Charles Francis Park, who retired from the Plasma Fusion Center in May, his daughter Jeanne, who worked at MIT from 1983 to 1992, and his daughter Kathleen died Saturday in a tragic triple slaying at their Quincy home.
Charles Park, 61, worked as a technical supervisor on the sponsored research staff of the Plasma Fusion Center. Jeanne worked with the ROTC Air Force program.
Mr. Park's son, Kenneth, 23, was charged with the murders and was sent to Bridgewater State Hospital for a 20-day psychiatric evaluation.
Charles Park worked at MIT for 30 years starting in 1966 as an electromechanical technician at the Francis Bitter National Magnet Laboratory. In 1968 he was promoted to engineering assistant and in 1976 was promoted to sponsored research staff. He transferred to the Plasma Fusion Center in 1979 and held the post of technical supervisor until his retirement.
Park was doing fusion research at MIT's Alcator C-Mod tokamak, working on projects that seek a basic understanding of the stability and transport properties of high-temperature plasmas.
"Charlie was a gentle and sensitive man, well-liked and respected by all the Plasma Fusion Center staff," said Ian Hutchinson, professor of nuclear engineering and head of the Alcator C-Mod project. "The whole lab is shocked by this tragedy."
Jeanne C. Park, 35, joined MIT in 1983 as an office assistant in the ROTC Air Force Aerospace Studies program. She was promoted to administrative secretary and left MIT in 1992.
Kenneth Park worked at the Plasma Fusion Center as a summer employee five years ago.
Park's wife Sally passed away on April 22, 1992. He is survived by his sons Charles Jr. of Ohio, and Kenneth.
Funeral arrangements were not available at press time.
----------------------------------
Other obituaries
THOMAS M. SANGIOLO
A funeral Mass was said on August 29 at St. Irene Church in Carlisle for Thomas M. Sangiolo, 31, of Groton, a support staff member at Lincoln Lab who died on August 24. He was hired in 1987. Mr. Sangiolo leaves his parents, Thomas L. and Sylvia of Groton; two sisters, Irene M. Pippin of Lowell and Valarie Sangiolo of Boston; a niece and nephew, and many aunts, uncles and cousins. Donations in his memory may be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Massachusetts, 220 N. Main St., Suite 104, Natick, MA 01760.
LEONARD WOLSKY
Dr. Leonard Wolsky, 73, of Boston and Wellfleet, a retired internist in the Medical Department, died of cancer on September 10 at the MIT infirmary.
Dr. Wolsky formed Woburn Medical Associates but left private practice in 1974. He was on staff at several area hospitals throughout his career and joined the MIT Medical Department in 1980, where he remained until his retirement in 1991. He continued to serve as a patient advocate and member of the MIT Human Studies and Pre-Medical Advisory Committees.
He is survived by his wife, Florence (Zundell), his son Alfred and daughter-in-law Linda (LeBlanc) of Woburn, his daughter Liza of New York, and his brother Sumner of Boca Raton, FL. Dr. Wolsky was buried at Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge. A memorial service for him will be held Friday, Sept. 27 at the MIT Chapel.
SERVICE FOR KNIGHT
Friends of Zachary Knight are invited to share their memories of him at a Memorial Service which will be held on Thursday, Sept. 26 from 5:30-7pm in Room 14E-304. For more information, call x3-3599. Mr. Knight, who was administrative officer for the foreign languages and literatures section when he first became ill, died in August.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on September 18, 1996.
