George E. Austin, the patriarch of the famous tennis-playing family from Southern California, passed away at the age of 90 on November 22 following a long battle with prostate cancer.
A nuclear physicist who made major contributions to his field, Austin was also known for his steady support and conscientious record-keeping of his five tennis-playing children, who collectively won more than 1,000 titles and four of whom competed at Wimbledon.
Austin is survived by his children: Pam Austin, of Brea, CA, who was an original player on the Virginia Slims Tennis Tour and is currently a teaching pro; Jeff Austin, of Alexandria, VA, who competed on the ATP tour and is now a top agent; Doug Austin, of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, a varsity player for Long Beach State; John Austin, of Scottsdale, AZ, who won the Wimbledon Mixed Doubles championship with his sister, Tracy Austin, of Rolling Hills, who also is a two-time U.S. Open winner and former world No. 1. In addition, he is survived by 10 grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and a sister, Harriet Comar. His wife Jeanne, predeceased him in 2010.
Born in Boston, MA on September 28, 1921, Austin attended M.I.T. and graduated from UCLA before entering the U.S. Air Force, where he served for 20 years and retired as Lieutenant Colonel. Early in his career, Austin worked on developing radar as a meteorological tool, and the specific radar that he had been assigned to explore played a crucial role at the Anzio beachhead in Southern Italy in early 1944. Austin was later assigned as the project chief for the development of the first nuclear-powered satellite.
Following his retirement from the Air Force, he continued his work for TRW, including assignments on the design of a plutonium-powered implantable heart assist pump for the National Institutes of Health, and he was responsible for the on-board soil testing laboratory on the Viking mission to Mars seeking latent life forms.
A memorial service will be held for George Austin on December 23 at 1 PM at Green Hills Memorial Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. In lieu of flowers, it is requested that donations be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 2440 South Sepulveda Blvd. # 15, Los Angeles, CA 90064.