Gilbert (Gil) Lenk Zigler

Gilbert (Gil) Lenk Zigler passed away on Sunday, October 12, 2014, at his home in Albuquerque, NM. He was 69 years of age. He is survived by his wife, Patti Bolton Zigler of Albuquerque; son, Bryan and grandsons, Matthew and Mason Zigler of Charleston, SC; daughter, Andrea Zigler of Philomath, OR; and sister, Marlen Zigler of Koro Island, Fiji. Gil was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1945. He was the son of Brazilian swimmer and World Record Holder, Maria Lenk Zigler, and Daniel G. Zigler of Bisbee, AZ. At the age of 18, he moved to the United States to attend the University of New Mexico where he graduated with a bachelor in Electrical Engineering. He joined the USAF upon graduation and completed his masters in Nuclear Engineering in 1969 at the Air Force Institute of Technology in Dayton, OH. That same year he married the love of his life, Patti, and began his career at Kirtland AFB working on safety analysis of the Pioneer 10 and 11 deep space probes. In 1973, Gil left the Air Force and joined Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) in Lynchburg, VA, where he began his long career in the nuclear power industry. He saw the development of all seven of B&W’s nuclear power plants from the early stages of construction through start up. His work on the development of a noise and vibration monitoring system eventually brought him on site at the B&W Three Mile Island plant just hours after the start of the 1979 accident, where he was able to help safely shut down the damaged unit. He continued his long association with the nuclear power industry implementing the diagnostic systems of the Tokomak Fusion Test Reactor at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, participating in the last three underground nuclear weapons tests, providing technical support to Tokyo Electric Power following the Fukushima Daiichi accident, leading the development of NUREG/CR-6224, and working to solve strainer clogging issues for numerous U.S. and international nuclear power plants. Gil was an active committee and board member in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for over 30 years. In 2013, he was made a Fellow of ASME to recognize the exceptional engineering achievements and contributions he made to the engineering profession. In addition to his outstanding engineering career, Gil loved to travel around the world, fish in Alaska and Florida, take cruises with his wife, kids, and grandkids, read historical books, spend time at his cabin in Colorado, take walks with his Welsh Corgis, and tell fascinating stories of his childhood and early career. A Memorial Service will be held Monday, October 20, 2014, 10:00 a.m., at FRENCH – Wyoming. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to The Wild Salmon Center (www.wildsalmoncenter.org).

Gilbert (Gil) Lenk Zigler

March 19, 1945 - October 12, 2014