OBITUARIES: MORTON RUBIN

MORTON RUBIN

1918-2004

Morton J. Rubin, 86, died at Sibley Hospital in Washington, D.C., on 10 April 2004 from complications of hip surgery. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was resident of Bethesda and Chevy Chase, Maryland, for most of the last 50 years. Rubin enjoyed a remarkable career in the field of meteorology, traveling to many countries and winning many honors.

Rubin began his career as a weather observer for the U.S. Weather Bureau in 1938, and was a supervisory meteorologist for Pan American Grace Airlines in Peru and Chile during the 1940s. He held many research positions at NOAA, specializing in the weather conditions of Antarctica and the Southern Hemisphere. In 1954 he worked on a project in South Africa with the South African Weather Service. During the mid-to-late 1950s, he made several trips to Antarctica, including a 16-month project as a U.S. scientist at the Russian base on the continent. His son Richard said, "This was one of the biggest adventures of my father's very adventurous life. He was always good at languages, so learning Russian wasn't that much of a challenge. We received letters from him every month or so, filled with stories of all he saw and did."

In the early 1970s Rubin retired from NOAA as a senior scientist and became a scientific officer for the World Meteorological Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, a position from which he retired in 1982. He held numerous positions with professional societies, edited many books, and wrote many scientific papers on Antarctic meteorology and the weather of polar regions. Rubin received his bachelor's degree from The Pennsylvania State University and his master's degree in meteorology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

A member of the Cosmos Club, Rubin received many other honors for his distinguished scientific career. The Australian government named Mt. Rubin in Antarctica in his honor. He also received a diploma from the Russian Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Department of Commerce Silver Medal.

Richard Rubin said, "My dad was such a positive person. Even during his last year when he was not able to do the things he loved to do, like taking walks in Chevy Chase or going to the Cosmos Club with his wife, Rosa, he still talked about how grateful he felt to have such a full life."

Rubin is survived by his wife, Rosa Dockett Rubin of Chevy Chase, whom he married in 1975; son, Richard of Baltimore, Maryland; son, John of Vancouver, British Columbia; daughter, Mary Sue of Lutherville, Maryland; brother, Harry of Hinesville, Georgia; two stepchildren, David Howe and Diana Howe of Australia; ten grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. His first wife, Goldie Possoff Rubin, died in 1972.

-BOB WHITE