Jack Asbridge (photo by Jeannine Lintner). Retired Los Alamos physicist specialized in radiation detection by Evelyn Boswell Jack Asbridge, '53 Phys, spent his entire career looking for radiation that never appeared, but that was alright with him. If he and his team had detected something, it would have meant the Soviet Union was violating its promise not to test nuclear weapons. "I still feel good for having done what I did all those years," Asbridge said when he returned to Montana State University for his 50th class reunion in May. Asbridge retired in 1991 after working 32 years at Los Alamos National Laboratory. A physicist and program manager of space satellite programs, he built detectors that flew in space to monitor the earth's atmosphere and interplanetary space. The instruments were designed to detect gamma rays, x-rays and neutrons emitted from nuclear bombs. The purpose was to make sure the Soviet Union was complying with the limited test ban treaty it had made with the United States and Great Britain. "I feel I was very fortunate to earn my living doing the things I enjoyed doing," Asbridge said. One benefit of monitoring space was the opportunity to observe the sun and other cosmic bodies, Asbridge continued. The same instruments that looked for radiation from bombs could detect solar radiation and supernovas. "We were able to do a lot of research and publish papers on those thing, so we got invited to put those kind of instruments on NASA satellites," Asbridge said. Asbridge worked for a time as a consultant to Los Alamos after his retirement. These days he is more likely to travel with his wife, Marilyn (Milburn), '54 PE. Besides attending the MSU reunion, the couple finished tracing the second half of the Lewis and Clark trail this spring. They try every year to make at least one small trip and one large one, Asbridge said. Their international trips so far have taken them to Switzerland, England, Scotland, Wales, Spain, Portugal, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Caribbean, Panama Canal and the great rivers of Europe. Future trips may include the Scandinavian countries, Ireland and South America. "I encourage people to do these things, but perhaps start a little younger than I did," said Asbridge, age 74. A native of Lakeside, Asbridge said he has always considered himself lucky. He was fortunate to have been born in 1928, which meant his military service fell between World War II and the Korean War. He was lucky to have met his wife. He appreciates his children, his health and a satisfying career. "I had a good life," Asbridge said.