Gary Lee Silver

Dr. Gary L. Silver passed away at Bethany Village at the age of 89 on June 23, 2026. He was seemingly a scientist from birth. He authored hundreds of scientific and mathematical publications, written under the name G.L. Silver.

A graduate of MIT and the University of North Carolina, Gary was a plutonium chemist and mathematician for 48 years—32 years at Mound Laboratory and 16 years at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. His work included a variety of discoveries in his field. A noteworthy contribution was the solving of the plutonium equilibrium problem which had remained unsolved since the discovery of plutonium. He also developed a new method of separating uranium and plutonium, as well as two new recovery processes which were used in the manufacture of radio-isotope fuel for space applications. Early in his career, he discovered a series of rare earth compounds. Twelve patents bear the name of G. L. Silver, including a process for purifying water without chlorine. He also authored sections in “The Chemistry of the Actinide Elements” by Nobel laureate Glenn Seaborg, J.J Katz, and L.R. Morss.

Dr. Silver developed processes for the recovery of plutonium from alloys and siliceous materials of interest to the Department of Energy and the nuclear industry. At the top of his career, he was perhaps the foremost authority on plutonium chemistry in the nation. In 1980, Gary became a Monsanto Fellow for his scientific contributions.

His interest in mathematics was of further interest. For 350 years, it had been believed to be impossible to generate curvature coefficients for certain sparse geometric arrays. Gary solved the problem as an outgrowth of plutonium-related work at Mound Laboratory. Even in retirement, he continued to contribute to mathematical journals.

Gary is survived by his wife of 57 years, Marcine, and by daughter, Meredith Weber (Paul) and two granddaughters, Justine and Elise. At his request, there will be no memorial service.