Lasting Memories

Louis Peselnick
1924-June 5, 2024
Menlo Park, California

Louis Peselnick passed away at his Menlo Park home on June 5, 2024, at the age of 100. Lou was a native of Brooklyn, New York, and a long-time resident of Menlo Park, California. After graduating from high school during World War II, he served in the US Army as a Control Tower Operator. Lou then earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a doctoral degree in physics from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.

In 1957, Lou joined the US Geological Survey in Washington, DC, as a research physicist. He transferred to the Menlo Park office in 1969, becoming a recognized authority in the field of the elastic and anelastic properties of rocks and minerals. Lou particularly enjoyed representing the USGS in collaborative projects on Earthquake Prediction with the Institute of Physics of the Earth of the USSR in the mid-1970’s. After retiring from the USGS in 1984, Lou loved studying music theory, playing the piano, and reading mathematical and scientific texts. He is survived by extended family and a host of devoted friends and caregivers.