Lewis Edward Temple Jr.

Dr. Lewis Edward “Ed” Temple Jr. was born to Lewis Edward Temple Sr. and Mae Elizabeth (Gallentine) Temple on May 14, 1942 in Norcatur, Kansas. He had four brothers (Gerald, Harold, Verle, and Archie) and three sisters (Velma, Mildred, and Maxine).

At age 18, Ed married Mary Gaumer in Jennings, Kansas. While they were attending Kansas Wesleyan University, Ed’s first child Lewis Edward Temple III was born. After graduating Magna Cum Laude from Kansas Wesleyan University in 1964 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Physics, Ed was awarded an AEC (Atomic Energy Commission) Special Fellowship in Nuclear Science and Engineering and was admitted to graduate school in the Nuclear Engineering Department at the University of California, Berkeley Campus.

While in California, Ed and Mary adopted their daughter, Laurice Elizabeth Temple before their divorce in 1968. Later, Ed met Fu Sing Wu during his time in Berkeley and they married in 1971, adding Fu Sing’s daughter Mei Wah to the family. In 1972, Ed obtained his Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering, in which he wrote his thesis, “Nuclear Structure Studies following Negative Muon Capture in Doubly Magic Nuclei” at the 184-inch Cyclotron.

Ed first started in the workforce as a Senior Development Engineer in the Nuclear Energy Division at General Electric Company in 1972, before he began his long and illustrious career in the U.S. Department of Energy in 1975 as a Program Manager for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) in the San Francisco Field Operations Office.

In 1977, Ed and his family moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to Bethesda, MD where he became the Branch Chief of the Office of Program and Project Management at the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) in Germantown, MD.

In 1980, Ed became the Director of Project Assessment for the Office of Energy Research, where he implemented a systematic review process that subsequently became the high energy physics community standard, previously known as the “Temple Review.”

In 1991, Ed and Fu Sing moved to Chicago, IL where he worked at Argonne National Laboratory, followed by Fermilab, Oak Ridge National Lab, and then back to Argonne. He played a role in innumerable U.S. Department of Energy projects throughout his life, notably he was the Director for the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) Site Selection Task Force, Project Director for the construction of the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne, Construction Manager for the Compact Muon Solenoid at CERN, and Project Director for the Spallation Neutron Source at ORNL.

Ed retired as Project Advisor to the Director at Argonne National Laboratory in 2015 and moved to Silver Spring, MD in 2022 with his wife to be closer to their children and grandchildren living in the United States. Ed is survived by his wife of 53 years, Fu Sing; his children Lewis, Laurice, and Mei; and his grandchildren Bianca, Finn, Zac, and Maia.

Ed always wanted to know your name and would actually remember it! He was a cheerful soul, who took interest in the people around him, and truly cared. He is credited with having a profound impact upon many people’s lives, careers, and work ethic within and outside of the scientific community. From very early on, he was deeply committed to and passionate about supporting and mentoring young people in various fields of science right up until his passing.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Lewis “Ed” Temple Jr. Memorial Scholarship for students in physics at Kansas Wesleyan University.

Please make checks payable to “Kansas Wesleyan University”, specify in memo line “In Memory of Ed Temple” and mail to:

Kansas Wesleyan University

Attn: Ken Oliver

Box 40

100 East Claflin Avenue, Salina KS 67401

Donations may also be made by credit card over the phone by calling Cathy Doubrava at the KWU Development Office at (785) 833-4392