ACCOMPLISHED RESIDENT DIES OF CANCER

A sad message to deliver about our good friend and neighbor . . . . .

BY GWEN FILOSA
October 7, 2011
http://keysnews.com/

Nils Lilienberg Muench, a scientist with a doctorate in physics who for 30 years supervised technical research for General Motors after serving as a naval officer, a chief scientist for the Army, and a defense analyst under the John F. Kennedy administration, died Thursday in Key West. He was 83.

The cause was cancer, his son said. "We believe in living long but not dying long," said Karl Muench, a Houston resident who was in Key West Thursday. "This is a celebration of a life well-lived rather than a mourning. What's to be sad about? He was in charge of everything his entire life. He was a handsome guy, a good athlete, had a sense of humor and was smart as hell."

After calling suburban Detroit home for almost 30 years, Muench permanently moved to Key West in 2005, into the Old Town house he had bought in 1993.

In the Keys, he continued his embrace of adventure through sailing and diving, and his commitment to leadership as a member of the Key West Historical Architectural Review Commission (HARC), to which he was appointed by the mayor in June 2006.

"He was an incredible man with great integrity and passion for historical preservation," said Rudy Molinet, a Realtor and HARC chairman. "He was the conscience of the board. I just watched him and he taught me the importance of being fair and treating people kindly. He was a very kind man. He had a lot of passion in a quiet way."

Nils Muench beat back cancer twice in the past 17 years, having undergone experimental treatment at the National Cancer Institute in Washington, D.C., along with chemotherapy and radiation treatment. A week ago, Muench traveled to Houston to meet with doctors, who gave him the sole option of more chemotherapy, his son said. He declined and returned home to enter hospice. "He said, 'Nope. I'm going to go out with my boots and spurs on,' " his son said.

Inside Muench's Margaret Street home Thursday, the modest and clean-cut decor included several photographs of himself in action on a sailboat. In one shot, Muench is part of a crew on The Slingshot, trying to break 40 knots per hour, his son said.

He was born on Feb. 27, 1928, in Houston, to two artists who struggled through the Depression. In high school, he entered the Navy ROTC and was already showing signs of an innovator in the making.

"He built his first sailboat when he was a kid and dragged it down to the pond in Houston," his son said. "He built his own car. He figured out how to make it run on kerosene. He had two tanks, starting it with gas. He was 14." He received his bachelor's degree in physics in 1949, a master's in physics in 1950, and his doctorate in physics in 1955, all from Rice University. After serving in the Navy as an officer, he received a law degree from the South Texas College of Law. He never practiced law, but became certified to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court, his son said. "He was a very competitive person," Karl Muench said.

Photo courtesy of Karl Muench
Nils Muench, seen after a sailboat race in Mackinac Island, Mich., in the 1970s, died last week in Key West.

Muench married Lee Allen in 1950, and the couple had Karl in 1956. His career took the family to Huntsville, Ala., then to Washington, D.C., before they landed in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., where he invested 30 years in General Motors. Lee Allen Muench died on April 22, 2008.

In 1999, Rice University honored Muench with its Distinguished Alumni Award, announcing that, "He has devoted himself to a career of service to American industry, government and education, distinguishing himself in both research and management." Muench spent a large part of his career in industry at the General Motors Research Laboratory. GM recruited him in 1963 as head of the physics department, rising to the position of executive director of research for all of physical sciences at General Motors. Before joining General Motors, he was a senior research executive in the production research division of the Humble Oil Co., now Exxon, in Houston.

Later, he took the job of chief scientist at the Army Rocket and Guided Missile Agency in Huntsville, Ala., and then moved to Washington, D.C., to serve as a senior member of staff at the Institute for Defense Analysis. "He was involved in studies that determined our primary strategic defense systems," his son said.

After taking mandatory retirement from GM in 1993, Muench joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he served for two years as director of research of its Leaders for Manufacturing program.

He kept up a whirlwind of service and adventure, from his devotion and skill in sailboat racing to his writing of scientific articles for publications.

In Key West, Muench took up a number of community causes, including saving the Australian pine trees at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park. He was a frequent writer of letters to the editor of The Citizen.

Muench enjoyed the city's rambunctious spirit, his son said. During the annual Fantasy Fest celebration, he would invite friends to his house to watch the Masquerade March, a mostly locals' casual parade of costumed characters.

He also is survived by granddaughter Jennifer Muench of Houston and companion, Wendy Coles, executive director of the Southernmost Homeless Assistance League. He will be cremated and buried at sea, his family said. A private service will be held.

gfilosa@keysnews.com

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Obituary

DR. NILS LILIENBERG MUENCH

Dr. Nils Lilienberg Muench, Ph.D., 83, died 2011-10-6. Nils lived life to the fullest, contributing much to our nation and world. Nils earned his master's and doctorate in physics at Rice University, receiving the award for best thesis on both. Nils also earned a law degree and was certified to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court.

He served as a naval officer and as chief scientist of the Army Rocket & Guided Missile Agency. In private life he was a researcher for Humble Oil (Exxon), part of the defense think tank IDA, and co-leader of MIT's Leadership for Manufacturing program, but Nils spent the majority of his career, more than 30 years, as technical director of GM Research. During that time, Nils pursued his love of sailing, racing three of the most successful boats on the Great Lakes. Nils also raced on other people's boats in the SORC, World's Cup, Maxi Boat Circuit, a world speed record attempt, and was part of a Stars and Stripes America's Cup team. Nils also liked to play tennis and ride his Harley. Nils had loved Key West, Fla., since his submarine days in the Navy, raced sailboats in its waters, and bought his home there in 1993, moving to Key West permanently in 2005, where he was involved in local causes such as saving the Fort Zachary pines. At the time of his death, Nils was a member of the Key West Historical Architectural Review Commission.

Nils lost his wife, Lee, years earlier and is survived by his longtime companion, Wendy Coles, and only son, Karl.

Nils will be cremated and buried in the sea which he so loved. A private celebration for a life well-lived will be held.