Allen Varley Astin, Physicist

Allen Varley Astin, Physicist

Allen Varley Astin

Born: June 12, 1904, Salt Lake City, UT

Died: January 28, 1984

Spouse: Margaret Linnie

Children: John Astin, Alexander Astin

Grandchildren: Sean Astin, Mackenzie Astin, David Astin, Tom Astin, Paul Astin, Allen Astin, John Astin

Great grandchildren: Alexandra Astin, Isabella Louise Astin, Elizabeth Louise Astin

From Wikipedia,

Allen Varley Astin (June 12, 1904 – January 28, 1984) was an American physicist who served as director of the United States National Bureau of Standards (now NIST) from 1951 until 1969. During the Second World War he worked on the proximity fuse. He was an advocate for introduction of metric weights and measures to the United States.

Allen Astin is the father of actor John Astin and educator Dr. Alexander Astin, and the grandfather of actor Sean Astin.

The Allen V. Astin Measurement Science Award, first issued in 1984, is presented by the United States Department of Commerce for achievement in metrology. The American National Standards Institute issues the Astin-Polk International Standards Medal for distinguished service in standardization, measurement or certification.

NCSL International issues the Allen V. Astin award for best overall conference paper.

The New York Times Obituary Published: February 8, 1984

ALLEN V. ASTIN IS DEAD AT 79; HEADED BUREAU OF STANDARDS

By WALTER SULLIVAN

Allen V. Astin, who for 17 years directed the National Bureau of Standards and became the central figure in a controversy over the effectiveness of a battery additive, died Saturday in Bethesda, Md., of a heart attack at the age of 79.

During World War II Dr. Astin played a leading role in the development of the proximity fuse, one of the critical weapons of the war. Shells with such fuses emitted radar waves that, when reflected by a nearby target, detonated the shell in midair.

In previous shells a fuse timer was set before firing in the slim hope that it would detonate near a fast-moving plane. Shells with the new fuse were classified secret and each had to be accounted for. They were not be fired over land, lest a dud be captured.

The proximity fuse made its debut on Jan. 5, 1943, when it was fired at Japanese dive bombers by the cruiser U.S.S. Helena off Guadalcanal. Later the fuse proved devastatingly effective against entrenched troops, since it detonated in midair, showering them with shrapnel. German researchers sought to develop a similar device but abandoned the effort.

Battery Additive Episode

The battery additive episode occurred in 1952 soon after Dr. Astin had been installed as director of the National Bureau of Standards. At the request of the Federal Trade Commission and the Post Office Department a powdered substance called AD-X2 was tested by the bureau to see if, as claimed, it prolonged the life of batteries.

The bureau concluded that it had ''no beneficial effect on the properties or performances of batteries.'' The Post Office issued a postal fraud order banning use of the mails to promote the product, but Sinclair Weeks, Secretary of Commerce, asked that the order be suspended. He said the bureau had not been ''sufficiently objective'' and Dr. Astin was forced to resign.

This unleashed a storm of protest from the scientific community and many elements of the press and public. His dismissal was seen as an attack on the integrity and independence of Government scientists. The New York Times said editorially that Secretary Weeks ''seems to be bent on having the bureau treat commercial products submitted for testing in a way that will satisfy businessmen rather than objective scientists.''

A committee of the National Academy of Sciences upheld the bureau's findings. Mr. Weeks withdrew his objections and Dr. Astin, who had been reinstated on a temporary basis by Secretary Weeks during the dispute, was again named permanent director.

Backer of Metric System

Allen Varley Astin was born in Salt Lake City and graduated from the University of Utah. He earned his doctorate in physics at New York University in 1928 and in that year won a National Research Council fellowship to Johns Hopkins University. As director of the National Bureau of Standards he pressed for international agreement on standard units of measurement and for conversion of the United States to the metric system.

He was instrumental in development of the bureau's 570-acre facility at Gaithersburg, Md. In addition to his administrative duties he worked on devices for electronic measurements, for observations in the upper atmosphere and for guided missiles. After his retirement in 1969 he served as home secretary of the National Academy of Sciences and as State Department coordinator for international scientific cooperation.

He was the recipient of many British and American awards, in part for his work on the proximity fuse, as well as France's Legion of Honor.

He is survived by his wife, the former Margaret Linnie Mackenzie of Bethesda; a sister, Helen Astin Mickey of Bethesda; two sons, John, an actor, director and writer in Los Angeles who is married to the actress Patty Duke, and Alexander, a professor at the Higher Education Research Institute of the University of California at Los Angeles, whose wife is associate provost of the university.