Timothy Ray Knowles

A brilliant physicist, Tim was a leader in the field of thermal management research. He developed products for the most challenging space and industrial applications, working with clients including NASA, Boeing, Raytheon, Jet Propulsion Lab, and the Department of Defense.

Tim was also a consummate lover of life — a hedonist, even, in the most positive, joyful sense of the word. He was charming, adventurous, passionate, and endlessly curious. He traveled Europe, ​​Hawaiʻi and the Marshall Islands, and America’s national parks. He loved camping and hiking and, above all, bicycling. He loved good food and drink, and was an excellent cook and gardener. He generously shared with others whatever made him happy, whether that was a new recipe, kitchen gadget, wine club subscription, bike route, or vista. And he had a way of making everything he did into a research project, from choosing a watch to identifying the best chocolate.

When Elise and I were little, Tim was working on his PhD in physics at UCSD. He would stop by to take us on adventures: swimming at the condo complex swimming pool, bicycling down and up the hill to Scripps Beach, motorcycle rides, shopping, and once he took me to an evening baking course where I learned about meringue and praline. I think he taught me a lot about joy and pleasure for their own sake.