- Date Of Birth: January 6, 1936
- Date Of Death: September 5, 2022
- State: Virginia
Benjamin B. Snavely, 86, formerly of Rochester, NY, died peacefully at his residence in Alexandria, VA Monday, September 5, 2022. He is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Sabine Snavely.
Ben received his bachelor’s degree from Swarthmore College in 1957, master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University in 1959, and Ph.D. from Cornell in Engineering Physics in 1962.
Ben’s career accomplishments were many with a focus primarily in the areas of solid-state electronic devices, lasers and optical systems for ground and space-based applications. Some highlights include leading the group that invented the first tunable, continuous wave dye laser while at Eastman Kodak. This laser went on to be used as an instrumental piece of equipment in the research for several Nobel prize winners. While Ben worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, he established the laser isotope separation program and led the group which demonstrated the first laser isotope separation process capable of scaling to commercial size.
Ben retired for the first time in 1991 from Eastman Kodak and went on to work as a Program Director at the National Science Foundation in DC. While at the NSF he was honored to be the Agency Representative (NSF) to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President. Ben retired for the second time, from the NSF in 1999. Ben truly loved his career and was able to keep involved in the field of physics for another 14 years as the Corporate Secretary at the American Institute of Physics in College Park, MD and retired for the third and final time in 2014.
Ben had many hobbies. He loved all things aviation, large and small, and enjoyed building and flying model airplanes from the time he was a child. Ben also loved boats. He loved sailing and cruising Lake Ontario and would get irritated if anything took him away from Rochester between Memorial Day and Labor Day. He was happiest at anchor on a calm morning in the Thousand Islands examining the teak he had lovingly varnished.
Also surviving Ben are a daughter: Judith S. Arman (Alexander) of Washington, DC; a son: Eric B. Snavely (Emily) of Rochester, NY and a grandson, John Benjamin Snavely.
