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Obituary: Paul Emmett Argo
January 3, 2007 5:22 PM by Tom Whipple
Paul Emmett Argo died suddenly on Wednesday, December 20, 2006 of apparent heart failure while on his daily bicycle commute from his office in Washington, D.C., to his home in Falls Church, Virginia. Paul was 58.
Paul was born November 25, 1948 in Los Alamos NM. He received his BS in Physics from Pomona College, in Claremont, CA, and his PhD from The University California, San Diego. Paul was a physicist at Los Alamos National Lab from 1982 until he took a change of station to Washington, DC in 2001. At the time of his death, Paul was Technical Advisor at National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Paul was an accomplished scientist whose unquenchable energy and unbridled enthusiasm for the national labs and the broader national security mission invariably brought success under often challenging circumstances.
Paul brought that same energy and enthusiasm to a dizzying array of avocations over the years as well, including ,but definitely not limited to: restoring and racing cars; raising chickens and racing pigeons; cooking, robotics, puppeteering, ceramics and stained glass; folk dancing, folk music and the hammered dulcimer; singing in church choirs, choral groups large and small and light opera. He dipped briefly into big show business as Christopher Reeves' double and as a short-lived alien in a shorter-lived television series, "Earth Two."
Dauntingly active, Paul attacked hiking, skiing, soccer, volleyball, kayaking, rock climbing, mountain biking, off-roading, camping, boating and backpacking with skill and passion. Paul loved cycling and put thousands of miles on his bike over the years. He rode to work, for fun and would often ride for charity as well. Most recently, Paul, his wife, and close friends biked 440 miles up the Natchez Trace to raise money and awareness of the plight of children in Northern Uganda.
Paul loved to do these and other things with his family. His wife Elaine was always by his side, whether on the bike, in the choir, or at home raising the family. He was a huge supporter of his children. When his son Gavin started studying architecture at Virginia Tech, Paul started writing proposals to begin a foundation for sustainable building which would encourage building competition from university students. And, he was always present on the sidelines of his daughter Tegan's George Mason High School soccer and volleyball games.
Services will take place at The Falls Church, Falls Church, Va. on Monday, January 8, 2007 at 3:00 p.m. A memorial service will be held in Los Alamos, NM at a later date. In lieu of flowers, remembrance contributions may be donated to the Paul Argo Memorial Fund at Los Alamos National Bank, P.O. Box 60 Los Alamos, NM 87544. Paul's goal was to start a foundation to provide solutions for intelligent architecture and design by being better stewards of the world's resources.