The Global Security Institute deeply mourns the loss of our friend, Dr. Alan F. Phillips, a committed, passionate activist and citizen who selflessly dedicated much of his intellectual and material resources towards the elimination of nuclear weapons. On behalf of GSI and our family of programs, I extend my most heartfelt condolences to his family.

Perhaps it was Alan’s having lived in four different countries, spanning three different continents that set the foundation for his efforts for world peace. Alan, who was born in China, raised in England and who spent his adult life in North America, had a profound appreciation for our common humanity.

Perhaps it was his unique experiences and insights into the world of physics and radiation that fueled his passion for nuclear abolition. As one of the early developers of radar during World War II, Alan later became a leader in the burgeoning field of radiation therapy and clinical radiotherapy.  Alan’s tools for healing and for life, he knew, had a darker, evil side of death and destruction; it is perhaps this intimate understanding of the secrets of the atom that imbued him with a unique moral imperative to work for nuclear weapons elimination.

Perhaps, though, it was simply his deep love for life that infused his activism for peace. Alan was a loving husband, father and friend to many, but he was also an avid gardener, sailor, reader and polymath. To revel in the joys of life, as Alan did, is to express gratitude for all of humanity’s gifts. Perhaps his tireless work to prevent nuclear war was, at a very basic level, simply Alan’s expression of gratitude for a beautiful life, well-lived.

His family requests that anyone wishing to make a contribution to nuclear abolition in Alan's memory should do so through via the Global Security Institute (by clicking here) or to the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. IPPNW can also be contacted at: 727 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139 USA, (617) 868-5050.