Charles Edward Pietri, 1930-2012

From the Chicago Tribune: Charles Edward Pietri, 1930-2012 Charles Edward Pietri, a longtime member of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management, helped set policy for national research and development laboratories across the country and is credited with contributing to the safe and effective control of nuclear materials.

"He was a strong supporter of nuclear energy, while at the same time a staunch advocate of the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons," said his wife, Bettina.

Mr. Pietri, 81, a retired chemist with the U.S. Department of Energy's New Brunswick Laboratory on the site of the Argonne National Laboratory, died of acute leukemia Friday, Feb. 10, in his Western Springs home.

The Deerfield-based institute, founded in 1958, is an international organization that promotes safety in the handling of nuclear material and the practice of nuclear materials management through publications, presentations and meetings among professionals and technical workers in the field.

For more than two decades, until his health forced him to step down, Mr. Pietri coordinated annual meetings of the group in cities throughout the U.S., events that were open to its thousand-plus membership and featured hundreds of presentations and workshops.

"What was special about Charlie is that he did what he did so seamlessly, year after year, with humility, a smile and an incredible sense of humor that just drew people to him," said Scott Vance, the president of the institute. "He was at the center of all of our gatherings."

Born in New York in 1930, Mr. Pietri graduated from The Bronx High School of Science and earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from New York University. He went on to work for a few years as a chemist for DuPont Co. in Wilmington, Del., prior to becoming a research chemist at the New Brunswick Laboratory, which was then in New Jersey.

In the mid-1970s, Mr. Pietri moved to the Chicago area after the lab relocated to Argonne. He worked as a science administrator, senior scientist, and assistant director for operations. He retired in the late 1990s, but continued for several years as a consultant at the lab, as well as with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

"Charlie was an early mentor to me," said Colleen Gradle, a longtime scientist at the lab. "He was one of those people with a sort of sparkle in his eyes, a constant curiosity about the world around him."

Mr. Pietri in 1996 was named a fellow at the institute, its highest level of membership.

He was the author of numerous articles, patents and publications, and was a member of professional organizations including the American Chemical Society, American Nuclear Society, American Institute of Chemists and the Health Physics Society.

Mr. Pietri is also survived by two sons, Randolph and Richard; a daughter, Dianna Francis; two stepdaughters, Ginger Seery and Sarah Maxwell; a stepson, Andrew Smith; and eight grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 3, at Hallowell & James Funeral Home, 1025 W. 55th St., Countryside.