Obituary of Bertram Donn (1919-2012)

Bertram David Donn, born 1919, PhD from Harvard in 1953, died from pneumonia at his home in Greenbelt MD on December 28 2012 at the age of 93. Bert taught at Wayne State University and did research under Harold Urey at the University of Chicago. In 1959 he went to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GFSC) in 1959. He was head of the Astrochemistry Branch at Goddard in the 70’s and a visiting professor at Cornell University in 1974-75. He received the GSFC’s Exceptional Achievement Award in 1983 and 1988. He served on the Steering Committee for the International Halley Watch that studied Comet Halley during its most recent appearance in 1986.

After retiring from Goddard, he was appointed as Visiting Professor at the University of Virginia for several years. In 1995, The University of Virginia honored him with a symposium, in which colleagues presented papers related to his work on the composition, origin and structure of comets and interstellar grains.

Bert Donn helped to found the Greenbelt Fair Housing Committee, the Greenbelt Peace Committee, the Prince George’s Peace and Justice Coalition, Maryland United for Peace and Justice and the Prince George’s County chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. As chair of the county’s ACLU, he supported the efforts of the African American community in police-community relations and advised those who brought the lawsuit to end school desegregation in the county. In the early 60’s he worked with a group called ACCESS, which picketed segregated apartment buildings every Saturday. He served for many years on the board of the county branch of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He was also an active member of the Social Action Committee of his humanistic Jewish congregation, Machar.

After retiring as a scientist, he became more active in his many peace and justice activities, including teaching classes in conflict resolution, planning programs on the prevention of nuclear war and serving on the steering committee for the local Creative Response to Conflict. His marriage to Mary Creason ended in divorce. In 1960 he married Marjory Maxwell. Survivors include his wife, sons Stephen and Arthur of Greenbelt, daughter Susan Owens (Albert) of Ventura, CA, son Jeffrey (Cindy) of Beltsville, MD, and son Allen (Jenni) of Woodstock, GA, eight grandchildren and one great grandchild.