Calvert, Dr. Wynne

Dr. Wynne Calvert, 72, of Iowa City, died peacefully at his home (219 Friendship St., Iowa City, IA 52245) on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009. A celebration of his life will be at 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15, at Lensing Funeral Home. The family will greet friends from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday preceding the service.

Born March 4, 1937, in Columbus, Ohio, Wynne was the younger son of Warren and Mary Calvert. He was raised in Ohio, Indiana, Oklahoma and Montana. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Montana State College in Bozeman, Mont., his Master of Science degree from University of Wisconsin–Madison in Madison, Wis., and Ph.D. in astrogeophysics from the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colo. Wynne taught a variety of subjects at several colleges and universities and worked at the Bureau of Standards in Boulder, Colo., Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale, Calif., and Goddard Spaceflight Center in Greenbelt, Md. He moved to Iowa City in 1981 where he was a professor and researcher at the University of Iowa Physics Department until his retirement in 1998. In 1990, he spent a year as a visiting professor at Tokyo Denki University in Japan. After his retirement he continued to give lectures and taught astronomy at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids.

Wynne had a passion for science. Astrophysics and astronomy were particularly favorite subjects. He received the Department of Commerce Gold Medal Award for his doctorate thesis. An avid researcher and professor, Wynne said that he never worked because he always enjoyed what he did so much that he never considered it work. Much of his life's research was dedicated to astrophysics and studying the aurora borealis (northern lights), culminating in the Uji lecture series given at the Radio Atmospheric Sciences Center at Kyoto University. His scientific quests took him around the globe, traveling to six out of the seven continents.

Wynne is survived by his wife, Linda Eastman; his daughters, Nola (Chris) Greenwald, and their children, Gretchen, Eric and A.J., of Aurora, Colo., Julie Calvert, and her daughter, Jayme, of Aurora, Colo., and Mary Jane “M.J.” Calvert of Denver, Colo.; Linda's daughters, Wendi (Ivan) Tosques, and their daughters, Camille, Astrid and Eva, of Newtown Square, Pa., and Heather (Andrew) Rutledge, and their sons, Finn and Elliot, of Jenkinton, Pa.; and his brother, Dr. Jim Calvert of Denver, Colo.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in his name to Cedar Rapids Amateur Astronomers Association (please specify for youth education) or to a charity of your choice.

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