Andy Hull

["Kathleen A. McAllister" <kmca@compuserve.com>]

Although I had already known of him through the volume of health physics
work he had authored, the first time I met Andy was during the last
Seabrook Station FEMA graded ingestion pathway exercise.  The DOE
participated in the exercise, and Andy’s role was to interact with NH at
the state’s emergency operations center.  I was new to my assigned
responsibilities on NH’s accident assessment team, and at that time had
received little prior training on that part of the state’s plan.  It took
no time for Andy to recognize the steep learning curve I was struggling
with, and he quickly came to my assistance by sharing technical bases and
methodologies for promptly evaluating data and making sound protective
action recommendations during the recovery phase of a severe nuclear
accident.  I found that not only was he an outstanding teacher who could
simplify complex calculations, he was extraordinarily generous in sharing
his knowledge and encouragement. This exceptional combination of scientific
astuteness and human kindness prompted me to write and thank him following
the exercise, and this began a warmly rewarding friendship that included
many professional and personal exchanges.

The last time I saw Andy was last April.  He and Edith joined my daughter,
her friends, and friends of mine for a dinner party in East Hampton, NY. 
Although four health physicists outnumbered any other professional career
represented at the table, and the ages of the participants spanned an
interval of more than five decades, Andy and Edith provided a matrix of
spirited conversational topics that engaged every one of us in a fondly
remembered enchanted evening.  It was one of those evenings that we each
wished could have gone on far longer than the passage of time allowed.

In a letter from him dated July 31, 1997, Andy stated that he “would rather
wear out than rust out.”  Because of his even-handed, inspiring and
dedicated contributions to RADSAFE, BNL, the HPS and health physics
community, his church, family and friends, I trust legions of us are
wishing that Andy could have gone on far longer than the passage of time
allowed.  He will be sorely missed.

Kathleen McAllister 
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