Dr. Ross Lomanitz, 1921-2003

(Additional information was added to this story on Jan. 23, 2003, after Ross' widow provided information that was not available when the story was originally written.)

by George Zamora

SOCORRO, N.M. January 10, 2003 -- Longtime New Mexico Tech physics professor Giovanni Rossi "Ross" Lomanitz (1921-2003) died on January 1, 2003 in Honolulu, Hawaii, following surgery for a brain cancer which was diagnosed only three weeks prior to his death.

Lomanitz, who taught at the research university in Socorro from 1962 until his retirement in 1991, was widely regarded by New Mexico Tech students and faculty alike as a top-notch physics instructor, having received the school's "Distinguished Teaching Award" in 1988.

A native of Bryan, Texas, who graduated from high school at the age of fourteen, Lomanitz went on to earn his bachelor of science degree in physics from the University of Oklahoma and his doctorate in theoretical physics from Cornell University.

In the early 1940s, while attending graduate school at the University of California at Berkeley, Lomanitz became a young protégé of J. Robert Oppenheimer and eventually worked with the world-renowned physicist on a new method of electromagnetic separation of isotopes, which later played a pivotal role in the development of the atomic bomb.

During World War II, Lomanitz's graduate research studies were temporarily disrupted as he was called to serve his country in the U.S. Army, rising to the rank of corporal.

At the onset of what would become known in our nation's history as "the McCarthy era," Lomanitz -- as Oppenheimer later would be -- was targeted as a suspect during the wave of anti-Communist hysteria sweeping the United States.

In 1949, Lomanitz was called to testify by then-Congressman Richard M. Nixon before the House Un-American Activities Committee, during which he adamantly asserted his loyalty to the United States, but also invoked the Fifth Amendment in declining to implicate either himself or others in involvement with alleged Communist activities.

Lomanitz's distinguished 30-year career at New Mexico Tech is best exemplified by the roles he assumed as teacher, lecturer, and mentor to the thousands of Tech students over the years who took the wide range of classes he taught.

"He was regarded as a very good teacher by his students," said Charles R. Holmes, professor emeritus of physics at New Mexico Tech and a colleague and friend of Lomanitz.

"He was a kind, caring, good-hearted person -- one of the best professors we have had," said Jean A. Eilek, professor of astrophysics at Tech.

Barry Sabol, a physics lab associate at New Mexico Tech and former student of Lomanitz, considered Ross Lomanitz one of his mentors during his undergraduate and graduate days at Tech.

"Ross was always very mathematically oriented, working out almost everything from scratch on the blackboard," Sabol said. "This was perfect for me as a student, and I followed him every inch of the way, regularly asking for clarification and never failing to receive an illuminating response."

Lomanitz is survived by his widow, Josephine Stewart-Lomanitz of Pahoa, Hawaii, and his son, Terrence K. Lomanitz of Zephyr Hills, Florida.