Lewis R. Aronin passed away peacefully at his home in Lexington, MA on Thursday, May 21, 2020, at the age of 100 years and 9 months. He was born in Norwood, MA, son of the late Samuel Aronin & Celia Acoff Aronin. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 59 years Natalie Eleanor Wolfson Aronin, and his sister, Thelma B. Kopstein. He is survived by his two daughters, Marlene Sigel (Taylor) and Terry Dubow (Robert), three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
Lewis graduated first in his class from Norwood HIgh School in 1936 and obtained a BS in Applied Physics from MIT in 1940. He then went to work for the Waltham Watch Company where he was a Research Engineer until 1949. He returned to MIT on the research staff of the MIT Metallurgical Project. In 1954 he published a significant paper on the effect of fast neutrons on materials and was elected to Sigma Xi on the basis of that paper.
In 1958, a private company, Nuclear Metals, assumed the MIT Metallurgical Project and there Lewis became group leader of physical metallurgy and manager of metallurgical research until 1966. He also contributed two chapters to a text book on nuclear reactor fuel elements. When the company folded, Lewis became a consultant for Kennicott Copper Corporation Ledgmont Laboratory in Lexington, and later joined the Army Materials Technology Laboratory in Watertown, MA where he supervised programs on the development of advanced materials for ballistic missile defense interceptors until his retirement in 1990.
A registered professional engineer, Lewis was a member of ASM and AIME, and is a charter member of the Boston chapter of SAMPE where he served as treasurer for 15 years and was made an honorary senior member for his service. He is also a Mason and is a Melvin Jones Fellow in the Lion’s Club, having been a member of the Lexington Lion’s Club since 1969.
Most recently, Lewis had been a volunteer for MIT’s Age Lab. There he participated in the 85+ Lifestyle Leaders, a panel of community members over the age of 85 who meet to examine important issues of concern to an aging population.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there will be a private burial only. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations made be made to a charity of choice.
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