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C H A U N CEY S TARR
1912–2007
Elected in 1965
“Pioneer in development of atomic power.”
BY CHRIS WHIPPLE
CHAUNCEY STARR, a physicist and nuclear energy expert,
died on April 17, 2007, three days after his 95th birthday and
a day after a celebration in his honor at the Electric Power
Research Institute, where he was president emeritus. At the
time of his death, he still went to his office at EPRI five days a
week.
Chauncey Starr was born on April 14, 1912, in Newark,
New Jersey. He attended the Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute, receiving an electrical engineering degree in 1932
and a Ph.D. in physics in 1935. He became a research fellow
in physics at Harvard University, working with Nobelist
P. W. Bridgman in the field of high pressures; then he worked
as a research associate in cryogenics at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. His work involved characterization of
the magnetic properties of metals at very low temperatures
and included a 1941 publication on the design of hydrogen
liquefiers.
During World War II, Chauncey worked with E. O.
Lawrence on the Manhattan project at the Berkeley Radiation
Laboratory. He was sent by Lawrence to Oak Ridge, where
he was the first operations manager of Building 9731, the
first building to operate at the Y-12 plant and the first to have
operating calutrons—large electromagnetic devices used to
enrich uranium.
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304 MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
Following the end of the war, Chauncey stayed at Oak Ridge
and worked at Clinton Laboratories (now Oak Ridge National
Laboratory), where he became interested in the application of
nuclear energy for electricity generation. This is where he was
first involved with water-cooled reactors. He joined North
American Aviation and became president of the Atomics
International Division, which worked on the development of
nuclear power for the Atomic Energy Commission. During
this time, Chauncey was responsible for development of the
sodium-moderated reactor, organically moderated reactor, and
systems for nuclear auxiliary power (SNAP), small reactors to
provide power for spaceflights. The SNAP-10A was the first
U.S. nuclear reactor to be launched into space.
In 1966, Chauncey Starr became dean of engineering and
applied science at the University of California at Los Angeles.
While at UCLA, Chauncey wrote “Social Benefits Versus
Technological Risk,” published in Science in 1969. In this
highly cited paper, Starr anticipated the development of risk
analysis for technological systems and explored the question
of “How safe is safe enough?” by evaluating risks and benefits
from widely accepted technologies. Through his review of
patterns of risk taking, Starr observed that much larger risks
are accepted when they are taken voluntarily, in contrast to
those that are involuntary. As Starr put it, “We are loath to let
others do unto us what we happily do to ourselves.”
Chauncey believed that the role of energy, particularly in
the form of electricity, was a catalyst to societal development,
and in September 1972 he wrote an article titled “Energy,
Power and Society,” which appeared in Scientific American.
In 1973, Starr became the founding president of EPRI,
a nonprofit research institute funded by the electric utility
industry. Prior to the creation of EPRI, most electric power
utilities, with a few exceptions, did little research and
development (R&D) but instead relied on equipment vendors
for R&D. For several reasons, including the 1965 blackout in
the northeastern United States and rapid growth rates in the
demand for electricity, some members of Congress saw the
low investments in R&D as a problem that could be fixed by
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C H A U N CEY S TARR 305
creating a new government organization. The electric utility
industry asked for a chance to form such an organization, and
EPRI was the result. Under Chauncey’s original design, EPRI
had four operating divisions: nuclear power; advanced coal
and all other generation technologies, including renewable;
electrical systems, covering transmission and distribution; and
environment and economics. In 1978, Chauncey became vice
chairman of EPRI and in 1987 was named as the institute’s only
president emeritus. Following the 1979 accident at the Three
Mile Island nuclear power plant, Chauncey was asked by the
nuclear power industry to design the initial organizational
plan and scope of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations.
In 2001 (60 years after his publication regarding the
liquefaction of hydrogen), Chauncey made a presentation at
an American Nuclear Society meeting in which he proposed
a continental superconducting supergrid, in which electricity
would be delivered, along with liquid hydrogen. He continued
to work on this concept with colleagues and coauthored a 2006
Scientific American article on the subject.
Among his many public and professional activities,
Chauncey served on at least 18 boards and advisory
committees, including service for the U.S. Department of
Defense, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Technology
Assessment, Atomic Energy Commission, National Aeronautics
and Space Administration, ENC, People’s Republic of China,
National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements,
President’s Scientific Advisory Committee, Office of Science
and Technology Policy, National Academy of Engineering,
National Academy of Sciences, and four universities. He served
as vice president of the National Academy of Engineering; as
a fellow, founder, director, and president of the American
Nuclear Society; as a consulting professor at the Stanford School
of Engineering; and as a member of the Rockefeller University
Council. In 2004, Starr donated $2 million to Resources for the
Future to fund a chair in risk analysis that bears his name.
Over his long and productive career, Chauncey received
many awards and honors. These included an honorary
doctorate of engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
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306 MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
(1964); election as a foreign member of the Royal Swedish
Academy of Engineering Sciences (1973); the Atomic Energy
Commission Award for Meritorious Contributions to the
national atomic energy program (1974); the Pender Award for
Outstanding Research Director of 1975, from the University
of Pennsylvania; nomination to the rank of officer in the
French Legion of Honor in recognition of efforts to promote
and further understanding between France and the United
States in the field of scientific and industrial achievements
(1978); the Walter H. Zinn Award from the American Nuclear
Society for outstanding contributions to the advancement of
nuclear power (1979); the Founder’s Award of the Seventh
Energy Technology Conference in recognition of scientific
planning and management talents leading to successful
establishment of innovative concepts of industry-wide energy
technology R&D, from EPRI (1980); an honorary doctorate of
engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
(1980); the Henry D. Smyth Award from the Atomic Industrial
Forum, Inc., for contributions to nuclear energy (1983); the
Distinguished Contribution Award of the Society for Risk
Analysis for contributions to risk analysis (1984); an honorary
doctorate of science from Tulane University (1986); the
“Tommy” Thompson Award from the American Nuclear
Society, for contributions to nuclear reactor safety (1988); the
Rockwell Medal by the International Technology Institute, for
excellence in technology and contributions to the betterment
of mankind (1988); the United States Energy Award from the
United States Energy Association for long-term contributions
to energy and to international understanding (1990); the
National Medal of Technology from President George H. W.
Bush for contributions to engineering and the electric industry
(1990); the George E. Pake Prize by the American Physical
Society for visionary leadership and physics contributing to
the establishment of a worldwide nuclear power industry for
peaceful purposes (2000); the George C. Laurence Pioneering
Award by the American Nuclear Society for outstanding
pioneering contributions to nuclear reactor safety (2006); and
the Arthur M. Bueche Award from the National Academy
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C H A U N CEY S TARR 307
of Engineering for leadership in the development of nuclear
power, contributions to the creation of the field of risk analysis,
and leadership in electric power R&D as the founding president
of EPRI (2006).
Chauncey was a vigorous and dedicated outdoorsman.
He swam regularly in the pool at his home. He hiked and
backpacked throughout the Sierra Nevada Mountains,
including a moonlight ascent of Mt. Whitney and crossing of
the Palisades Glacier. He skied avidly in both California and the
Alps, dissuaded only at last by a second broken leg. Following
the move from UCLA to EPRI, Chauncey and Doris switched
from season tickets to UCLA’s men’s basketball games to the
Stanford women’s team, and both agreed that they enjoyed
the women’s games more.
When he passed away, Chauncey was survived by his wife
of 69 years, Doris Starr (of Atherton, California); two children,
Ariel Wooley (of Los Altos) and Ross Starr (of San Diego); and
five grandchildren.
