by Steven B. Krivit/ New Energy Times: Martin Fleischmann, co-discoverer with B. Stanley Pons of a phenomenon
they initially attributed to nuclear fusion, is dead at 85.
Fleischmann died Aug. 3 at his home in Tisbury, U.K., in the presence of
his family. He suffered from numerous health problems for many years,
including Parkinson’s disease, diabetes and heart disease. He was
bedridden for the last few months. He is survived by his wife, Sheila,
son, Nicholas, daughter, Vanessa, and eight grandchildren. A third
child, Charlotte, died several years ago.
Today, Nicholas told me, “Until the very end, my father remained stoic, as ever, not a word of any complaint.”
“He might shout and carry on about topics of science but not about himself,” Nicholas said. “It’s the end of an era.”
Fleischmann was regarded as one of the world’s top electrochemists.
He was known for his driving passion for discovery and for breaking new
ground, which other scientists then followed to great commercial
success.
He was a Fellow of the Royal Society and by the age of 40 was named
chair of the Electrochemistry Department at the University of
Southampton. Fleischmann won the Royal Society of Chemistry’s medal for
Electrochemistry and Thermodynamics in 1979. He was president of the
International Society of Electrochemistry (1970-1972). In 1985, he was
awarded the Palladium Medal by the U.S. Electrochemical Society.
When he and Pons claimed to discover a new, cheaper way to create
controlled nuclear fusion energy in a test-tube on March 23, 1989,
everything changed for him. The personal and scientific fallout from the
announcement was a burden he bore for the rest of his life...
Full article: http://blog.newenergytimes.com/2012/08/04/fleischmann-dead-at-85-end-of-an-era/
