John G Stockholm 1934-2024

I have learned from his family that John G Stockholm 1934-2024, my dear friend of some 36 years, passed quietly in his sleep in France 20 September 2024.

John G Stockholm and Cronin B Vining(r) at City Hall, during 7th European Workshop on Thermoelectrics, Pamplona, Spain, October 3-4, 2002

 

John was a fixture of the international thermoelectric community for decades, attending early short courses and workshops in Texas in the 1970s-80s. John was part of the conversations at the 1988 Texas workshop which led directly to forming the International Thermoelectric Society (ITS), and he served on the ITS Board 1997-9 and 2015-7. Few, if any, participated in more thermoelectric conferences, workshops and short courses. Some of his many publications can be found on his website https://marvelte.com/

In particular John contributed to larger-scale (kilowatt scale) Naval and rail industrial applications of thermoelectrics. He is perhaps best known for putting a prototype thermoelectric air conditioner in a French passenger rail car in 1977, which operated for many years. 

John was a constant advocate of new and creative ideas, always encouraging young people and seasoned researchers to pursue novel approaches. His advocacy was sometimes in the background and perhaps not widely appreciated. Read for example John's modest account of his pivotal dinner with Dr. Mille Dresselhaus and her husband. Millie spoke of the influence this meal conversation had on her own work. https://millie.pubpub.org/pub/2g5ckwog/release/1

John loved to travel to thermoelectric meetings around the world, often combining business travel with mountain hiking. He spoke, always with deep affection, of his wife Francine and their children. I will miss John.


– Cronin B Vining, Blaine, WA, USA, 22 Sep 2024