John Christman
East Lyme — John Richard Christman of Niantic died Monday, Feb. 20, 2017, from injuries sustained during a fall.
Richard, or Dick, as he was known, was born Oct. 30, 1936, in Reading, Pa., to John Daniel Christman and Mary (Filbert) Christman. He grew up in Drexel Hill, Pa., and graduated from Upper Darby High School, where he won numerous honors in math and science and was a standout in academic quiz tournaments. He earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1958. He then received a Hughes Fellowship from Hughes Research Laboratory in Malibu, Calif., and earned his master’s degree in applied physics from UCLA. He then returned to RPI where, in 1967, earned his doctorate in physics. His thesis involved calculations of the chemical properties of binary alkali alloys, which were used in nuclear reactors.
Richard started his academic career at Tufts University followed by 31 years as a physics professor at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. He served as section chief for the physics department for over 20 years and retired as head of the department of science in 2002. In 1980, he started another career as a textbook author at John Wiley & Sons. An early proponent of using computers for data collection, he published the “Physics Problems for Programmable Calculators” textbook in 1982. Over 25 years, Professor Christman wrote student study guides, solutions manuals, and hundreds of physics problems for multiple editions of Halliday & Resnick’s acclaimed “Fundamentals of Physics.” Richard also designed the electronic version of the book for which he enjoyed the challenge of learning animation and other multimedia skills. In 1988, he authored “Fundamentals of Solid State Physics.” He loved to send the problems to his mathematician father, who checked them with pencil and paper instead of a calculator. Professor Christman was an active member of the American Association of Physics Teachers; he received their Distinguished Service Citation in 1994 for his contributions to physics education and was nominated for national office. He also served as a peer reviewer and associate editor for the American Journal of Physics.
In 1961, he married Mary Ellen Tossett of Lansford, N.D., whom he met while they were both employed at Hughes. The friendly, talkative librarian was the perfect foil for the reserved intellectual. Through the years, they loved to travel the U.S. to all Richard’s conferences and particularly appreciated winter breaks in Barbados. Summer vacations for 50 years were spent in Ontario, Canada; since retiring, they lived at their cottage five months of the year. Richard had a deep appreciation for Canada, often surprising the locals with his knowledge of its history, politics and people. He loved Broadway show tunes and the Red Sox and was known for his insatiable desire to learn.
He is survived by his wife, Mary Ellen; his son, Stephen Christman of Niantic; his daughter and son-in-law, Karen Christman and Glenn Frysinger; and his three adored grandsons, Jack, Erik and Matthew Frysinger, all of Old Saybrook. His devotion to Mary Ellen is well known to the memory care staff at Crescent Point, where she has resided for two years.
He was predeceased by his brother, Alan Christman, in 2014.
Calling hours are from 5 to 6:30, p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26, at Thomas J. Neilan & Sons Funeral Home, 48 Grand St., Niantic, followed by a memorial service. Interment of his ashes will occur in Minot, N.D., and at his beloved lake in Delta, Ontario.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to the American Diabetes Association or Planned Parenthood.