have served as indispensable research tools for the
academic
and industrial
communities. In materials science, they have long been used in the development
of new materials. Today, materials design is becoming ever more sophisticated
especially with the rapid evolution of powerful computer oriented methods
in which these databases are indispensable.
The third area, in which he had a keen interest, was initiated in the
Crystallography Section and involves the study of materials at high pressure.
His vision
together with the ingenious work of a group of world-class scientists
at NIST/NBS led
to the development of the diamond anvil cell (DAC), of the high pressure
single-crystal diffraction technique utilizing the DAC, and of an optical
ruby fluorescence
method to measure very high pressure in the DAC. This work earned NBS/NIST
a stellar and international reputation in the field of high-pressure
science and
technology. Several key papers resulting from this long-term research
effort are now widely regarded as key milestones in the evolution of
high-pressure
science.
Over the years Mac has served as a paradigm of how to live with
his emphasis on balance, diversity, and moderation in all things.
He began each day
with enthusiasm and ended it with a check of the stock market, a search
on the
Internet, and
finally a glass of brandy or bourbon usually with his wife, Mary, before
she passed away in 1996. Not only was he a dedicated and hard-working
scientist, he was also a thoughtful and generous person who was well-liked.
His never-too-old-to-learn
attitude has set an excellent example for the younger generations to
follow. To balance his scientific work, he developed a broad spectrum
of interests
including cooking, reading, travel, photography, computing, opera and
Gothic architecture.
He enjoyed international travels with Mary, with whom he was married
for 62
years. Later he took long summer excursions each year with his son,
Arthur. He loved
attending concerts and the opera at the Kennedy Center with family
and friends. He was an active sports fan and referred to the Redskins
as “we” especially
during the season and after the games. A longtime fan of the old Washington Senators,
he was delighted that baseball was returning to Washington. He was a gourmet
cook and prepared dinner at his home every Wednesday evening for his extended
family (3 children, 6 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren). Often, he would
invite friends to his home for wine and cheese or even a meal and conclude the
evening with a glass of fine wine or Rebel Yell, his favorite bourbon-style whiskey.
He derived great pleasure from the social interaction with us in our periodic
luncheons sometimes held in one of his favorite local restaurants. Clearly Mac
will be missed enormously, but he will not be forgotten. He will live on in his
work and in our collective fond memories!
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