Albert Narath

His science and engineering career spanned 40 years, most at Sandia where he was the first President to be selected from Sandia’s ranks. He began as a member of technical staff, then manager and director of solid state research and physical sciences, Vice President of Research and Systems Development, EAlbert (Al) Narath, former President of Sandia National Laboratories, died May 2, 2023 at his home in Albuquerque, NM. Al recently celebrated his 90th birthday with family and friends.

His science and engineering career spanned 40 years, most at Sandia where he was the first President to be selected from Sandia’s ranks. He began as a member of technical staff, then manager and director of solid state research and physical sciences, Vice President of Research and Systems Development, Executive Vice President, culminating in President of Sandia Corporation from 1989-1995. As President, he sought to apply research to help our nation resolve important scientific and economic problems by promoting technology development initiatives in manufacturing, electronics, information, and pulsed power. He was Vice President at AT&T Bell Labs in Murray Hill, NJ and President and Chief Operating Officer for Lockheed Martin’s Energy and Environment Sector, Bethesda, MD, which oversaw operations at Sandia, Oak Ridge, and Idaho national laboratories, among other environmental companies.

Al received his BS at the University of Cincinnati and his PhD in physical chemistry at the University of California Berkeley. He was a respected scientist who published 80 papers in the field of solid-state physics and served on various key national committees focused on national security issues. He was a member of the National Academy of Engineering and was a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) where he received the APS 1991 George E. Pake Prize; he was a Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and was awarded the Roosevelts Gold Medal for Science in 1994. His memberships on various other national boards included the Defense Science Board, National Research Council Board on Physics and Astronomy, CIA’s DCI non-proliferation panel, the Department of Commerce National Medal of Technology selection panel, and Department of Energy Advisory Council, to name a few.

Upon his retirement in 1998, Al spent many happy years traveling with his wife Shanna. His love of nature was evidenced by their hiking and sea kayaking adventures, and travels to destinations such as the Arctic, Antarctica, Africa, and Patagonia. When not traveling, he enjoyed classical music, gardening, and challenging himself with new projects such as building model steam engines from scratch in his machine shop.

Survivors include his wife, Shanna; his children, Tanya Narath (Tim Stewart), Lise Narath (Dong Kim), Yvette Klinkmann (Michael Klinkmann), Albert Narath IV (Jolie Kerns), Risha Beasley (Craig Beasley), and Martin Cernosek (Allison Mitchell), and 8 grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Albert Narath and Johanna Bruckmann; and by his siblings, Helmar Narath (Erica Narath) and Antje Hirt (Ernie Hirt).

In memory of Al please consider donating to one of Al’s favorite charities: NM Steam Locomotive & Railroad Historical Society, Joy Junction, or the NM Animal Friends. The family will host a celebration of life to be held at a later date.