Leonard Eisenbud died Nov. 30, 2004, in Haverford, Pa. He was 91.
Practitioner of science and student of its culture, Leonard earned a doctorate in physics at Princeton, where he studied under Eugene Wigner, who later won a Nobel Prize. Together they wrote Nuclear Structure, a theoretical investigation of the classification of nuclear states.
Recognized for his work on radar during World War II, Leonard had difficulty finding academic work during the McCarthy era. He spent a year at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and took a position at SUNY-Stony Brook in 1958. There he helped found an internationally renowned physics department, serving as its chair for several years in the 1970s. An excellent teacher and mentor, his interests in physics were broad.
He was predeceased by his wife, Ruth-Jean, and leaves behind children and grandchildren.