William Eugene Austin

Mr. Austin formerly was a physicist for the General Electric Company, based at the company’s Space Center in King of Prussia, Pa. Mr. Austin worked on many NASA and U.S. Defense Department projects for GE, including the Apollo lunar program, several satellite and rocket programs, and the early stages of the development of the space shuttle. He earned several awards and commendations for his work, including patenting a gamma ray spectrometer intended for measuring the gamma rays generated by a nuclear rocket engine during flight. Previously, Mr. Austin worked for Westinghouse and Lockheed, also on a variety of space, defense and nuclear projects.

Born in Pershing, Okla., Mr. Austin grew up in Oklahoma, and later in Lake Charles, La. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, serving as a sonarman on a destroyer, the USS Duncan, in the Pacific in 1944-45. After the war, Mr. Austin earned a degree in physics from Louisiana State University, and worked for the U.S. Naval Laboratory in White Oak, Md.

Mr. Austin is survived by his wife of 63 years, Isabel (Devine) Austin; daughters Elizabeth Disciascio (Paul) of Media and Catherine Paski (Christopher) of Exton; sons William G. Austin (Patricia) of Bryn Mawr and James T. Austin (Lisa) of Hatboro; seven grandchildren; a brother, James Austin of Beaumont, Tx., and sisters Donna Hanchey, of Broken Arrow, Okla., and Mary K. Gray of Seattle, Wa. He was preceded in death by a sister, Margie Welchel, of Lake Charles, La.

Family and friends are invited to call at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, October 7 at Alleva Funeral Home, 1724 E. Lancaster Ave., Paoli, PA 19301, with services at 11 a.m. at the funeral home. Burial will follow at St. Agnes Cemetery, West Chester, Pa. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Mr. Austin’s name to the Foundation Fighting Blindness, PO Box 17279, Baltimore, MD 21298-9581 (www.blindness.org).