Richard J. Plano

Richard Plano, 82, passed away Saturday, January 8, 2012 at Clark House in Westwood, MA after a prolonged illness with his wife and daughter by his side. Services will be held in MA and NJ. Relatives and friends in MA may call at Folsom Funeral Home, 649 High Street, Westwood, MA on Saturday, January 21, from 2:30 to 4 PM. A service celebrating his life will be held at 4 PM at the funeral home, followed by a reception at Fox Hill Village. Interment will follow at a later date at Franklin Memorial Park in Somerset, NJ. Dr. Plano was born in Merrill, Wisconsin. He showed an early capability in music and science that led to his attending the University of Chicago on full scholarship. He earned his PhD in Physics working with Enrico Fermi, Jerry Friedman and Irwin Pless, among other leaders in the field. He met his Swedish wife, Louise, while at Chicago. After graduation, he was a post-doc at Columbia and then became a professor at Rutgers University, a post he held for 40 years.  Dr. Plano’s research in experimental physics focused on the discovery and understanding of subatomic particles, leading him to sabbaticals in the US and Europe. He was passionate about music, politics and science and could always be counted on for lively discussions. He embraced life with a passion, always excited to learn something new or meet someone new. Dr. Plano is survived by his wife of 55 years, Louise; his daughter, Linda; his son, Robert and his wife Suzanne (nee Sorg); and his grandchildren, Keira and Nicholas. He was predeceased by his two brothers. In lieu of flowers, please make memorial donations to the Richard J. Plano Summer Research Internship (please see http://bit.ly/RichardPlanoFund for details).