Athos Giacchetti

Athos Giacchetti, 90, of Ijamsville (formerly of Silver Spring, MD) was born on January 1, 1921 in Florence, Italy, and on December 29, 2011 left this world to be reunited with his beloved wife Alfa, who died on January 6, 2008.
Athos Giacchetti received his doctoral degree in Physics from the University of Florence.  In 1948 he married Alfa Borri, also a graduate from the same university.
In 1950 Athos and Alfa Giacchetti relocated to Bahia Blanca, Argentina where their children, Paula and Mauro, were born.  Here he organized the physics laboratory and taught physics at the local university.  In 1954 the family moved to Buenos Aires, where he organized the atomic spectroscopy laboratory of the Argentinian Atomic Energy Commission and taught atomic spectroscopy at the University of La Plata.
In 1960 he was visiting professor at Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana, where he measured interferometrically the spectrum of Thorium that is used as a standard in all measurements.
In 1961 the Giacchetti family relocated to Naperville, Illinois, where he was engaged in basic research in atomic spectroscopy at Argonne National Laboratory just outside Chicago, Illinois.  This is where he started his work on the complex spectrum Protactinium (91Pa).
From 1969 thru 1970, the family followed Athos Giacchetti to the suburbs of Paris, France, where he was an invited guest of the Laboratoire Aime Cotton, of the French Atomic Energy Commission.  While continuing his work on the spectrum Protactinium, he also made contributions on the spectra of Lanthanum, (La), Germanium (Ge), and Led (Pb).
While in Europe he was invited to deliver lectures at various universities in Amsterdam, England, Madrid and Paris itself; and through the years he collaborated with colleagues from South America, Purdue University, the National Bureau of Standard, the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Aime Cotton Laboratory.  His work was published in the American and European journals.


From 1972 until his retirement in 1987 he managed the physics and mathematics programs at the Organization of American States, in Washington DC.  He traveled extensively giving lectures in many countries of the American continent on the importance of basic research in the general development of the respective countries.
Mr. Giacchetti was fluent in English, Italian, French and Spanish.  He received an ’Honorary Diploma’ from the University of El Salvador in San Salvador, a citation from the Citizenship Council of Metropolitan Chicago as an ‘outstanding new citizen of the year’, and an ‘Honorary Professorship’ from the University of La Plata in Argentina.  In 2008, while visiting his family in Florence, he was given the Key to the City of Florence in recognition of all of his achievements.
He is survived by daughter Paula Waldron of Ijamsville, MD, son Mauro Giacchetti of Silver Spring, MD,  grandson Ken Hittner and wife Tiffany of Palmerton, PA,  grandson Adam Hittner of Baltimore, MD, his sister Marta Cianchi of Florence, Italy, his nephew  Lapo Cianchi and his wife Monica and their children Ernesto and Arturo of Florence Italy, and his niece Francesca Cianchi, of Florence Italy.
He was predeceased by his parents, Giuseppe & Adalgisa Giacchetti, his sister Elsa Corsi and her husband Ugo, his beloved wife Alfa Giacchetti and his son-in-law Keith Waldron.
The family will receive friends on Wednesday January 4, from 12:00pm until time of funeral services at 1:00pm at the Stauffer Funeral Home, P. A., 1621 Opossumtown Pike, Frederick. Deacon John L. Manley will officiate. Interment will follow in Resthaven Memorial Gardens, Frederick.

---