Terry McAfee
1987–2024
The ALS community is saddened to lose Terry McAfee, who was a caring and hardworking presence since he started coming to the facility as a graduate student. From ALS user to full-time staff, he always strove to create a welcoming environment. We will remember his passion for STEM and his love for his family.
Terry was born and raised in Northern California, an environment that fostered his love of the outdoors. His sister, Stacy Penn, recalled, “Terry’s favorite activities as a child that carried with him into adulthood were fishing and camping.” His love of physics came a bit later, an interest he credited to the Upward Bound program at Chico State University. As a first-generation college student, Terry gained skills to navigate academia through this program and was committed to paying it forward.
Chico State Upward Bound Director Maria Moreno watched as Terry grew from a high school participant to an undergraduate tutor/advisor in the program. Later, he kept in touch with the program. “We loved when he was in town visiting family because it meant he stopped in to say hi and tell us all about his job at LBL,” Moreno said. “He hosted a group of our students at Berkeley Lab and talked to them about his path from a low-income small-town kid to his dream career,” she added.
That dream career took Terry around the country. After earning his undergraduate degree in physics from Chico State University, Terry completed a PhD in the lab of Harald Ade at North Carolina State University. During graduate school, Terry began coming to the ALS routinely while Ade helped develop the scanning transmission x-ray microscopy (STXM) program here. He then continued his research career as a postdoctoral fellow, first at Tulane University and then with Brian Collins at Washington State University.
“He was a fantastic researcher with great success in the project, but what really stood out for me was his care for others,” Collins remembered. In addition to mentoring the graduate students in the lab, Terry provided support for his family. In fact, “he passed up other career opportunities across the country to pursue working at the ALS to be close to his family,” said Collins.
At the ALS, Terry took to heart the career and life advice his colleagues offered. He also continued to mentor students, many of whom wrote to share their memories. Joshua Del Mundo, Isaac Zakaria, and Tibbers Hao all met Terry when they were graduate students at the ALS. “I appreciated his practical dedication to making science happen,” said Zakaria. Del Mundo elaborated, “I was both amazed and intimidated at his skills and knowledge of X-ray scattering…My experiences with him were a major influence in wanting to continue working at a synchrotron.”
Terry connected with many in the ALS community, often to their amazement. Hao was surprised that Terry recognized him at the grocery store after a two-year absence. Similarly, a colleague in the Center for X-Ray Optics (CXRO), Sarath Samudrala, said, “When I joined the CXRO group in 2022, I met Terry in the corridor for the first time and he immediately recognized me (maybe he saw my photograph which was sent earlier to the group) and said he wanted to personally welcome me.”
The welcoming environment Terry helped foster was especially important during the pandemic years. Photon Science Operations Group Leader Mike Martin described how Terry led “safety circle” discussions, commenting, “While we were all (mostly) working from home, he made sure that the safety circle remained engaging.” Photon Science Operations Group Deputy Dula Parkinson added, “He had the idea to have one meeting focused on psychological safety,” a crucial topic during a stressful time. “I was impressed about how he approached the topic, and how he really thought through what other people might be experiencing and what would be helpful to them.”
When Terry transitioned from an ALS user to a Berkeley Lab staff member, the announcement was met with much fanfare at the all-hands meeting. “This is Terry’s forever home,” was one comment, a tribute to the relationships he had built around the Lab. His leadership team at the ALS and CXRO also applauded these relationships. Patrick Naulleau of CXRO (and now CEO of EUV Tech) said, “Terry represented all the best qualities of a team scientist, and I was honored to have him on my team at CXRO.” Terry’s supervisor Ethan Crumlin added, “Terry was a person who truly embodied the ALS spirit.”
Remembrances of Terry would not be complete without mention of his humor and fun. Zakaria shared, “I have a few fond memories of chatting with him about cars and engineering while repairing one of the beamlines.” Hao noted, “I still remember he talked about the best sofa to use for overnight shifts, which shower is bad at ALS.” Mechanical engineer Chris Huschke shared an office with Terry for two years, during which they bonded over their love of the outdoors. Huschke shared photos from their camping and fishing trips.
Terry’s love of nature was as constant as his love for his family. From his postdoctoral advisor to colleagues Oleg Kostko, Slavo Nemsak, and others, all remarked on Terry’s love and consideration for his mother. In a profile of Terry when he was a postdoc, he expressed the most excitement about the impending birth of his great-niece. “I’ll teach her anything she wants to know. If I don’t know it, I’ll learn it,” he said at the time.
The great-niece Nevaeh is now five, and Stacy Penn said Terry certainly followed through on showing her the world. “He spent so much time teaching her things and taking her places. She loves animals, so they frequently took trips to the zoos from Sacramento to Oakland,” said Terry’s sister. “She was the apple of his eye.”
The outpouring of memories from those who knew him throughout his career speaks to how caring, intelligent, and hardworking he was. He was an important part of his family and an important part of the ALS family.
Terry’s celebration of life will be held on October 26, 2024, 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m., at the Jacinto Grange, 7254 County Rd 39, Glenn, CA. To join virtually, use this Zoom link.
See also:
- Terry McAfee in his own words: 2019 profile
- Memories from the ALS Community: read the full comments of those quoted above and more. Contribute memories by emailing alscommunications@lbl.gov
Terry strove to support others interested in STEM and always held his family close. To contribute to the Upward Bound program at Chico State University, please see instructions from Maria Moreno, Director of Upward Bound & Upward Bound Math and Science Projects:
We have a scholarship account through the North Valley Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax exempt charitable organization that supports those in need in our rural communities. All funds collected annually in our scholarship account are awarded exclusively to our Upward Bound high school seniors to help alleviate their financial burden as they begin their college experience. Many of our students are just like Terry, they have the heart, grit, and intelligence to succeed, but lack financial resources.
To contribute funds in support of Terry’s family, and in particular his great-niece Nevaeh, please email alscommunications@lbl.gov for more information.