Lynn Seaman, long time resident of the Menlo Park area and a leading authority at SRI International in the field of shock wave physics, died peacefully August 19 of brain cancer. Lynn was born in Arkansas in 1933 and grew up and lived in California most of his life. He studied civil engineering at UC Berkeley, where as top student in his class he was awarded the University Medal in 1959. After earning a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he returned to California and joined SRI in 1961. There he developed computational models for predicting outcomes of impact and explosive loads on materials and structures. An authority in the mechanics and physics of fracture, Lynn published more than 100 technical articles, regularly reviewed articles for professional journals, and delivered invited lectures and courses at universities in the US, Europe, and China. Outside work, Lynn was continually engaged in the pursuit of knowledge, with interests ranging from drumming to wood sculpture to the stock market. He was skilled with carpentry and construction, and undertook numerous renovation projects at home and in rental properties, including (with his family) the construction of a house in Portola Valley. Lynn enjoyed studying languages and learned to converse in German, Spanish, French, and Russian. He also contributed generously to human rights and environmental organizations. Although officially retired since 1998, Lynn continued biking to SRI essentially every day and working about half time, between trips to Mariposa, where he was renovating his deceased father’s house and teaching local men building skills on the job. He also made weekly visits to his nephew Buck in the East Bay. There he delighted in the attention of Buck's kids while teaching them Spanish and woodcarving. Lynn is survived by his wife, Renate Cords; his four children, Peggy Wonder, Ellen Womack, Mark Seaman, and Tanya Seaman; his brothers, Carl and Lloyd Seaman; his first wife, Elisabeth Seaman; two grandchildren, Carrie Lynn Dennett and Ruben Seaman; his niece, Donna Rutan; his nephew Buck Cunningham and his family; and his good friend, Linda Miller. A memorial celebration will be held on Friday, September 21st at 5 pm at SRI, 333 Ravenswood Avenue, Menlo Park. For additional information, please call 650-852-0492. Memorial donations may be made to human rights or environmental causes.