Memorial Tributes Volume 15 (2011) / Chapter Skim
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James C. Keck 1924-2010
James C. Keck 1924-2010
Pages 236-243
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From page 237... ...
Jim was born in New york city on June 11, 1924, the son of famed sculptor Charles Keck. He spent his early years in greenwich Village, where his father's studio was located, but financial losses resulting from the Great Depression forced the family to leave Manhattan and move to their country home in carmel, New york.
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From page 238... ...
They both were employed in the physics department at cornell through 1952, where Jim conducted pioneering experimental investigations of photo-nuclear reactions on a 300-Mev synchrotron he assisted in developing. He then went to the california institute of Technology for three years as a senior research fellow, where he continued his studies of photonuclear reactions on the 500-Mev caltech synchrotron.
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From page 239... ...
shortly after joining the MiT faculty Jim assumed primary responsibility for the direction and teaching of thermodynamics in the mechanical engineering department. He emphasized the important, but less well understood, nonequilibrium aspects of the subject, processes in the gas-phase, gas-surface interactions, thermionic energy conversion, and air pollution problems associated with combustion.
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From page 240... ...
Until his death Jim worked to develop basic theoretical models to describe elementary atomic and molecular excitation, thermally induced chemical reaction rates, rate-controlled constrained equilibrium, and flame theory, in addition to continuing to understand the nature of engine combustion. He produced outstanding research right up to his last days.
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From page 241... ...
in later years Jim enjoyed working with his daughter Pat, a sculptor, on the mechanical design of her movable sculptures, teaching her basic mechanics in the process and emphasizing that the simplest design was usually the best. He liked to say, "If you can't explain something simply, you probably don't understand it very well." That was a concept he used in approaching any problem.
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From page 242... ...
in addition to the honor of his election to the National academy of engineering, he was honored by election to the american academy of arts and sciences and was a fellow of the american Physical society. Jim is survived by his wife of 63 years, Margaret ramsey Keck; his son, Robert Keck, of Rochester, New York; his daughter, Patricia Keck, of Andover, Massachusetts; and his brother, Charles Keck, of Andover, Vermont.
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