Joshua Ladell

Batya & Joshua Ladell

• General Notes
  • "Josh was born in New York City May 19, 1923. He served in the US army from 1943 to 1946 and after his discharge continued his studies at Brooklyn College where he received the B. A. degree in 1948.   He pursued graduate studies in Physics at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn (now the Polytechnic University of New York) where he received the M. S. degree in 1951 and the Ph. D. in 1954. His dissertation was done under the supervision of the eminent crystallographer Professor I. Fankuchen.... Josh was always generous with his time to discuss and help other graduate students, and later colleagues, with their research. He established excellent relationships with the faculty that blossomed into friendships after his graduation. After receiving his Ph.D Josh was awarded a Lipsky exchange fellowship that enabled him to spend 1954 - 1956 with Gerhardt Schmidt at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel. During his stay in Israel he was recruited by William Parrish to join the Philips Laboratories in Irvington and Briarcliff Manor, New York upon his return to the US. Initially he was in the powerful x-ray research group headed by Bill Parrish, and ultimately led the x-ray research efforts of that group... He presented his research at numerous ACA meetings, published approximately 50 papers in technical journals and was awarded several patents.
    A few years after his retirement from Philips in 1991 he and his wife Bea decided to follow one of their sons and his family, who had settled in Israel, and moved to Jerusalem. His wife continues to reside there. Josh was a dedicated scientist-crystallographer, friend and colleague. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him."
    Hugo Steinfink, Nathan Spielberg in American Crystallographic Newsletter (Summer 2000)
    
    In 1947 he volunteered for the fledgling Israel Army in Machal - Volunteers, where he felt his army experience would be useful to Israel.  He ended up working in the Israeli Army's Research and Development  section. As he told the story : "When I arrived in Israel I was interviewed in order to decide where to be stationed.  When it became known that I had a driver's license, I was immediately stationed to drive a jeep for an officer. One day I was sent with the jeep to another base I was unfamiliar with.  While at this base I got to talking to one of the officers there.  In answer to his questions, I explained that I was a volunteer from America and that previously I had started a career as a physicist.  'So what are you doing driving a jeep?!  We're desperately looking for scientists to help develop weaponry!' Needless to say, they signed me up on the spot and I stayed with this unit till I returned to the States.  I never did return the jeep... They're probably still looking for it..."
    
    יארצייט: כ"א שבט