Duane A. Burgeson

Physicist, husband and father, Duane A. Burgeson passed away on October 23, 2018.
Gifted with an astonishing intelligence and photographic memory, he was never satisfied with
the status quo and continually sought greater challenges and new perspectives to problems.
Duane served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After discharge from service, he
attended Oberlin College, in Ohio, and earned a degree in Physics as well as lettering in both
football and baseball. In 1959, following college, he met and married Barbara Nadig, a fellow
Oberlin graduate. Duane’s professional career spanned everything from cryogenic research to
nuclear fusion.
In 1979, Duane was employed at Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque, NM,
where he and Barbara were to finally settle down permanently. At Sandia, Duane started work
designing systems on the Particle Beam Fusion Accelerator (PBFA). Later he transitioned to
programs relating to defense and space systems. He retired from Sandia National Laboratory
in 1994. In retirement, Duane and Barbara travelled worldwide visiting destinations from
Germany to Korea to Israel to Japan and Costa Rica visiting their children. He and Barbara
recently celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary.
In addition to his professional life, Duane was devoted to his family. He went to great
lengths to always be present at every swimming/diving/sporting event as well as their
academic escapades, supporting and encouraging them in all their endeavors. Duane and
Barbara, together, instilled a love of learning in their three children, all of whom have completed
advanced academic degrees and are successful professionals.
One of the greatest pieces of advice that he handed down, rings true in all of our lives:
“There are many things in life that you can’t control. The one thing that you always have the
ability to control is your attitude.”
With Duane’s passing, a burning intellect and a beacon of wisdom has extinguished. He
will be sorely missed by all that have known him.
A memorial service, celebrating Duane A. Burgeson’s life will be held the weekend of 16
March 2019, contact for details. In lieu of flowers, a contribution in Duane’s memory can be
made to the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History at https://secure.qgiv.com/for/
tnamf .