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A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | J U L Y / A U G U S T 2 0 1 6
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IN MEMORIAM
IN MEMORIAM
Karl A. Gschneidner Jr., FASM,
known internationally as Mr.
Rare Earth, passed away on April
27 at age 85. He began work on
his Ph.D. at Iowa State Univer-
sity in 1955 and was hired as
an Ames Laboratory graduate
researcher in metallurgy. After
receiving his doctorate in 1957,
Gschneidner took a job in the
chemistry and metallurgy divi-
sion of Los Alamos National
Laboratory in New Mexico and
was promoted to section leader
in 1961. An opening at Iowa State and Ames Laboratory
gave him the chance to return to Ames in 1963. Gschneid-
ner formally retired fromAmes in January after a 60-year
career dedicated to the study of rare-earth metals. He
was a distinguished professor of materials science and
engineering at Iowa State University, senior metallurgist
at Ames Laboratory, and chief scientist of the Critical
Materials Institute (CMI), a U.S. Department of Energy
Innovation Hub located at Ames Laboratory. He was also
a member of the National Academy of Engineering and
earned a lengthy list of awards for his research. A prolific
writer, he published more than 544 articles in scientific
journals and more than 170 chapters in books and con-
ference proceedings. As testament of the quality of his
research, his published works have been cited 19,013
times. “Our work on the giant magnetocaloric effect of
gadolinium-silicon-germanium has been cited more
than 2100 times,” Gschneidner said at his retirement,
“so you could say we really hit the jackpot with that one.
Finding something new or unexpected is what makes it
worthwhile. It’s kind of like hitting a great drive in golf; it
keeps you coming back.”
Richard (Dick) Ryan, FASM,
passed away in May at age
78. Born in Springfield, Illi-
nois, in 1937, Ryan attended
Loyola University, Chicago,
and Illinois Institute of Tech-
nology, studying chemistry
and metallurgical engineer-
ing. He also received an
M.B.A. with high honors from
Lake Forest School of Man-
agement. After working summers as a metallographic
technician while in school, Ryan joined Buehler Ltd. as a
metallographer in 1957 and worked at the company for
45 years. Part of his career involved an 11-year stay in Los
Angeles, where he became involved in ASM International
and served as chair of the San Fernando Valley Chapter.
During his career, Ryan became responsible for manag-
ing sales in the U.S., Canada, and eventually worldwide.
Over a 20-year period, sales increased tenfold. A char-
ter member of the International Metallographic Society
(IMS) in 1967, Ryan served in several leadership roles for
the Society, including IMS President from 2001-2003. He
was also an active member of ASM, serving on the Heat
Treat Committee, Publications Council,
AM&P
Editorial
Committee, Nominating Committee, and many others.
He was a true world traveler as well, having visited all
50 states, most Canadian provinces, and more than 50
foreign countries.