(Died: June 5, 2002)
Physicist
Interests: Relativity, Cosmology Age: 68
Dr. Chappell was pre-eminent among those seeking clarity in alternative concepts of contemporary physics, cosmology and natural philosophy. Toward that end, he organized and founded the Natural Philosophy Alliance.
Education
John attended Harvard Univ., received an MA in history from Univ. of Calif, Berkeley, attended the Univ. of Washington, Seattle, and received his PhD from the Univ. of Kansas in 1967. John taught at the Univ. of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, Mankato State, MN, and Calif. State Univ. at Chico. He was a research fellow at Harvard Univ. in the 1970s.
Personal
He was born Nov. 16, 1933 to Dorothy Kober and John Edgar Chappell in Los Angeles, CA. He graduated from Webb School, CA in 1950.
In Memoriam:
Dr. John E. Chappell, Jr.
Dr. John Edgar Chappell, Jr. died Wednesday, June 5 in a San Luis Obispo, California hospital. John was a founder and the Director of the Natural Philosophy Alliance (NPA) since its origin in 1994. Its international membership has included more than 400 leading scientists who have engaged in scholarly discussions of alternative concepts and philosophies in physics at numerous conferences in the U.S. and abroad.
Dr. Chappell was pre-eminent among those seeking clarity in alternative concepts of contemporary physics, cosmology, and natural philosophy. Much of his life was devoted to promoting scholarly discussions and critiques of opposing viewpoints in those fields. Toward that end, he organized and chaired sessions in annual regional meetings of the American Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS), which attracted leading speakers and scientists from around the world. These comprised the largest group of such scholarly discussions ever held in the U.S., as recognized in Galilean Electrodynamics, V5, N6 (Nov/Dec 1994); Apeiron, V1, N20 (Oct 1994), and Apeiron, V2, N4 (Oct 1995).
John Edgar Chappell, Jr. was born November 16, 1933 to Dorothy Kober Chappell and John Edgar Chappell in Los Angeles, California. He graduated from Webb School, Claremont, California in 1950. He attended Harvard University, received an MA in history from the University of California, Berkeley, attended the University of Washington, Seattle, and received his Ph.D. from the University of Kansas in history (with an emphasis in the history of science) in 1968. Dr. Chappell taught at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada, Mankato State (Minnesota), and California State University, Chico. He was a research fellow at Harvard University in the 1970s.
In his role as NPA's director, Dr. Chappell organized and Chaired meetings, wrote a quarterly newsletter, and held a lively exchange among members and interested scholars worldwide. Between 1961 and 2002, he authored more than eighty-five scientific articles, chapters, and reviews in the areas of natural philosophy, physics, earth sciences, social sciences, and history. Some of his publications are those listed in the Directory-Bibliography of all NPA members and other scientists, which John prepared and distributed annually.
John is survived by his sister, Sarah Chappell Trulove of Lawrence, Kansas, a niece, Ann Trulove of Burbank, California, and a nephew, Lt. Col. Paul Chappell Trulove, Ph.D., of Annapolis, Maryland. Graveside services were held at Los Osos Memorial Park in San Luis Obispo, on June 25, 2002. Memorial contributions can be made to the Natural Philosophy Alliance, P.O. Box 14014, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406. - Infinite Energy #44
Articles:
- "Georges Sagnac and the Discovery of the Ether," Archives Internationales d'Histoire des Sciences, V18, N3-4, pp. 175-190 (Jul-Dec 1965).
- "The Forgotten Tradition in Electromagnetics, and Why it Must be Revived," in Proceedings of the XIIIth International Congress on the History of Sciences (Moscow, USSR, 1971), V6, pp. 44-50. Moskva: "Nauka."
