Joel R. Primack ’66

Joel died Nov. 15, 2025, ending an eight-year struggle with pancreatic cancer.

Joel came to Princeton from Gardena (Calif.) High School. He majored in physics, belonged to the Woodrow Wilson Society, and was class valedictorian. His valedictory address “Science Cannot Give Us Values,” warning of the misuse of science, earned praise from Robert Oppenheimer, who was present to receive an honorary degree.

After Princeton, Joel earned his doctorate at Stanford and was a junior member of Harvard’s Society of Fellows before joining the faculty of the University of California, Santa Cruz. His UCSC home page described his focus as “the formation and evolution of galaxies and the nature of the dark matter that makes up most of the matter in the universe.”

He wrote several influential books, including The View from the Center of the Universe and The New Universe and the Human Future, written with his wife, Nancy Abrams.

He won numerous awards, including the American Academy of Science’s Abelson Prize, recognizing his achievements in public service, advancing science in the public interest, and communicating the achievements of science to the public.

He spoke at Reunions and class gatherings, including his 2021 Tiger Talk, “Adventures in Science and Politics.” In 2019, the class honored him with the Locomotive Award.

Joel is survived by Nancy, daughter Samara Bay ’02, and grandson Wilder. The class extends its condolences.