2050. Dr Hugh Glendinning BRYCE
1Newspaper Obituary, River Towns News 24 Dec 2008.
"Longtime Hudsonite Hugh Bryce dies at 91 -- worked on atomic bomb
Longtime Hudsonite Hugh G. Bryce, 91 died Monday, Dec. 22 at the River Falls Area Hospital after many years of battling Parkinson's disease.
Bryce, who retired from 3M in 1982, served on the Hudson School Board from 1963 to 1984 and was president of the board near the end of his tenure. He was also active in other community organizations, including service on the Phipps Foundation board.
At least two feature stories were published in the Star-Observer in the last decade about Bryce's work on America's first atomic bomb. Bryce, who was 25 at the time, was part of the Manhattan Project and a member of a team of the top scientists in the nation at Los Alamos, N.M., in 1943. The team developed the first nuclear weapons during World War II.
He got involved when he attended Columbia University in New York City in 1940 to work on his Ph.D. He had earned a master's degree in chemistry at the University of Saskatchewan in his native Canada.
"A number of scientists signed a letter to President Franklin Roosevelt expressing the fear that Hitler would have the atom bomb before us. Albert Einstein signed the letter but never worked on the project," Bryce said in a 2007 interview.
The letter was written mostly by physicist Leo Szilard, a Hungarian Jewish refugee, on Aug. 2, 1939. Bryce said that Einstein, the world's most famous physicist, signed the letter to make sure FDR would give it serious thought.
It apparently helped and in 1943 the former private boys school, the Los Alamos Ranch School, in the mountains of New Mexico, was established as a site for a national laboratory and think tank to develop the bomb.
Bryce accepted a position at Los Alamos after he earned his Ph.D. at Columbia but wanted to go back to Canada and see his parents and marry his fiancee. J. Robert Oppenheimer was the first director at Los Alamos. Bryce said he met the famous scientist on his first day on the job for a ruling on his request to go to Canada and get married. It was denied.
His fiancee could leave Canada but couldn't take any money out of the country. Bryce scraped together some funds and she took the train to Los Alamos. Bryce and his fiance, Laverne, were married Oct. 3, 1943 and remained together until Hugh's death.
Bryce left Los Alamos in January 1946. He worked in Philadelphia first, then came to Hudson in 1949 to take a job with 3M in St. Paul. In 1950 he and Laverne became American citizens.
The couple has two sons, James, 63, who was born at Los Alamos and graduated from Hudson High School in 1963, and Warren, 60, a 1966 graduate of HHS.
A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 29 at the First Presbyterian Church, 1901 Vine St. in Hudson. Visitation will be for one hour prior. Interment will be in Willow River Cemetery. Memorials are preferred to the church. O'Connell Family Funeral Home in Hudson is in charge of arrangements. For more information call 715-386-3725 or visit www.oconnellfuneralhomes.com."
www.rivertownads.net/daily/hso/c081224/.2Newspaper Obituary, Pioneer Press TwinCities.com.
"Hugh G. Bryce longtime Hudsonite 33 year employee of 3M Died Dec. 22 at age 91. Born on Nov. 30, 1917 in Canada. Came to the US in 1940 to study. Earned PhD in Physical Chemistry from Columbia in '43. Worked for the US Gov't on the Manhattan Project. Married Laverne Maggs on October 3, 1943 in Santa Fe. In '49, began work at 3M; a major project was the development of Scotch Guard. Retired as a VP of Central Research in '83, then enjoyed helping his son Jim farm. Hudson School Board member for 21 years, a board member of the Phipps Foundation, and an Elder at the Presbyterian Church for many years. Survived by his wife of 65 years, Laverne; sons, James (Mary Jo) & Warren (Laura); 7grandchildren; brothers, Arthur (Kay) & Ronald (Mary); sister, Muriel (R.B. "Bud") Pritchard; sister-in-law, Mary Kingsley; and many nieces, nephews & friends. Preceded in death by brother, Alistar in '63. Funeral Service: 2 PM, Mon, Dec 29 at the First Presbyterian Church, 1901 Vine St., Hudson. Visitation 1 hour prior. Interment in Willow River Cemetery. Memorials preferred to the church. 715-386-3725."
2053. Dr William Alistair BRYCE
1Newspaper Obituary, University of British Columbia Archives.
"In the death of William Alistair Bryce at the age of 42, on May 15, 1964, the University lost one of its most promising younger men. Outstanding as teacher and scholar, he was also an unusually able administrator. At the time of his death he was Acting Chairman of the Department of Chemistry at the University of British Columbia, and had recently been appointed Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science at the University of Victoria. He collaborated in the publication of over thirty scientific articles, and was from 1958 to 1961 a director of the Chemical Institute of Canada. His other activities included assisting the Department of Education in Victoria in the revision of Chemistry courses for school curricula, and twice serving on the Board of the Central Y.M.C.A.
Born in Kelliher, Saskatchewan, Alistair Bryce received his B.A. degree in 1943 and his M.A. in 1944 from the University of Saskatchewan, and took his Ph.D. degree at McGill University in 1947. He proceeded to further graduate study at Oxford, where he took a second doctorate in 1949, and in the same year joined the teaching staff of the University of British Columbia. In 1958-59 he had the distinction of being visiting research fellow at Cambridge on the Nuffield Foundation.
Those of his colleagues who worked with Dr. Bryce on committees can testify to his genial and co-operative manner, his intelligent and informed judgments with respect to the larger affairs of the University, and his sympathetic interest in the problems of disciplines other than his own. His period of service as a member of Senate was brief, from the time of his election as a representative of the new Faculty of Science in September, 1963, to his tragically sudden death nine months later. Yet short as was the period of his membership, it sufficed to give other members of Senate a glimpse of his intellectual quality, and to underline their sense of grievous loss in the untimely ending of a life notable in achievement and rich in potential."
www.library.ubc.ca/archives/tributes/tribb.html.
3598. Rodney Harold BRYCE
1Newspaper Announcement.
"Suddenly at London Health Science Centre - University Hospital, on Sunday July 23 2006, Mr Rod Bryce of London, and formerly of Ottawa and Montreal, in his 71st year. Loving husband and best friend of Norma (Shearly) Bryce. Beloved father of Doug and his wife Dawn Marie (Coulson) of London, and Wayne and his wife Karen (Patterson) of Vaughn. Cherished grandfather of Kevin, Alex, Rachel, Dana and Cameron. Dear brother of Gary and his wife Marilyn of British Columbia."
2069. Mary Isabella PHERRILL
1Gravestone Transcript, Bendale 340.
"Mary Pherrill 1897 - 1982 wife of Fred Bennett."