We are sad to report that Patrick (Pat) Nye died at Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton, Washington on March 7, 2008 after his heart stopped while riding his bicycle on March 3rd. He was 71.
We've created this blog since Pat's friends and relatives live far and wide and most likely won't get the chance to get together to share their thoughts on Pat and his life. We hope this will provide a way to do that.
To add your own comment or remembrance about Patrick Nye, click on "Post a Comment" which appears at the end of each post. If you don't see that, click on "1 comments" (or whatever number it is) and then you should see "Post a Comment". (Pat would have appreciated how complicated this supposedly simple process is.)
The Nye family invites anyone local who knew Pat to an Open House at the family home in Port Ludlow, Washington from 3 to 5 P.M. on Sunday, March 16, 2008. Those needing directions may call Adrian Nye at 512-585-1015.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Foundation, PO Box 15, Port Hadlock, WA, 98339. The foundation supports public safety and volunteer programs.
Adrian
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- Patrick Nye grew up in England and started his scientific career working on reading machines for the blind. In 1965 he moved to Pasadena, CA to do vision research at CalTech. Most of his working life was spent as vice president of Haskins Laboratories in New Haven, Connecticut where he did linguistics research for 34 years. He moved to Port Ludlow, Washington in 2005 and enjoyed the local computer, hiking, and kayaking clubs. Recently he was involved with MovieMakers (an amateur movie making group) and was an enthusiastic volunteer for the Jefferson County Sheriff's department. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Elaine, and 2 children, Adrian and Philippa.
19 comments:
Hi Everyone,
Be sure and sign your name when
you comment. Unlike email, we
won't know who it's from unless you do!
Thanks!
If you have any photos you'd
like to post here, please email
them to me and I'll post them.
It's easier that way.
My email is adrian_nye@yahoo.com
In December 2007, the Board of Directors of Haskins Laboratories recorded its gratitude to Patrick W. Nye in recognition of his 36 years of immensely loyal service to the Laboratories. Pat stepped down from his place on the Board because at the time he felt that the distance between the Laboratories and his residence was too great to bridge for him to be useful.
Pat Nye served the Laboratories in a number of different capacities: Research Scientist 1971-1975, Associate Director of Research 1975-1992, Vice President for Administration 1992-1997, Member of the Board of Directors 1996-2007, serving as Chairman of the Board from 2002 to 2006.
During his years as Associate Director and Vice President, Pat cheerfully took on many administrative burdens that otherwise would have fallen on the President, especially in matters pertaining to budgets and management of the Lab's finances, but not exclusively in this domain. He also devoted considerable time to other important duties, such as preparation of a Handbook for staff, and in developing guidelines for Lab support of graduate student research and doctoral dissertations. An especially valuable contribution was his oral history of Haskins Laboratories compiled through recording and editing interviews with longtime members of the staff. In addition to these services, Pat, whose doctorate was in physics, was also an active member of the research team, even after his position became primarily administrative. His earliest association with the Laboratories came about because of his work on a reading machine. Later he contributed to research on the reading machine for the blind and the articulatory synthesizer. Over the last several years of his association with Haskins he collaborated with Carol Fowler in a study of imitation and with Arthur Abramson in acoustic and perceptual studies of phonation types in two languages. It is hard to imagine the Lab without Pat. He will be missed.
On behalf of the Haskins community.
I'm so sorry for your loss... I knew Pat from working with him as a Volunteer for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department. Vacation checks with him were always a pleasure. He was the kind of person you immediately felt comfortable with. His friendly smile let you know that here was someone that loved life and lived it to the fullest.
Pat, my friend, I will truly miss you....
John Ammeter
Living on a different continent does not always help when it comes to seeing someone a lot. I regret not having made the trip to the US to visit him at home and there has always a voice telling me to get on the plane and do it. I will make the trip, though this may now sadly be to remember him and not the visit originally intended.
When I met Pat for the first time, we made whistles out of sycamore twigs with his penknife. He then sent me a proper Swiss penknife for Christmas so I could make my own whistles (and of course do other things you are not supposed to do with a pen knife). It was just what you wanted when you were young.
To Pat from Ben, Isi & Ruben in Luxembourg with my most sincere condolences to Elaine, Adrian and Philipa.
I grieve for my very good friend and outstanding colleague of 37 years. I will sorely miss our frequent conversations over our research, our families, and a wide range of topics in science, history, and world affairs.
Our friendship blossomed slowly as we became more involved with each other in our speech research and in the supervision of graduate research assistants at Haskins Laboratories. Although we had, I think, somewhat different personalities, we always got along very well. It is not that we always immediately agreed with each other, but rather that there was never any tension between him and me; we never failed to come to an acceptable conclusion.
On the scientific side, I truly reveled in our collaboration on three major projects. I, as an experimental phonetician grounded in the discipline of linguistics, became interested in questions that required a detailed knowledge of certain aspects of physics and mathematics that were beyond my reach. Happily, my friend Pat, a physicist and engineer, found the questions interesting and willingly joined me in seeking answers to them. Even in the face of complications and other problems, we truly enjoyed working together.
There is now a void left in the lives of us who were close to Pat through family, friendship, or work.
Arthur S. Abramson
It is with great sadness that we received the news on Pat. We have been friends since the Caltech times, and even though we have been living on different continents, we managed to visit with the Nye family every few years. We enjoyed the times at Guilford, and we vividly remember our last visit in 2006 to Port Ludlow. It was so much pleasure to visit the Puget Sound area, with Pat and Elaine being enthusiastic guides and the warmest of hosts. We had hoped for a few more reunions. We will always remember Pat as a dear and cheerful friend.
I have known Pat since I was a child, which is now over 40 years. My fondest memories of him date from the period in the 1990s when I would stay for a weekend with him and Elaine during business trips from Japan to the States.
Once during such a visit to Guilford I remarked upon Pat's enthusiasm for white grapefruits, which he seemed to consume with gusto every morning after a run or ride. "It's the king of fruits" he replied with a big, boyish smile. I think his gentle, friendly character allowed him to cope very easily with their sourness.
Pat was always generous with his time, never boastful of his talents and a delight to talk to over dinner, as his interests were wide. In today's world these are all virtues that his friends will certainly miss.
It was a refreshing treat to visit a Connecticut forest or beach with Pat and Elaine: mixing natural beauty with their friendship and good humour as we walked along.
Thank you Pat for all those memories.
Pat and I crossed paths many times in our professional careers. We first met in 1970 in Washington at the National Academy of Engineering where we were co-opted into editing the proceedings of a conference on sensory aids. He handled (expertly) the section on aids for the blind and I handled (with much less expertise) the section on aids for the deaf. We also became friends. Our paths crossed again when he was Vice President at the Haskins Laboratories. Several of my colleagues and students at the City University of New York were engaged in research projects at the Haskins Laboratories and I visited many times. These visits were not only of great value to our teaching and research at the City University, they also served to strengthen our friendship. When Pat retired from the Haskins Laboratories, he joined our research group at the City University where was a highly valued member of our team and also much liked by our students. I retired from the university in 2000when my wife was terminally ill and Pat was a great source of strength for me during those difficult times. On retirement, I fled to Bodega Bay in Northern California (the location of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film, The Birds). Pat and Elaine visited on several occasions where we all enjoyed the good life that Bodega Bay has to offer, including bird watching. We had grown to be close friends with much mutual respect for our professional work. I will miss him dearly.
Harry Levitt
We will always treasure our memories of Pat's gentle humour, ferocious tennis playing, intelligent company and unequalled orange marmalade. In all things he was a unassuming standard bearer.
We will miss just the knowing he is there.
Sally and Paul Perreten
We remember as if it were yesterday meeting Pat, Elaine and the children. We were building our new homes next to each other. The year was 1977 and building a house was a new experience for all of us.
There are so many great memories. The day to day happenings that fill all our lives. One of the first was working with Pat, Adrian and our sons Mike and Tom cutting the fallen trees in our joined yards. It was raining and the saw was dull but we looked forward to making our own firewood from our trees for our yet to be built fireplaces. It took forever but we completed the task. Several days later Pat walked over with the smile that was only his. "Did you see what's happened. Somebody came and stole all of the firewood we cut." We laughed and laughed at our first realization that life doesn't always go the way one plans. In the years that followed we dug holes, moved rocks, built decks, shared tools, repaired our mailboxes, ate lunch at the County Tavern and so many other things. On that last morning before Pat and Elaine left Guilford the four of us had english muffins with marmalade.
Elaine, Adrian and Pip... we are so saddened and will never forget all the shared experiences.
Ken & Marie Myles
Saw Mill Road
Guilford, Connecticut
It was only quite recently that we really came to know and love Pat:we were fortunate in sharing holidays together in two consecutive years;USA in 2006 and Canada in 2007.Pat and Elaine would drive for miles,stopping here and there to explore beaches strewn with huge trunks of driftwood,jungle walks,Indian reservations,and anything else of interest along the way.Elaine was always making sure that the "bins"
were at the ready to zoom in on the local bird population or the distant view of a bear;this is how the four of us enjoyed some woderful experiences together,staying at many hotel and eating some delicious meals.
I have a great love of photography and Pat,with his scientific mind and infinite patience enjoyed helping me in this pursuit.He downloaded the images onto discs and we joined up photos to make long views:he also became the subject of experiments on photographic lighting,standing patiently while I fiddled with exposures.We will miss his company so much.
We send Elaine, Adrian, and Phillipa all our sympathy at this sad time.
love Angie and Tony
We both have very fond memories of our visits to Pat and Elaine’s home in Guildford, which was welcoming and homely, due mainly to our hosts. On our earlier visits Pat would set out for his flat in Manhattan packed off with an assortment of pre cooked meals, to work during the week. At the weekends Pat would make us home made Belgian waffles and coffee on returning from his morning jog. Although Pat was always busy, the time we spent at home with him was always enjoyable.
On a later trip Pat, now semi retired worked from home. Strange noises would emanate from his office around the hall way, through the kitchen and into the snug reading room for hours until the computer was turned off. Pat would then emerge from his office and give us an equal amount of attention. On other days Lizzie and myself would stagger in from the shopping mall with handfuls of goods purchased at a fraction of the cost of the UK (Goodness knows what Pat & Elaine thought).
Pat and Elaine have been fantastic aunt and uncle to Oliver and Max. On Pat’s visit in 2003 back to England he meet Oliver, then aged 1and was fascinated by Oliver’s tiny hands and feet .Oliver was equally interested in Pat’s beard and they would sit and study each other.
Pat will be sorely missed by all of us and we regret we are so far away from Elaine, Adrian and Phillippa at this time.
Love
Clinton, Liz, Oliver & Maxwell Lyon
Kent England
I received the news of Pat's death when I was in India, from where I have just returned. I was stunned. I had stayed with Elaine and Pat for a few days in Port Ludlow in December and so enjoyed being with them in their beautiful home. We were all at Reading University together but I didn't meet Pat until he was Elaine's husband. On my visits to them in California, Connecticut and lately Washington, Pat was always an enthusiastic and informative 'guide' and an excellent host. He was blessed with a great sense of humour and, as others have said, an easy manner and welcome openness. I am so glad to have had that last visit with him. My deepest sympathy to Elaine, Adrian and Philippa. Buschi (Gabriele Reifenberg)
He was my big brother. He has always been there for me with moral support and advice when I needed it. I loved him and will miss him forever. My heart goes out to Elaine, Adrian and Philippa in their loss.
His laughter and smile would brighten anyone's day, especially mine; his caring personality could be seen by those whose paths he crossed; and he looked after those he cared for and helped out friends and strangers alike. These traits were definitely passed on to his son and daughter. He will live on in all those wonderfully cherished memories he created with so many.
Carolyn Peterson
Pat Nye, a true friend:
It was a great pleasure and privilege to have known Pat Nye – the brilliant research scientist, administrator, co-worker and friend. There were many times when we shared joys and sorrows over the years. Pat was always willing to help, with a smile, regardless of the situation. Occasionally, a payroll or accounting ‘bug’ would pop up and Pat would work on the program immediately and sometimes during the evening. He always corrected the problem without complaining. He was easy to talk to, took the time to ask how you were doing and always listened. Pat also shared how much he loved vacationing with Elaine. I particularly enjoyed hearing about the exotic birds and adventures they enjoyed. Today, I enjoy bird watching with my children thanks to Pat’s enthusiasm for birding and nature. Pat Nye will indeed be missed by me and all those who were blessed by his friendship.
Sincerely,
Betty DeLise
As Pat’s younger brother you would think that I would know him better than most of the contributors to this blog. But in fact it appears that many of you had more regular contact with him over a longer period of time than I did, because from our early twenties we lived on different continents.
We grew up together in a very quiet part of Somerset. With four years separating our ages, we tended to have our own friends around us but there were occasions I well remember when we did join together for particular ventures. Pat always had an enquiring mind and was fascinated with anything mechanical or electrical. He acquired or was given a Morse key and various other electrical parts and one day we set off from home to walk about a mile away and set up a simple spark transmitter. We threw an aerial over a nearby hedge and began to send Morse messages back home for Mum and Dad to hear on the radio. Thinking about it now, it was probably illegal, as we may well have blotted out radio reception for miles around.
On another occasion he was given an old army magnetic wire recorder. I can remember him taking it apart and trying to make it work. He persisted for some time with it but I cannot recall ever hearing it work.
We went to the same school when we moved to Taunton and as the time approached for Pat to prepare for ‘A’level exams with the intention of going to University, it began to dawn on me that perhaps I should take my studies more seriously, especially as the Physics master told me in no uncertain terms “You are not as good as your brother ”. I have since then been ever grateful for the academic example he set me.
While in senior school Pat began his interest in running and became both Cross-country and Mile champion. He continued to run competitively and for pleasure until well into his sixties.
Most of our lives have been spent on opposite sides of the Atlantic only meeting for all too brief occasions, but we discovered that we shared a love of hiking in wild places. In 1997 we planned and completed a hike on a section of the Pyrenees HLR, together with Adrian who was no stranger to walking long distance trails. We met up in Paris and took the TGV train to the Spanish border. We enjoyed fantastic scenery and mostly glorious weather but during that time I rediscovered my brother and the four years that separated our ages and our lives in those early years, just melted away as we shared the pleasures of hiking.
Denise and I are so glad that we accepted Pat and Elaine’s invitation to spend a few weeks with them in their new home near Port Ludlow in 2006. There we enjoyed their company as we were shown their new surroundings. It also allowed me to spend more time with Pat as we hiked to the summit of Mount Townsend.
The role of an older brother is to be someone his siblings can look up to and be the head of the family. Pat was certainly both of those to Cindy and myself and we feel his loss very deeply. Our love and thoughts are with Elaine Adrian and Philippa.
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