Frederic Holtzberg

Frederic Holtzberg, 4/12/22-4/24/12

Frederic Holtzberg died April 24 at the age of 90. He and his wife, Sylvia, had resided at Peconic Landing in Greenport for 10 years.

He was a cherished family member and a valued and respected Senior Research Scientist at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Laboratory, honored by his colleagues both here and abroad.

Mr. Holtzberg served in the Pacific Theater during World War II, graduated from Brooklyn College and went on to earn his Ph.D. from the Polytechnic Institute of New York University.

Dr. Holtzberg was known for his research in rare earth materials science. He was a talented solid-state chemist who performed new syntheses and fabricated novel materials. His contributions to the synthesis of new rare earth materials and alloys and the study of their physical properties were critical in developing the fields of magnetic semiconductors, intermediate valence and high temperature superconductors.

In 1959, Dr. Holtzberg was lent by IBM to work with the President’s Science Advisory Committee under President Eisenhower. Notable awards during his tenure at the IBM Watson Laboratory include Docteur Honoris Causa in 1987 by the Université Scientifique et Médicale de Grenoble and the International Prize for New Materials by the American Physical Society in 1991.

A fine wood worker, he built cabinets and furniture with hands so skilled we joked he could have been a surgeon. He was an avid gardener, baker, punster, perfectionist, puzzle master and all-around wonderful man. Brilliant, kind and gentle, his sense of humor persisted to the end, for which we are grateful.

He is survived by his wife, Sylvia, his daughter, Maggie Holtzberg, and his grandson, Russell Call.

This is a paid notice.