Carl Leyse

CARL F. LEYSE IDAHO FALLS, ID - Carl F. Leyse, 87, of Idaho Falls, died Wednesday, November 24, 2004, at the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center with his family at his bedside. He was born February 11, 1917, in Kewaunee, Wisconsin, to Henry and Emilie Duescher Leyse. He grew up in Kewaunee and graduated from Kewaunee High School. As a young man, he enjoyed collecting butterflies. He was employed at the Leyse Aluminum Company as a Lithographic Pressman and also played trumpet in local dance orchestras. He enlisted in the U. S. Air Force during World War II (1942-1945) and was stationed in England flying in B-17's and B-24's as a weather forecaster. He attended the University of Wisconsin (Madison) where in 1948 he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering with a physics option. He also pursued graduate studies in power engineering and physics at the Illinois Institute of Technology. On September 7, 1946, he married Rhodora Stearns in Milwaukee, WI. He began his professional career as a nuclear engineer working for Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago, IL. He first moved to Idaho Falls in 1951 to work for Phillips Petroleum Company on the design of the Engineering Test Reactor, the layout of the SPERT facility and the design of the 3 initial SPERT reactors. He moved to St. Louis, MO in 1956 to work for Internuclear Co. as a senior engineer, technical director and subsequently as general manager and president. He also worked a year as Manager of the Nuclear Science and Engineering Department for the Curtiss-Wright Corp. in Quehanna, PA and later for General Dynamics in La Jolla, CA. In 1963, he began working for Aerojet Nuclear Systems Co. as Manager of Nuclear Safety in Azusa, CA and then in Rancho Cordova, CA on the NERVA nuclear rocket engine program. He returned to Idaho Falls to the INEL in 1972 and was appointed Interim Manger of the Nuclear Technology Division in 1976, after which he managed the Technical Development Program for EG&G until his retirement in 1985. He then worked as a consultant to the INEL on the Space Nuclear Propulsion Project to Mars and other projects. Carl's achievements include patents for a radial flow nuclear thermal powered rocket, a food irradiation reactor and various test and other reactors. In 2003 he was honored as an Idaho nuclear pioneer. He loved to ski, fish and hunt. He enjoyed golf, working in the yard, and his time at the cabin in Island Park. He was active in bridge groups, the Sociables Club and the Exchange Club. He was a charter member of the American Nuclear Society and was a member in the A.I.A.A. and The National Space Society. Carl was a devoted husband and father. His love, kindness, wit, sense of humor and the twinkle in his eyes will be greatly missed by his family and friends. He is survived by his beloved wife, Rhodora; daughter, Karen Leyse of Davis, CA, son, Dale Leyse of Placerville, CA; brother, Robert (Jan) Leyse of Sun Valley, ID and 2 nephews. His parents and a sister, Angie Leyse, preceded him in death. A memorial gathering will be held from 2 to 3 p.m., Tuesday, Decrmber 7, 2004, at Wood Funeral Home, 273 North Ridge in Idaho Falls. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests any donations be made to The Henry's Fork Foundation or The Nature Conservancy.