William Charles Reinig, 91, of Annapolis

William Charles Reinig, 91, died on August 25, 2015 in Annapolis of pancreatic cancer. Reinig was born on June 5, 1924, to William Charles Costello Reinig and Alice Schuster Reinig in Queens, NY, where he was raised.

He received a bachelor of mechanical engineering from Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn (now NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering). He served in the Navy during World War II.

After the war, Reinig worked as leader of the radiation protection program for the nation’s first peacetime reactor during its startup and initial operation at Brookhaven National Laboratory. In 1951, he led a research team that measured the natural radioactivity of 6000 square miles of the DuPont operated Savannah River Site (SRS) and its environs outside of Aiken, SC. This was the first large-scale environmental assay of naturally occurring radioactivity. He held a number of technical and management positions at SRS including Superintendent of Health Physics, General Superintendent for the Technical Department and Deputy General Manager for the Environmental Safety and Health.

Bill was active in professional societies. He was a charter member, fellow, and president of the Health Physics Society (HPS), an international organization of radiation protection specialists. He was elected Chairman of the American Board of Health Physics. In 2006, he received the McAdams Award of the HPS for his significant contributions to the radiation protection profession. He served on the National Council on Radiation Protection (NCRP). Bill published over 40 technical papers and was editor of the book “Environmental Surveillance in the Vicinity of Nuclear Facilities.”

He enjoyed gardening, reading, traveling and watching movies. After retirement, he wrote a memoir about growing up in Queens during the Depression for his children and grandchildren. He lived at Ginger Cove for the past 11 years and was active in a number of positions including serving as president of the Ginger Cove Residents Club.

In 1949, he married Marion Borgstrom whom he met at Brookhaven National Laboratory. She died in 2007, three days after their 58th wedding anniversary.

He was also predeceased by his parents, his sister, Sally, his brother, Edward, and their spouses. He is survived by Dr. James Reinig (Ellen) of Annapolis, and Dr. Christine Reinig of Santa Fe, NM, as well as grandchildren Margaret and Ann Reinig and Dennis and Alice Flournoy.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Sept. 19, at 1 p.m. in the Friendship Hall at Ginger Cove, 4000 River Crescent Drive in Annapolis.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Ginger Cove Foundation, 4000 River Crescent Dr, Annapolis, MD 21401.