Norman Rostoker, Professor Emeritus of Physics & Astronomy at University of California, Irvine, passed away on December 25, 2014 at the age of 89. Norman was an internationally known physicist considered a pioneer in fusion and plasma physics. He was predeceased by his wife of nearly 66 years, Helen Corinne Rostoker, who died on April 11, 2014. Norman is survived by his four children, Stephen Rostoker, Ruth Forton, Linda Rostoker and Rachel Uchizono, as well as grandchildren Lisa Servedio, Nolan Uchizono and Kellen Uchizono, and one great grandchild, Sofia Servedio.

Norman was born on August 16, 1925 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He received his B.A.Sc. and M.A. from the University of Toronto in 1946 and 1947, respectively. He was awarded his D.Sc. in physics from Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1950. After a stint at the Armour Research Foundation (1953-1956), he joined a group of privately funded fusion researchers at General Atomics in San Diego (1956-1957), where he became Manager of Fusion and Plasma Physics and a Professor of Physics at University of California, San Diego. This was followed by a move to Ithaca, NY where Norman was Chairman of the Applied Physics Department at Cornell University (1967-1972). From 1972 on, he was a Professor of Physics at UC Irvine and chairman of that department from 1973-1976. In 1988, Norman was the recipient of the James Clerk Maxwell Prize of the American Physical Society and received a UCI Medal in 1999.

Norman was known for his brilliant intellect, witty remarks and storytelling. He was a tennis aficionado and when he could no longer play tennis, he watched matches on The Tennis Channel. Norman and Corinne traveled extensively well into their golden years, including visits to Italy, the Middle East, China and the Mediterranean. He will be greatly missed by his family, wide circle of friends and colleagues. A memorial service is being planned for January, 2015.