Chaucey Starr, nuclear pioneer, dead at 95

ATHERTON, Calif., April 19 (UPI) -- Nuclear energy pioneer and risk analysis expert Chaucey Starr has died in his Atherton, Calif., home. He was 95.

The Electric Power Research Institute, which Starr founded in 1972, said he had remained active at the organization -- working six day weeks -- up to the day before his death on Tuesday, The New York Times reported Thursday.

"Chauncey Starr was a visionary pioneer in the field of nuclear energy and helped encourage the development of the domestic nuclear power industry," said Dale Klein, the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. "Likewise, he was a leader in reactor safety, a seminal thinker in the field of risk analysis, and one of the pre-eminent engineer-scientists of our time."

Starr, who authored more than 400 technical and scientific articles, is survived by his wife of 69 years, Doris; a daughter, Ariel Wooley of Los Altos, Calif.; a son, Ross, of San Diego; and five grandchildren.

He turned 95 on the Saturday before his death, and a celebration honoring him was attended by 200 colleagues at the Electric Power Research Institute the day before he died.