George Brown Arfken Jr.

George Brown Arfken, of Clearwater, FL passed away on October 8, 2020, at the age of 97. George was born Nov. 20, 1922 to George, Sr. and Ann (nee Hill) Arfken in Jersey City, NJ. He graduated from Montclair HS and attended Yale University where he graduated in 1943, with a degree in Chemical Engineering. He served in the US Navy from 1943-1945. After the war, he returned to Yale University earning a PhD in physics. He married Carolyn (nee Dines) in 1949. He worked in the national laboratory in Oak Ridge, TN, but took a teaching job at Miami University (Oxford, OH) in 1952. He remained at Miami serving as the Physics Dept. chairman from 1956-72, and retired in 1983, as professor emeritus. During this time, he authored or coauthored two Physics text books, one of which is still in use today. George and Carolyn moved to Clearwater, FL, where he has resided the past 37 years. In retirement, George played a major role in developing the postal history of Canada for the 60-year period 1851-1911. He coauthored nine books on early Canadian postage and registration stamps, and over 250 articles in philatelic journals. Carolyn died in 1997, and he married Mary Seet, who died in 2010. George is survived by his three children, six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. A memorial service is planned for some future date.