Warren Nyer

Warren Edwin Nyer died peacefully at his home in Idaho Falls on the night of Thursday, February 4, 2016, at the age of 94. He was the son of Carl John Nyer and Erna Wilhelmina E. (nee Michau) Nyer of Chicago, Illinois. He was born November 18, 1921, in Evanston, Illinois. He graduated from Tilden Technical High School in Chicago.

In 1941, Drs. Jesse and Compton hired him as the University of Chicago's second work-study student. He was a low-level workman in the physics department. Among his duties were the dirty jobs of pressing uranium bricks and machining graphite blocks. He was a member of Enrico Fermi's group and participated in the 1942 CP-1 criticality experiment. This experiment was the first controlled and self- sustaining release of nuclear energy by fission of uranium.

He married Henrietta Swickard at her father's home in Newman, Illinois, on July 15, 1943. The couple was en route to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where Warren worked on the X-10 reactor. Moves to Hanford (1944) and Los Alamos (1945) followed. Henrietta witnessed the first atomic bomb test from the hills above Los Alamos. Warren participated in the test at the Alamogordo test site, at the observation station 10,000 yards south of ground zero.

They returned to Chicago in 1946 where Warren completed his bachelor's degree, and was simultaneously associated with the Institute for Nuclear Studies at the University of Chicago. Their first son, Michael Morrow, was born in 1947 in Chicago. Later that year they returned to Los Alamos. In 1948, Warren participated in the sixth, seventh, and eighth atomic bomb explosions at Eniwetok Atoll. Their second son, Nicholas Carl, was born in 1949 in Los Alamos.

The family moved to Idaho Falls, Idaho, in November of 1951, where Warren was a physicist with the Materials Test Reactor (MTR) at the National Reactor Testing Station. In 1954 he was appointed head of the nuclear safety programs for Phillips Petroleum's Atomic Energy Division. The SPERT and LOFT reactor experiments were part of this effort. Warren was one of the charter members of The American Nuclear Society (1954), and became a Fellow in 1963. He was also the organizing chairman of the Idaho Section of the ANS (1957). He participated in the Atoms for Peace Conferences in Geneva (1958). Warren was also the vice chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission's Safety and Licensing Panel and was Director of the Division of Reactor Licensing (1964). In his later years he was a consultant for the nuclear power utilities and aided them with reactor licensing. Throughout his career, Warren received numerous awards and occupied several responsible positions. He and the people he worked with published many scientific papers. He seemed to know every one in the nuclear industry.

Warren loved skiing and camping. In the winter, he and his family made trips almost every weekend to local ski areas. The Ram Bar in Sun Valley and the Silver Dollar Bar in Jackson were his favorite Saturday night haunts. The 49-ers ball in Jackson was the highlight of the year. He also helped construct the Pine Basin ski area. He served terms as president of the Los Alamos Ski Club (ca. 1949) and as president (and lifetime member) of the Idaho Falls Ski Club (ca. 1952). He climbed the Grand Teton with his brother-in-law, Os (Earl Oscar, Jr.) Swickard (ca. 1954). He also tried fishing, and once had to quit because he did not know the daily limit.

Warren is survived by his two sons, Michael and Nicholas; nieces Martha, Christine, and Nancy; nephew Gerald; grandniece Jessica; grandnephew Jason; and great-grand nieces Chryseis and Abrielle. Stepson Joseph; stepdaughters Emily, Evangeline, and Ellen; and several step grandchildren and step great-grandchildren also survive him.

All who knew Warren loved and respected him as a scientist, humanist, and friend. His passing is a sad day for all.

A memorial gathering will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 20, 2016, at Wood Funeral Home, 273 N. Ridge Avenue, in Idaho Falls. Warren will be interred next to Henrietta at the Fairfield Cemetery near Newman, Illinois, at a later date. Friends may make donations in Warren's name either to the Fairfield Cemetery Association, Box 259, Newman, Illinois, 61942, or to the American Nuclear Society Center for Nuclear Science and Technology Information (ANS Center Fund), 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, Illinois, 60526.

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