Former LANL Director Charlie McMillan
By CAROL A. CLARK
Los Alamos Daily Post
caclark@ladailypost.com
The community is mourning the loss of former Los Alamos National Laboratory Director Charlie McMillan since learning he lost his life early in the morning of Sept. 6, 2024, in a traffic accident on the Main Hill Road in Los Alamos.
His passing brought to mind fond memories from members of the Post’s news team of their interactions with him through the years.
“He was kind, he was respectful, he was accessible, he was super intelligent, he loved photography, he loved astronomy, he loved music, you could tell he loved this community…” were just some of the comments shared among the team.
When first hearing of his plan to retire in 2017, a collective “oh no!” rang out in the news room – simply because he was a joy to cover.
Tributes to Charlie McMillan:
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is deeply saddened to learn of Dr. Charles “Charlie” McMillan’s unexpected death in a traffic accident in Los Alamos on Friday, Sept. 6.
Charlie served as the Laboratory’s director from 2011 to 2017, leading a growing workforce through a period that showcased the Lab’s multidisciplinary capabilities and included advancing our analytical capabilities with the Trinity supercomputer, helping to ensure the long-term viability of the nuclear weapons stockpile, supporting Mars exploration, aiding global efforts to develop an HIV vaccine and producing lifesaving medical isotopes. Charlie’s dedicated leadership enabled the Lab to meet these challenges and achieve tremendous success.
In the years since Charlie’s retirement, he remained committed to the Lab’s national security mission and was a champion for AI, believing the Laboratory and Venado — the Lab’s next-generation supercomputer — had a vital role to play in ensuring the nation was strongly positioned in this rapidly evolving field. Above all, Charlie’s actions continued to echo the words he shared with the workforce upon his retirement: “Los Alamos’ unique multidisciplinary scientific capabilities make the world a better place.”
“On behalf of the entire Laboratory, I would like to express deepest sympathies to the McMillan family and to the many current and former employees who worked closely with Charlie and knew him well,” LANL Director Thom Mason said. “His work had an important impact on our mission and that of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and helped set the stage for success in many critical areas of focus, like AI. We will certainly miss his enthusiasm and passion for our work, but the loss of Charlie as a mentor, colleague and friend is a greater tragedy.”
Former LANL Director Terry Wallace:
We lost an incredible person when Charlie McMillan was killed in a traffic accident in Los Alamos early this morning (Sept. 6, 2024). Charlie will always be known first as a former Los Alamos National Laboratory director, but that hardly captures this man. I first got to know Charlie in 2005, and through 20 years at the lab he became one of my closest friends and colleagues.
He was brilliant, but more importantly, he was passionate, honest and dignified. He was a talented musician, photographer, and since retirement, a fantastic watcher of the night sky. Charlie and I traveled a difficult journey at Los Alamos from contract changes, wildfires, accidents, and national security challenges.
He was a man that I truly could trust – humble but skilled, and always respectful. His fingerprints are all over things that are good at the lab – and his influence on friends is deep.
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich:
Julie and I extend our sincerest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Dr. Charlie McMillan. He had an incredible mind, a kind heart, and a strong commitment to our country. His tragic passing today is a loss to Los Alamos and the entire scientific community.
Just weeks ago, Charlie and I were in deep conversation, mapping out America’s leadership on artificial intelligence with hand drawn graphs, and I am still in shock that he is no longer with us.
As a leader and an individual, Charlie made invaluable contributions to our state, to science, and to our national security. I will always be grateful to Charlie for his leadership at LANL, his work and partnership on supercomputing and artificial intelligence, and his commitment to serving the greater good.
U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján:
Charlie McMillan was a leader and a visionary. He dedicated his life to advancing scientific innovation and cutting-edge technology at Los Alamos National Laboratory and beyond.
Charlie made our nation stronger and safer. I am heartbroken by the loss of such a great man and colleague.
Los Alamos County Council Chair Denise Derkacs:
Los Alamos County Council Chair Denise Derkacs opened the Tuesday County Council meeting saying, before we begin tonight’s meeting, let’s take a moment to remember former Laboratory Director Charles McMillan, who died tragically Friday morning in a traffic accident on NM502.
Charlie served as Director of Los Alamos National Laboratory from June 2011 to December 2017. He joined the Laboratory in June 2006 as the Associate Director for Weapons Physics under the new management contract with LANS—Los Alamos National Security LLC. He previously spent more than 22 years in the weapons program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Charlie was a brilliant experimental physicist with a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was also an accomplished musician, an avid photographer, and an amateur astronomer.
I was fortunate to hear Charlie play the recorder with a musical trio at a private event in Santa Fe; and also fortunate to view the night sky through his personal telescope at that same event. I first met Charlie in 2005 at the LANS proposal center in San Francisco where we had back-to-back cubicles while working on the LANS proposal for the Laboratory contract. We had many conversations during which he listened to my insights on the Laboratory workforce and he shared his vision for the nuclear weapons program and the future of the Laboratory.
I also worked with him when I was Chief of Staff in the Principal Associate Directorate for the Nuclear Weapons Program which included three weapons directorates—physics, engineering, and manufacturing. Charlie was a visionary, an inspiring leader, and a mentor for those who worked for him. He will be missed. On behalf of the County of Los Alamos, I offer my sincere condolences to his wife Janet, to his children and extended family, and to his friends in the Laboratory community and beyond.
Let’s observe a moment of silence to honor Charlie’s memory.
University of California President Michael V. Drake, M.D.:
We at the University of California were stunned and heartbroken to learn of the tragic death of our friend and colleague Charles McMillan.
Charlie was an extraordinary leader, scientist, and human being who made far-reaching contributions to science and technology in service to national security and the greater good.
We send our sincere condolences and best wishes to his family, friends, and all those who worked with him at the Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories.