JAMES B. POLLACK, senior research scientist in the space science division of NASA’s Ames Research Center, died June 13, 1994, at his home in San Jose, Calif. He was 55. The cause was cancer of the spine.
Jim grew up in Woodmere, L.I., and prepared at Lawrence H.S. He earned his A.B. magna cum laude in physics from Princeton in 1960 and his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1965. Jim was a planetary scientist with a specialty in astronomy, but he had wide-ranging interests, including the possible effects of nuclear conflict.
He was one of five scientists who introduced the term "nuclear winter" and, with a 1983 article, ignited a bitter dispute among scientists over whether a nuclear war would result in catastrophic global chilling. The scientists' article, "Unclear Winter: Global Consequences of Multiple Nuclear Explosions," was published by Science in 1983 and led to a legion of films, plays, and books based on the nuclear-winter idea. Carl Sagan, one of the five, said: "[Jim] was deeply involved in NASA missions to the planets and was a gifted and inspiring teacher." Jim received many honors, including sharing a Leo Szilard Award from the American Physical Society for the nuclear winter theory.
Jim is survived by a sister, Ginny Breslauer and two nieces, Kimberly and Lindsay Breslauer. To them, the class sends its condolences.