JOHN WILLARD STOUT (original) (raw)

John Willard Stout, 87, professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Chicago and longtime editor of the Journal of Chemical Physics, died Thursday, Dec. 16, in his Hyde Park apartment after a heart attack. Born in Seattle, Mr. Stout had a career that spanned more than 40 years and included being a group leader on the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos, N.M., from 1944-46. Earning a bachelor’s degree and doctorate at the University of California at Berkeley, Mr.Stout specialized in magnetism, thermodynamics and cryogenics, the physics of low temperatures, according to a university spokesman. In that field, Mr. Stout conducted experiments that nearly reached absolute zero, which is almost minus 460 degrees Fahrenheit. His work in this area earned him fellowship in the American Physical Society, according to the university. Mr. Stout’s career also included being an investigator for the National Defense Research Committee in California from 1941-44. By the time he joined the U. of C. faculty in 1946 as an associate professor, his work in thermodynamics was already well-known, according to Stuart Rice, Chicago’s Frank Hixon Distinguished Service Professor in chemistry. “He was one of those classic experimental chemical physicists or physical chemists who was exquisitely careful, who understood what he was doing and who produced work of the highest quality but not necessarily in fashionable fields. It’s the kind of work that other people all want, but it takes a certain personality to do.” Mr. Stout was promoted to professor in 1954 and became professor emeritus in 1977. He was best known for his work at the Journal of Chemical Physics, where he was editor from 1959 to 1985 and served as consulting editor until his death, according to Donald Levy, the journal’s current editor. Under Mr. Stout’s direction, the publication was the most prestigious journal in the field, according to Levy. “He was a scientist’s scientist,” said Levy, who also is a professor of chemistry at the U. of C. Mr. Stout was active in the Hyde Park community in the 1950s and ’60s, serving on the board of directors of the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference and the Northwest Hyde Park Neighborhood Redevelopment Corp. His wife, Florence, died in 1996. Survivors include a son, John, and four grandchildren. Funeral arrangements were pending.

Originally Published: December 18, 1999 at 1:00 a.m.