Carroll Alley Jr. died Feb. 24, 2016, at the age of 88. He was professor emeritus of physics at the University of Maryland, College Park.
He graduated from the University of Richmond in 1948 and earned a master’s degree in physics in 1952 from Princeton. Alley was an instructor in physics at Richmond from 1951 to 1952. While continuing his doctoral studies, Alley was an instructor and lecturer at Princeton in electrical engineering and a research assistant in physics. He completed his Princeton Ph.D. in physics in 1962.
From 1960 to 1963, Alley was an assistant professor of physics and optics at the University of Rochester. In 1963, he became an associate professor at the University of Maryland, becoming a full professor of physics in 1972. He was the principal investigator for the Lunar Ranging Retroreflector that was placed on the moon in 1969 by NASA’s Apollo 11 crew.
In 1971, he received NASA’s Exceptional Scientific Achievement Award. In 1976, the Maryland Academy of Sciences named Alley one of two outstanding 20th-century scientists. He received an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Richmond in 1978.
Alley was predeceased by his wife, Elizabeth. He is survived by two daughters; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.