Philip V. Livdahl

Philip V. Livdahl, of Dallas, died on Monday, August 8, 2011 at Presbyterian Hospital due to complications after surgery. He was 88 years old. Mr. Livdahl was a respected physicist, loving husband to his wife Phyllis for 67 years, and a generous, caring father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

Mr. Livdahl was born on February 1, 1923 in Bismark, ND, the eighth child of Olive and Gustav Livdahl. He grew up in Bismark, became an Eagle Scout, graduated from Bismark High School, and enrolled at St. Olaf College in Northfield MN. In 1943, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, was trained as an electronics officer, and served on the USS Shangri-La during World War II. He married Phyllis Adams, of Mankato MN, in 1944.

After his naval service, Mr. Livdahl completed his undergraduate studies at St. Olaf College in 1948, after which he entered the graduate program in Physics at the University of Washington, in Seattle. He completed a Master’s degree, and joined the staff at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory in Livermore CA, where he worked for six years. From 1957 to 1968, Mr. Livdahl was a physicist at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois, and he moved on to the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory where he directed the design and construction of major portions of the accelerator. He went on to serve as Acting Director of the laboratory, and completed his career as Deputy Director.

Upon retiring from Fermilab in 1988, Mr. Livdahl played a key role in the design and implementation of a synchrotron for Loma Linda Medical Center in Loma Linda CA. This was the first accelerator built exclusively for use in the treatment of tumors with proton radiation, and Mr. Livdahl was one of the first patients to be treated successfully with proton therapy for prostate cancer, obtained at the facility that he helped design.

Mr. Livdahl was an active member of King of Glory Lutheran Church in Dallas; throughout his adult life, he was a dedicated member of many Lutheran churches, serving as a key member of numerous building and stewardship committees as well as a choir member. As he and his family moved to many places, he often played a pivotal role in the formation of new congregations.

In recognition of his professional achievements and his active church service, Mr. Livdahl received a Distinguished Alumni Award from St. Olaf College in 1998.

Mr. Livdahl’s surviving family includes his wife, Phyllis Adams Livdahl, and three children: Judith Livdahl Wulff of Louisville KY, Jennifer Livdahl Schum of Dallas TX, and Todd Philip Livdahl of Paxton MA. He had five granddaughters: Angela Schum Nickerson, of San Francisco CA, Katherine Liv Wulff of Washington DC, Lisa Schum Kahalley of Houston TX, Elizabeth Wulff Wagner of Topanga CA, and Emily May Livdahl of Paxton MA. He had recently become the great-grandfather of Renzo Leonardo Massimo Nickerson, of San Francisco CA.

Mr. Livdahl was an avid bridge player and golfer with a passion for nature and the environment. He traveled extensively, taking long car trips in the western US with family, and several trips to Europe, China and the Soviet Union with his wife, friends and colleagues.

A memorial service will be held at King of Glory Lutheran Church, 6411 LBJ Freeway, Dallas, at 1:00 pm on Saturday, August 13. A reception will follow at The Edgemere, 8523 Thackery St., Dallas.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mr. Livdahl’s memory to either the Loma Linda Medical Center’s proton treatment center, http://tinyurl.com/3fr7rl9, or to the Texas Voice Project for Parkinson Disease, http://www.texasvoiceproject.org.