George Ayrs Fisk George Ayrs Fisk, a longtime Sandia Labs

George Ayrs Fisk George Ayrs Fisk, a longtime Sandia Labs Scientist, died December 10, 2024 at home in Saddlebrooke, AZ of complications of a fall that re-broke his hip. His wife, son, and daughter were by his side. He was 83 at the time. George graduated from Lamar High School in Houston in 1958, from Rice University in 1962, and from UC-Berkeley (PhD) in 1966. He then held a postdoctoral position at Harvard through 1968. He joined the faculty at Cornell in 1969, where he mentored several graduate students, including F. Fleming Crim, who would go on to be elected to the National Academy of Science; serve as head of the National Science Foundation's Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences; and also serve as Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for over 40 years. George joined Sandia Labs in Albuquerque in 1975, doing basic research on combustion. In 1984, he transferred to Sandia Labs in Livermore, California, serving as head of the Combustion Sciences Department from 1993 until his retirement in 1996. His colleague at Sandia Labs, Dr. David Chandler, reports that George authored 19 scientific publications that garnered over 300 citations in others' scientific publications. George and his wife of 61 years, Mary Frances Fisk (Lamar '59 and Rice '63) retired to Saddlebrooke after a careful evaluation of alternative retirement sites. In addition to his scientific career, George was very interested in how things worked, which led to his rehabilitating several sports cars (which in turn led to trying them out, with Mary Frances, in Autocross competition) and restoring several working models of old engines. He and Mary Frances also participated for many years in off road driving with others in the Tucson area. George is survived by his wife; a son, Harold Fisk and Harold's wife, Jennifer Yucel (Ohio State University and Hilliard, OH); a daughter, Laura Vali Fisk (also living in Saddlebrooke); brother-and sister-in-law, Richard and Mary Harris (Albuquerque); and his sister, Norma Jean Fisk (Columbia, MO). He was pre-deceased by his mother and father, Emma Ayrs Fisk and Harold Norman Fisk. George Ayrs Fisk will be missed, but remembered warmly by family and friends.