Stix: 'Unassuming style and grace'

Rob Goldston, current director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, remembers well the moment when Thomas Stix entered his life.

Then an undergraduate student, Goldston had just received an acceptance letter to the Princeton Program in Plasma Physics, which had recently been founded by Stix. After having heard many things about this eminent scholar, Goldston could not have been more pleased.

"I am embarrassed to say, I stood on my head to express my joy" Goldston said in an e-mail.

Looking back on the countless contributions, both academic and otherwise, of this respected educator and long-time member of the University community, Goldston's response to Stix's letter could not have been more appropriate.

Thomas Stix died last Monday of leukemia at the age of 76.

Stix was born on July 12, 1924, in St. Louis and served in the U.S. Army from 1942-1945. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the California Institute of Technology in 1948 and his Ph.D from Princeton in 1953.

After graduation, Stix stayed in Princeton to work on Project Matterhorn. Still classified at the time, Project Matterhorn strove to control fusion energy for use in peacetime.

In 1961 Stix assumed leadership of the experimental division of the project, and what is known today as the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory was born. The PPPL soon gained an exceptional reputation, largely due to the teaching of professor Stix.

As Goldston said, "To come to Princeton and learn plasma waves from Tom Stix was akin to going to Mt. Sinai to learn the Ten Commandments from Moses."

Over the years, Stix indeed became a monumental figure in his field. In 1962, the same year he was appointed professor of astrophysical sciences at the University, he published the text "The Theory of Plasma Waves." This textbook about waves in plasma proved quite influential.

As friend and colleague professor Nathaniel Fisch, director of the Program in Plasma Physics, observed in an e-mail, "The world has been for 40 years following Stix's lead in how to heat the plasma as it remains confined. His definitive book on plasma waves systematized and formalized the theory for generations to come."

Stix's ground-breaking work brought him recognition from many sectors. In 1969, he received a Guggenheim Fellowship, and in 1980 the James Clerk Maxwell Prize, the American Physical Society's highest award in the field of plasma physics.

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In 1999, Fusion Power Associates presented him with their Lifetime Achievement Award. The University honored Stix with its first "University Award for Distinguished Teaching" in 1991.

In addition, Stix invented a device that coupled radio frequency waves at ion cyclotron frequencies into the plasma. This device came to be known as a 'Stix coil,' in his honor.

Yet through all of his accomplishments and accolades, Stix managed to maintain a humility and generosity well remembered by all who knew him.

"Tom came from a different place," Goldston said. "There was a gesture of his hand or a shake of his head, which said, 'Here's an idea. You can have it. It's yours to play with too if you want.' The ideas were at the center of his attention; it didn't matter to him at all whether their author was at the center of your's."

Fisch agreed, saying that Stix, "will be remembered for the unassuming style and grace that comes with doing physics effortlessly and modestly."

In his actions and his words, Stix made it clear that physics was his passion and the opportunity to study this beloved subject was a reward in itself. As Fisch observed, "He used to tell students that he was getting paid for his hobby."

Deeply committed to his studies, Stix was also deeply committed to his students. "Tom Stix was a father figure to those 150 graduates of the program [in Plasma Physics]," Fisch said. "It was universally recognized that Tom cared for each of the alumni of the program, as well as the drop outs from the program. He exerted himself to make sure that these young scientists were properly launched in life."

Stix was also concerned with issues of human rights. Under the auspices of the American Physical Society Committee on International Freedom of Scientists, he worked to ensure the political freedom of all scientists.

As professor Samuel Cohen, director of the Program in Plasma Science and Technology, said in an e-mail, "Tom was a leader in the human rights movement on a global scale. He helped many scientists from Eastern Bloc countries find jobs in the U.S."

His efforts to reach out to others also manifested themselves closer to home. He served as acting director of the recently founded Princeton University Center for Jewish Life in 1994.

According to his friends, Stix made every effort to welcome and support all those around him. Goldston said Stix and his family's great kindness and generosity helped him to settle in during his first years at Princeton, "providing a supporting and loving environment."

"[Stix] had a deep concern for people on a local scale, helping with housing and meals and personal problems for many in the Princeton area," Cohen said. "His contributions directly impacted hundreds of lives; his legacy will affect thousands."

Stix is survived by his wife of over 50 years, Hazel Stix, his daughter Susan Stix of New York, and his son Michael Stix of Lexington, Ma., as well as two brothers, Ernest Stix of St. Louis and John Stix of New York, and four grandchildren.

His family and friends will remember Thomas Stix as someone with a true love of life and with a great concern for all those around him. "He was fun-loving, kind, generous, and dedicated to both his work and his students," Mrs. Stix said. "We will all miss him."

A memorial service will be held today at 10:30 a.m. at the Jewish Center of Princeton.