James Cline

James E. Cline passed away June 12, 2016, in Prince Georges County, Maryland. He was 85 years old.

James "Jim" Cline was born March 10, 1931, in Detroit, Michigan, the sixth child of Seymour and Gertrude Cline. Jim later attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he received bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering physics and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in nuclear physics in 1957. While in Ann Arbor, Jim met his wife of 60-plus years, Molly Keller Cline.

From 1957 – 1974, Jim served as a team member at the National Reactor Testing Station (NRTS) in Arco, near Idaho Falls, Idaho, in the Test Reactor Area (TRA), operated by the Atomic Energy Division of Phillips Petroleum Company. This later became Aerojet Nuclear Company. Jim was joined by 20 scientists who purified and prepared samples of isotopes and made experimental measurements of their gamma-ray emissions. Their efforts led to publication of a gamma-ray spectrum catalog that described the measurement procedures and results in great detail and was widely utilized by other laboratories in the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) complex.

While in Idaho Falls, he was active in the community as a member of the Idaho Falls Symphony Orchestra, playing the tuba and string bass. He co-founded the Idaho Falls youth ice hockey program and served as a coach on numerous teams.

In 1972, Jim co-created the Nuclear Environmental Services division of Science Applications International (SAI) in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He went on to serve as a lead scientist until his retirement in 1991. Jim was the leader in SAI's measurements of iodine-131. He developed techniques for the quantification of the iodine-131 activity, using all four of the gamma rays emitted by the isotope and the uncertainty in the best-estimate measurement result. During his tenure at SAI, Jim served as a consultant to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with regards to "safeguards" measurements for nuclear reactors. He also published two major papers, "A Technique of Gamma-ray Detector Absolute Efficiency Calibration for Extended Sources" (April 1978) and "Procedures for the Efficiency Calibration of Ge Detectors (Preliminary Version)" (October 1978).

Following professional retirement, Jim served as an active volunteer tax consultant for the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and as a visiting physics teacher volunteer for fifth graders in Washington, D.C., inner city schools. Jim and Molly were members of the Smithsonian Institution and supporters of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C.

In addition to his community volunteer work, Jim was an accomplished woodworker, who also enjoyed fishing, kayaking and sailing in Idaho, Wyoming and Montana as well as the Chesapeake Bay. He was an avid reader and traveled extensively to Europe, Asia, South America and the South Pacific.

Jim is survived by his wife, Molly Keller Cline, a resident of the Collington Community in Bowie, Maryland; brother, Charles Cline, of Northville, Michigan; daughter, Katharine K. Cline (Michael Lee), of San Diego, California; son, Christopher A. Cline, of Salt Lake City, Utah; daughter, Elizabeth J. Cline (Ron Hinds), of Elizabeth, Colorado; son, Edward A. Cline (Mei Li Cline), of Campbell, California; and two granddaughters, Madison and Emma Cline, of Campbell, California.

A graveside celebration will be held July 3 at Rose Hill Cemetery. Anyone wishing to attend may meet at the corner of West 21st Street and Calkins Avenue at 11:05 a.m. to join the procession. Contact the Cline family at jecline@umich.edu for further information.

Graveside Services will be held