Dr. Edward Enslow Donaldson, 91, longtime Pullman area resident and physics professor at Washington State University, passed away at his home on Sunday, November 9, 2014 with his family by his side. Memorial services will be held on Friday, November 14, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. in the Bishop Place Independent Living social hall. A light snack reception will follow the service.

Ed was born in Wenatchee, WA on March 7, 1923 to G. Howard Donaldson and Milbra Enslow Donaldson. He attended school in Wenatchee and enrolled in the new Wenatchee Valley College until March 1943 when he was drafted for army duty in Europe, WWII. He spent the next two years transporting enemy prisoners of war rapidly to the rear in order to reduce the logistical problems of caring for them near the combat zone.

Ed was honorably discharged in the autumn of 1945 and in the spring of 1946 married his prewar sweetheart, Virginia Voss (WSU'45) of Rock Island. Ed then enrolled in Physics at WSU, completed the BS in 1948 and continued studies and research for the PhD in 1953. Virginia received the PhT degree for Putting-hubby-Through during those years. In the spring of 1951 a daughter, Dinah Lee Donaldson (WSU 1975) was born. Ed and Virginia soon discovered that Dinah was an ideal child and decided to quit while they were ahead.

They then went to Richland where Ed worked in Radiological Physics improving the measurement of radiation doses received by workers. One of the surprises was to discover that the annual chest x-ray required for all employees was an important part of their total radiation exposure.

In 1957 Ed had the opportunity to take a position in the Physics Department at WSU where he taught and did research until he retired in 1988. During that time he served as the Chairman of the department for several sessions beginning in 1967 and 1980. During this period Pullman was even more isolated than now and relevant science meeting were usually far off. Ed felt that Graduate students should be exposed to specialists from other labs thus the WSU Surface Physics Symposiums were created. This series of meetings succeeded and well-known scientists both national and international participated. Ed was elected to the Board of Directors of the American Vacuum Society in 1966 for several terms. Ed and Virginia found sabbatical leaves at the University of Liverpool in England and at the University of Hawaii stimulating and beneficial.

Ed enjoyed music for most of his life and played a variety of musical instruments as a self-taught amateur including; harmonica, accordion, bagpipes, ukulele, and theatre organ. Ed and Virginia were avid ballroom dancers for many years, joined several dance clubs and took lots of lessons. Ed thought they were quite good but they never entered a dancing competition; there were no local ballroom competitions in those days.

When Ed retired he began a 23 year long effort to improve his skiing, mainly to break bad ski habits from his youth. Fortunately his dad had built a small cabin in the woods above Leavenworth, Washington, which became a ski lodge and in summer it was a base camp for backpacking. Virginia had been initiated into skiing and backpacking many years earlier so she was happy to stoke the stove and enjoy the winter sunshine in the cabin's new south-facing great hall, which Ed designed and helped finish. Ed also built and participated in doing finishing work on two of their other homes. He always enjoyed fixing things.

Back in 1967 Ed had begun to feel he needed some exercise and a friend suggested that he might enjoy jogging, which was at that time attracting some interest. So he joined the fun in Pullman, jogging with anyone who was slow enough or enjoying the freedom of the road when he was alone. He was able to jog a mile or so till he was 89, but even at a reduced pace this helped him to backpack and to ski in season.

Long after Ed retired he discovered the literature on economics which was based on an understanding of human nature and human action. Nothing new here because these principles are embedded in the law of the land, the U.S. Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. He realized that he was by nature a Libertarian, that he believed in individual freedom with individual responsibility; in private property, and in a much smaller government, so he became a life member of the Libertarian Party.

He is survived by his wife Virginia at their Pullman home; daughter Dinah Donaldson & son-in-law Jim Davis of Seattle; grandsons Marco and Carlo Caldirola-Davis; his sister-in-law Barbara Donaldson of Albuquerque, NM and two cousins Harriett Davies of East Wenatchee, WA & Donajane Ahern of Seattle, WA. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother George Donaldson.

Memorial contributions in Ed's honor are suggested to the Edward & Virginia Donaldson Surface Science Graduate Scholarship, c/o Washington State University Dept. of Physics & Astronomy, PO Box 642814, Pullman, WA, 99164. Kimball Funeral Home & Crematory has been entrusted with funeral arrangements.