Donald D. Clayton, Professor Emeritus of Physics and Astronomy, passed away on January 3, 2024, at the age of 88.
An esteemed talent in the field of astrophysics, he joined Clemson’s Department of Physics and Astronomy in August 1989 and served 16 years before retiring in 2005. He joined the Emeritus College in 2016.
At Clemson, he played an instrumental role in establishing a cutting-edge graduate research program in astrophysics. His dedication and research spanned projects such as the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, where his predictions regarding radioactive nuclei in supernova remnants were confirmed.
Even after his official retirement, Clayton remained an active force in the field, with a particular focus on the condensation of dust within supernovae. Notably, he assembled a comprehensive web-based photo archive detailing the history of nuclear astrophysics and chronicling his own contributions from 1990 through 2014.
Prior to Clemson, he taught and conducted research at the California Institute of Technology, Cambridge University, Rice University, Heidelberg University and the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg. He earned the prestigious Andrew Hays Buchanan Professorship of Astrophysics at Rice in 1968, a position he held for two decades.
He earned degrees from Southern Methodist University and the California Institute of Technology.
A memorial service will be on March 16, 2024 at 11 a.m. at Seneca Presbyterian Church in Seneca, S.C.
