Dr. William M. Carey

He was born on March 3, 1943 in Boston, MA, the son of William M. Carey and Rita L. Cronan Carey. He was the oldest of seven children.

Dr. Carey received a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, a master’s degree in Physics, and a PhD in Nuclear Science from The Catholic University of America.

Most recently, he was a professor of mechanical engineering at Boston University, an adjunct professor of applied mathematics at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and an adjunct scientist in applied ocean physics and engineering at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He was the editor emeritus of the Journal of Oceanic Engineering and an associate editor for the Journal of the Acoustical Society. Earlier in his career, Dr. Carey served as a physicist with the Naval Undersea Warfare Center and the Advanced Research Projects Agency assigned to the MIT Department of Ocean Engineering, where he taught graduate courses in Acoustics. He was also a research physicist and engineer at the Naval Underwater Systems Center, The Naval Oceanographic Research and Development Activity, and at the Naval Research Laboratory. He was a consultant to both industry and government in the areas of nondestructive testing, nuclear science/environmental measurements, and applied ocean acoustics.

Dr. Carey was a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE)-Oceanic Engineering Society and received the Society’s Distinguished Technical Achievement Award, Distinguished Service Award, and Third Millennium Award.

In 2007 the Acoustical Society of America awarded Dr. Carey the Pioneer of Underwater Acoustics Silver Medal. At the time, only 16 other individuals had earned this distinction since the medal was introduced in 1959.

Dr. Carey was a Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America, a member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, Sigma Xi, and the Cosmos Club.

Dr. Carey is survived by his wife Susanne Colten-Carey; his sons William and Frederick; his step-children Tamara and Bradley; his grandchildren Krystine, Brianna, Allison, Sean, Hannah, Jed, Quinn, Lael and Emily; and his nieces and nephews Caitlin, Joseph, Alex, Robbie, Anne and Meredith. He was predeceased by his nephew Thomas.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, July 22nd at 1 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 19 Jay Street; New London, CT. Donations may be made in his memory to Amnesty International; 5 Penn Plaza; New York, NY 10001.