Edward Adelson

Edward Adelson, a notable physicist, educator, and musician, was born August 19, 1934, in Brooklyn, NY and died on Saturday, October 22, 2022 in Columbus, OH. He was the only child of Barnet and Sarah (nee Strongin) Adelson. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from New York University in 1956, was a Postgraduate Woodrow Wilson Fellow at the Eastman School of Music in 1957 and achieved both his Master of Science in 1965 and Doctor of Philosophy in 1974 from The Ohio State University. He married Juliane Reidel ("Julie") on August 5, 1961. They divorced in June 1982 and remained friends. After she was unable to care for herself, Ed stepped up his visits and looked after her until she passed away. Before concentrating on teaching, Ed was Principal Physicist and worked in neutron diffraction in X-ray spectroscopy, at the Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, OH (1957--1971). After getting his Ph.D. in physics at The Ohio State University in 1974, he was hired by the OSU Physics Dept. as Lecturer (1974 - 1988) and Academic Program Specialist (1988 - 2010). Ed was Manager of the calculus-based introductory physics courses for all students. In 1989, he started the "Preparation for Physics" course. On this topic, he authored the textbook "Get Ready for Physics." For 20 years, while working at OSU, he was also the organist and choirmaster at St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Bexley, OH. His memberships included the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Guild of Organists, American Association of Physics Teachers, American Physical Society, Chrichton Club, Sigma Pi Sigma, and Phi Beta Kappa. He wrote poetry and puns, loved reading, playing piano, going to concerts, theater, and opera, dining in fine restaurants and cooking his own gourmet meals. He traveled extensively throughout his life. After retirement, he took many classes and continued learning and connecting with new people. He kept in touch with family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors, and was always caring, gracious, and kind. He will be remembered and missed by all. You may donate to the Mid-Ohio Food Bank, Planned Parenthood, the Anti-Defamation League, the OSU Physics Department Scholarship Fund or Americans United for Separation of Church and State in memory of Ed. Acknowledgments may be sent to Artz, Dewhirst & Wheeler, LLP, 560 East Town St. Columbus OH 43215. Acknowledgments will be forwarded to his family. ADWLLP would like to thank Wexner Heritage Village Hospice for the care given to Ed during his final days. Arrangements entrusted to Schoedinger East.