Tommy W. Ambrose

Tommy Ambrose died January 13, 2020 in Pocatello, ID, after a decline from a series of strokes. He left behind his wife of 68 years, Shirley B. Ambrose (since deceased), his sister Arlene DeMars, his three daughters, Leslie, Julie, and Pamela, and grandchildren Shira and Joshua. Tommy was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Rosemary.

Tommy was born on October 14, 1926, to Fines and Fern (Buff) Ambrose, in Jerome, Idaho. He was the oldest of three children, with two younger sisters, Rosemary and Arlene. Growing up in Idaho, young Tommy helped his father manage the family farm. When his father enlisted at the start of World War II, Tommy stayed behind to finish the farming while the rest of the family moved to Hawthorne.

At the age of 17, Tommy enlisted in the United States Navy. He served on the U.S.S. Franklin in the Pacific Theatre. The ship was bombed and Tommy ended up going overboard. He was rescued after 5 hours, the last survivor pulled from the water.

After the war, Tommy returned to Idaho and went to college on the GI Bill, getting a bachelor's ('50) and master's ('51) degrees in Chemical Engineering at the University of Idaho.

While at the U of I, Tommy played as a center on the varsity football team. He fondly remembered that Idaho beat Stanford at Stanford in 1947, an amazing upset. While in college, he met his wife, classmate Shirley Ann Ball. He first caught sight of her when the football team voted on the Homecoming Queen. She certainly got his vote! Later, they were formally introduced by two friends for a double date, and the match was made.

Tommy and Shirley were married in 1951 and moved to Richland, WA, where Tommy took a position with the General Electric Company at the Hanford nuclear site. Realizing that he needed more education, the couple moved to Corvallis so Tommy could attend Oregon State University. He completed his doctorate in Chemical Engineering in 1957.

Tommy resumed his career with GE and then Douglas United Nuclear, before moving to Battelle Memorial Institute, as director of the Seattle Research Center in 1969 and then as vice president and director of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland.

Tommy retired from Battelle in 1996 to serve the University of California System as liaison between its president and three Department of Energy's National Laboratories which they managed at Livermore, Los Alamos, and Berkeley.

Tommy received the University of Idaho's Hall of Fame award in 1980, an honorary doctorate from the University of Idaho in 1981, the Oregon State University College of Engineering Hall of Fame award in 2001, and the Idaho State University College of Engineering's Professional Achievement award in 2000. In 2011, Tommy was inducted into the Inaugural Class of the University of Idaho's Academy of Engineers.

In retirement, Tommy and Shirley renovated the house at their farm near Pocatello, ID. His comment on retirement: "I never worked so hard in my life!" Tommy also joined the faculty at Idaho State University, teaching graduate level management courses in the Engineering department.

Donations in Tommy's memory may be made to the University of Idaho.

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