Obituary: John Hamilton Pashley

John Hamilton Pashley, age 92, of Oak Ridge, passed away Thursday, June 19, 2014, at his home.

He was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 28, 1922, to Ervin Saltsman Pashley and Mary Hamilton Pashley.

A veteran of World War II, he served with the U.S. Army Special Engineer Detachment, Manhattan District at the K-25 plant. He held an A.S.T.P. certificate in chemical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, a B.S.Ch.E. from Purdue University, and was A.B.D. in chemical engineering at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.

He worked for over 45 years at K-25 (Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant) under contract to Union Carbide, then to Martin Marietta Energy Systems, where he held various positions over the years including group leader, section head, department head, senior chemical engineer for international technology programs, and chief engineer of enrichment technology. He was an assigned observer during Project Crossroads nuclear testing. He retired from Martin Marietta in December 1994 as a senior staff engineer II but continued to consult for several more years, most frequently for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California.

Mr. Pashley’s name appears on at least six United States patents, the last of which was published in 1998. He was a licensed professional engineer in the State of Tennessee, was elected to member status in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) in 1969, and was elected a fellow in that organization in 1987. He worked in areas including the development of the uranium fuel cycle, boron isotope separation, the manufacture of gaseous diffusion materials, AVLIS chemical processing, and the recovery of uranium from spent fuels.

Avocational interests through the years included boating, photography, fishing, bowling, golf, genealogy, and computer technology. Mr. Pashley bowled for many years in the K-25 league and was a longtime member of Oak Ridge Country Club. In recent years, he was a member of the Oak Ridge Personal Computer Users Group.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his older brother, E.S. (Bud) Pashley Jr. of Corona del Mar, California; by a favorite cousin, Ruth M. Pashley, of Chicago, Illinois; and in 1995 by his wife of over 45 years, Wilogene Queener Pashley.

He is survived by his daughter, Dr. Mary Pashley and son-in-law, E. J. Mackie, of Cookeville, Tennessee; his nephew John Pashley and his wife Jill of El Macero, California; his niece Laura Pashley and her husband Tom Brand of Peoria, Illinois; best friend Jack Gassaway and his wife Marie of Clinton, Tennessee; and special friend Betty Childress of Concord, Tennessee.

A visitation/gathering of friends will be held on July 10, 2014, at 6:30 p.m., followed by a memorial celebration at 7:30 p.m. at Weatherford Mortuary in Oak Ridge.

An online guest book can be signed at www.weatherfordmortuary.com.

The family requests no flowers and asks that any memorial contributions (Please note “In Memory of John H. Pashley” on any donations) be made to the Chemical Heritage Foundation (315 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia PA 19106), the Purdue University School of Chemical Engineering (Please make checks payable to “Purdue Foundation” and send to: School of Chemical Engineering, Forney Hall of Chemical Engineering Room 1060B, 480 Stadium Mall Drive, West Lafayette IN 47907-2100 ), or the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (P O Box 840692, Dallas TX 75284-0692).