Prof. Jack Waggoner passes away after a long illness

Retired Professor Jack Holmes Waggoner died on the morning of 2 July 2016, according to a nurse at Pilgrim Place, where Waggoner resided following the 2013 death of his beloved wife Anne. He is survived by a brother who lives in Indiana.

Jack was born in 1929 in Ohio and earned his doctorate in 1957 at the Ohio State University with a dissertation on molecular energy levels, particularly infrared vibration-rotation bands. From 1959 to 1961 Jack taught at the University of Californbia, Riverside, and then joined the physics faculty at HMC in 1961 and taught many courses. He had a particular fondness for Theoretical Mechanics. Professor Waggoner retired in 1994, but remained a presence in the department for many years thereafter.

Jack enjoyed target shooting and archery, collecting model cars, and reading biography and history. He assembled an extensive personal library of books on many subjects. He built his own ‚Äúhi-fi‚Äù system so that he could listen to classical music. Jack’s wife Anne, who regularly attended department and college events with Jack, died in 2013. They had no children. Over the past few years, Jack suffered a series of strokes that left him largely incapacitated. He is survived by his brother Chandler Waggoner, who lives in Indiana.

Jack was a gentle, friendly man and an important part of the development of our physics program—he will be missed.