Carl John Hansen

Carl John Hansen, Emeritus Professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder, died on July 3, 2011, at Ocean Beach Hospital, Ilwaco, WA, after a prolonged battle with congestive heart failure. Carl was born on December 21, 1933 in Brooklyn, New York, the only child of Carl and Ada Hansen. He graduated from Stuyvesant High School and earned his BS in mathematics from Queens College, NY. His advanced degrees followed with a M.S.and a Ph.D. in physics from Yale University. After a short career as a Nuclear Reactor Analyst at Combustion Engineering, Inc., he became a Research Associate at the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (JILA) at the University of Colorado, Boulder. His career as a teacher progressed from there to Assistant Professor,(1968), Fellow at JILA (1969-2011), Professor at JILA (1974), Senior Visiting Fellow, Institute of Astronomy at Cambridge University (1978), and Emeritus Professor at JILA (1996 to 2011). Carl's journey through life was one of curiosity and discovery and, as an dear friend said, "He was a supreme teacher on many subjects and a professor par excellence!". He also possessed a sharp wit and contagious and delightful sense of humor. These will be sorely missed in the lives of many. During the past four years, Carl and his wife spent their time between their homes in the foothills of Boulder, CO and in Ocean Park, WA, on the beautiful Long Beach Peninsula. Carl is survived by his wife, Camille Polk Hansen, son Ethan (Tracey), granddaughter Marcella, step-granddaughter Madeline (Hillsboro, OR), sisters-in-law Maureen (Steve) Case (Monrovia, MD), Kate Polk (Fort Collins, CO), nieces Renee White, (Frederick, MD), Connie Cerjan (Highlands Ranch, CO), nephews Jeff Cerjan (Highlands Ranch, CO), Brian Glazebrook (Half Moon Bay, CA), Sean Case, (Denver CO), Jim Cerjan (Albany, GA), Ryan Case (Frederick, MD), as well as grandnieces and nephews. He also leaves behind some very special friends: Sue & Stan Dahlberg (Boulder, CO), Clyde Zaidins & Monica Younger (Ocean Park, WA), Vince Antonetti (Poughkeepsie, NY), and George Sadowsky (Woodstock, VT). Contributions in Carl's memory may be made to the Boys & Girls Clubi of the Long Beach Peninsula, P.O. Box 1172, Long Beach, WA 98631. A memorial will be held on the University of Colorado campus on 29 October 2011