June 27 2019: KIRBY, Ralph C.

RALPH C. KIRBY

Ralph C. Kirby, a career metallurgist and long-time employee of the U.S. Bureau of Mines died at his home on June 24, 2019. He was 93. A native Washingtonian, after graduation from Eastern High School he joined the Army, serving from 1943 to 1945. He was with the First Infantry Division in Belgium and Germany and was wounded in the Battle of Hürtgen Forest.

Kirby graduated magna cum laude from the Catholic University of America in 1950. At the Bureau of Mines he became the Bureau’s principal authority on technology, research, and development of metallurgical processes. He was named Assistant Director-Metallurgy in 1976.

He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Metallurgical Society of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, belonged to the Sigma Xi honorary society, and is the author of more than 30 publications.

A long-time resident of Leisure World-Maryland, he was very active in community affairs. He is survived by his wife, the former Madge Barbour, and his son, Charles, of Columbus, Ohio.

Memorial Service will be held at Inter-Faith Chapel, 3680 South Leisure World Blvd., Silver Spring, MD, on Monday, July 1, 2019 at 11:00 AM. Memorial contributions may be made to The Salvation Army NCAC, 2626 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington D.C. 20037, or Interfaith Chapel 3680 South Leisure World Blvd., Silver Spring, Maryland 20906.

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