Donahue, Thomas M.

Thomas M. Donahue was a space and planetary scientist and a professor of physics. He taught at Johns Hopkins and the University of Pittsburgh prior to coming to the University of Michigan in 1974. He specialized in the atmosphere of Venus and the evolution of planets. He chaired Michigan's Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science and founded the Program for the Integrated Study of Global Change.

From the description of Thomas M. Donahue photograph series. 1950s-2000. (University of Michigan). WorldCat record id: 173259589

From the description of Thomas M. Donahue papers, 1939-2002, bulk 1980-1998. (University of Michigan). WorldCat record id: 173259565

Thomas M. Donahue was born in Healdton, Oklahoma of Irish-American parents on May 23, 1921, and was raised in Kansas City, Missouri. He stayed in Missouri to complete his studies at Rockhurst College, and by 1942 he had earned degrees in both classics and physics. He left soon after to start graduate work in the physics department at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. His work was waylaid in 1944-1945 by service in the Signal Corps of the United States Army. Returning to Johns Hopkins he received his PhD in atomic physics in the fall of 1947, and from 1948 to 1951 he was assistant professor of physics.

Following his appointment as assistant professor at Johns Hopkins, Donahue joined the University of Pittsburgh as an assistant professor in 1951 and by 1959 he was promoted to the rank of full professor of physics, serving until 1974. While at the University of Pittsburgh he organized an atomic physics and atmospheric science program that led to the experimental and theoretical study of the upper atmosphere of the Earth and spacecraft explorations of Mars, Venus, and the outer planets. By 1974, Donahue concurrently held two director positions, one at the Space Research Coordination Center, 1970-1974 and the other at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Science from 1966 to 1974.

In 1974 Donahue joined the University of Michigan faculty as chairman of the Department pf Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, a position he held until 1980. Throughout his research and teaching career at the University of Michigan he was regarded as the foremost expert on the atmosphere and ionosphere of Venus, as well as how atmospheric chemistry influenced the evolution and behavior of planets. As such, Donahue pursued his growing interest in the problem of anthropogenic destruction of the stratospheric ozone by founding and directing the Project for the Integrated Study of Global Change from 1990-1992.

Donahue displayed a strong commitment to atmospheric science and space research through his professional activities and associations. During his early work with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) he was Chairman of the steering group responsible for two Venus missions. He was also an experimenter on several missions including Apollo-17, Voyager, Galileo and the Cassini mission to Saturn and the outer planets. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1983 and was the chairman of the Space Science Board of the National Research Council (NRC) from 1982 to1988. He has also served on numerous governmental and scientific advisory boards and committees, such as the Committee on Atmosphere Sciences, Geophysics Research Board, and several university consortia working groups.

Donahue received many honors over the years. He won eight NASA Achievement Awards, several NASA Public Service Awards, and the Wellock Distinguished Research Accomplishment Award from the University of Michigan in 1981. In the same year he also received the distinguished Arctowski Medal from the NAS and the John Adams Fleming Medal from the American Geophysical Union. In 1988, he was given the Space Science Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Also notable is the Henry Russel Award of 1986, one of the highest honors bestowed upon a University of Michigan faculty member.

Donahue authored over 200 publications and was editor of Space Research X in 1970 and Venus in 1983. He was also associate editor of Reviews of Geophysics and Space Sciences-Planetary and Space Science.

Donahue was a lover of his Irish ancestry. He studied both oral and written sources and was known for his efforts to support the establishment of the International O'Donoghue Society. He was survived by his wife Esther, and three sons: Brian, Kevin, and Neil.

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From the guide to the Thomas M. Donahue papers, 1939-2002, 1980-1998, (Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan)