Kenneth Eldon Relf

Kenneth Eldon Relf passed away quietly at the Coliseum Medical Center in Macon, Georgia on Saturday, December 21 at 5:00 pm. He was 94-years-old and was a resident of Carlyle Place, Macon. Kenneth was born on the family farm west of Flandreau, South Dakota on July 12, 1919. He received his B.S. degree in Physics in 1942 from the University of South Dakota where was a member of the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity and Chief Engineer at KUSD. In March 1942 he was invited to the University of California, Berkeley Radiation Lab by Ernest Lawrence to work on the Manhattan Project, which led to the development of the atomic bomb. Kenneth became widely recognized as an expert on the radio frequency systems of cyclotrons after authoring a book, "The Radio Frequency System of the 60-Inch Cyclotron," published by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission in 1950. Kenneth received his Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics from Berkeley in 1954; his thesis project, "A Diffusion Cloud Chamber of Unusually Large Dimensions," was displayed in Switzerland in 1956 for the first International Atomic Exposition. He met his wife, Jo Ann, while in Berkeley and they were married in 1952. They moved to Pittsburgh in 1955, where Kenneth worked for Westinghouse Atomic Power Division, Bettis Field. While at Westinghouse, he was involved in the design of the nuclear reactor for the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, the Nautilus, and authored several chapters of a book for the Navy on nuclear propulsion systems for U.S. Navy vessels. He received a letter of commendation from Vice Admiral Hyman Rickover, Director of the Navy's Nuclear Reactors Branch, for his work on this book and on the Nautilus. In 1959 Kenneth moved with his family to Melbourne, Florida to work on the space program. He re-educated himself on the design and operation of the radars and telescopes used to track missile launches and satellites. During the 1960's he was an adjunct professor at Florida Institute of Technology. He was a member of the American Rocket Society, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), American Institute for Astronautics and Aeronautics, the American Physical Society, and the Society of Sigma Xi. He retired in 1994 at the age of 75. He loved exploring the American West, the mountains, and photography and transmitted this love to his sons. Kenneth loved nature, hiking, and camping and took his family on many memorable vacations to Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and Canada. He is survived by his wife, Jo Ann and their two sons, Douglas and Murray. The family is planning a memorial service in South Dakota this spring, date and location to be announced. Memorials may be sent to the University of South Dakota Foundation with the words "Kenneth Relf Memorial" on the memo line. Mailing address: Wagner Center 1110 North Dakota Street Vermillion, SD 57069 or made on-line at www.onwardsd.org. Register online at www.hartsmort.com. Hart's Mortuary and Crematory, Cherry Street, has charge of arrangements.