Dr. Charles ‘Charlie’ McMillan’s tragic death in a crash early Friday morning is being mourned in his home community of Los Alamos and beyond. Courtesy photo
BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com
Los Alamos National Laboratory shared the following statement with the Los Alamos Reporter via email at 6 p.m. Friday afternoon:
“Los Alamos National Laboratory is deeply saddened to learn of Dr. Charles “Charlie” McMillan’s unexpected death in a traffic accident in Los Alamos on Friday, Sept. 6.
“Charlie served as the Laboratory’s director from 2011 to 2017, leading a growing workforce through a period that showcased the Lab’s multidisciplinary capabilities and included advancing our analytical capabilities with the Trinity supercomputer, helping to ensure the long-term viability of the nuclear weapons stockpile, supporting Mars exploration, aiding global efforts to develop an HIV vaccine and producing lifesaving medical isotopes. Charlie’s dedicated leadership enabled the Lab to meet these challenges and achieve tremendous success.
“In the years since Charlie’s retirement, he remained committed to the Lab’s national security mission and was a champion for AI, believing the Laboratory and Venado — the Lab’s next generation supercomputer — had a vital role to play in ensuring the nation was strongly positioned in this rapidly evolving field. Above all, Charlie’s actions continued to echo the words he shared with the workforce upon his retirement: “Los Alamos’ unique multidisciplinary scientific capabilities make the world a better place.”
“On behalf of the entire Laboratory, I would like to express deepest sympathies to the McMillan family and to the many current and former employees who worked closely with Charlie and knew him well,” said Los Alamos National Laboratory Director Thom Mason. “His work had an important impact on our mission and that of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and helped set the stage for success in many critical areas of focus, like AI. We will certainly miss his enthusiasm and passion for our work, but the loss of Charlie as a mentor, colleague and friend is a greater tragedy.”
Editor’s note: Members of the community, as well as colleagues from near and far, have reached out to the Los Alamos Reporter since 7 a.m. Friday morning to express their sadness about the news of Dr. McMillan’s death and their concern for his wife, Janet, and family. Confirmation was received when the Santa Fe New Mexican reported the Lab’s announcement this afternoon. See https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/former-lanl-director-charles-mcmillan-69-dies-in-crash/article_9b8be1a6-6c8e-11ef-bc80-77d8e15a6b11.html