Max L. Yeater

SLINGERLANDS - Max Laverne Yeater, age 97, died December 26, 2014 at The Village Green in Slingerlands, NY. Max was born February 18, 1917 in Detroit, Michigan to Paul Oman Yeater and Bessie Sophia Germann Yeater. Max graduated with honors from Rolla High School in Missouri in 1935. He continued his education at the Missouri School of Mines (later known as the University of Missouri at Rolla) where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1939. He earned a Masters and PhD in Physics at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Max was deferred from serving in the war because there was a shortage of physicists. He was deferred a total of three times, the final time signed by President Truman himself. He married Virginia, the love of his life the day they graduated in 1943. They started their lives together moving across country by train to Massachusetts where Max was employed in the Radiation Lab at MIT as part of the team that developed radar in World War II. At the end of the war in 1945 Max and Virginia moved to Scotia, NY where Max began employment at The General Electric Research Lab on the Betatron. He then worked at the Knolls Atomic Power Lab where Max and his partner were awarded a 3 million dollar grant from the Atomic Energy Commission. They took the grant to RPI building the largest linear accelerator in the world at that time to continue research in nuclear physics. For 34 years Max was employed by RPI as a Professor of Nuclear Engineering (24 years) and Administrator/Chairman of Faculty Council (10 years). After retiring from RPI Max was employed for three years by the NYS Department of Science and Technology, retiring for good in 1992 at the age of 75. In 1997 Max and Virginia moved to the Beverwyck Retirement Community where they resided until Virginia passed in 2009. Max most recently resided at the Village Green at Beverwyck. Mr. Yeater was the devoted husband of the late Virginia Lee (Thorman) Yeater; father of David Allan (Cande) Yeater of Ithaca, NY, Carol Evelyn Yeater Aldrich of Philadelphia, PA, and the late Donald Paul Yeater; proud grandfather of Nathan (Deirdre) Yeater of Stratford, CT, Kara (Douglas) Moreira of Somerville, MA, and Erin (Chip) Gray of Philadelphia, PA; and adoring great-grandfather to Max Arthur and Mallory Marie Yeater and Brian Henry and Natalie Evelyn Gray. Mr. Yeater is also survived by nieces Deborah Tanner and Christine (Genal) Reese and nephew Mark Tanner all of Salt Lake City, UT, and numerous great nephews and great nieces. His younger sister, Virginia (William) Tanner died very recently. Services will be at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Niskayuna on Sunday, December 28 at 2:00. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Immanuel Lutheran Church of Niskayuna, NY or the Capital Region Food Pantry.