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Charles McMillan, the former director of Los Alamos National Laboratory whose career first blossomed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory over two decades, was killed in a car crash on Friday in New Mexico where he resided in retirement and still consulted for the lab. He was 69.
A physicist by training and trade, McMillan’s experimental work, research and leadership assignments influenced innovations from nuclear weapons to space exploration to vaccinations to artificial intelligence and more, according to officials with both laboratories.
“My thoughts and sympathy are with Charlie’s wife and family. Charlie was a wonderful colleague and important mentor to many, including me,” current LLNL Director Kim Budil told Livermore Vine on Sunday morning.
“He brought great passion and intellect to everything he did, from his leadership in our nuclear deterrence mission to his more recent engagement on AI,” Budil said. “He has left an indelible mark on both LLNL and LANL as well as the broader national security community.”
Los Alamos lab officials publicly announced McMillan’s death in the car crash on Friday (Sept. 6) – news that would then be first reported by the Sante Fe New Mexican.
“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,” Los Alamos National Laboratory Director Thom Mason said in a statement Friday, which was later shared with Livermore Vine.
“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,” Mason added.
A graduate of Washington Adventist University who would earn a doctorate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, McMillan began his career as a physicist in Livermore in 1983, according to his bio on LinkedIn. He held various positions over the ensuing 23 years, becoming B Division leader at LLNL from September 2001 to May 2006.
“During McMillan’s two decades at LLNL, he held a variety of research and management positions, making an indelible impact on the Laboratory. He began his career as an experimentalist in B Division (primary design) and was part of the early subcritical experiments program,” Livermore lab officials told Livermore Vine.
“As associate B Division leader from 1992-1999, he played a key role in defining and establishing the Stockpile Stewardship Program,” they added. “In his subsequent roles as W80 project leader and B division leader, he provided important direction on LLNL systems in the nation’s nuclear stockpile. He was an important leader in the Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative, shaping LLNL’s efforts in high performance computing and advanced code development.”
McMillan made the move to Los Alamos in June 2006 as associate director of weapons physics, and rose through the ranks to become director of the lab and president of Los Alamos National Security, LLC from June 2011 to December 2017.
According to Los Alamos officials, his tenure as director was marked by 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,” they added.
McMillan retired in 2018 but remained involved with the lab in Los Alamos, including championing its work with AI.
As for what happened Friday morning several miles from the national lab, the Los Alamos County Police Department confirmed the fatal crash in an initial press release and traffic advisory but shared few specifics about their investigative findings thus far.
Police stated that the two-vehicle collision occurred at about 5:15 a.m. on New Mexico State Road 502 near the Camino Entrada intersection.
Of the three occupants among the two vehicles, a 22-year-old woman was taken to Los Alamos Medical Center with minor injuries and a 69-year-old man — later identified as McMillan — was pronounced dead at the hospital, police said.
“The Los Alamos Police Department sends our condolences to the families and all those affected by the accident. We ask that all commuters continue to obey traffic safety laws and exercise caution while traveling,” the department stated.
The press release did not include any additional details about the circumstances of the crash, including how and why the two vehicles collided and who may have been at fault. The department declined to comment on such information when contacted over the weekend, citing the pending nature of the probe.
“The investigation is still ongoing. Information will be provided at its conclusion,” Deputy Chief James Rodriguez told Livermore Vine on Monday. “Details of case reports and accidents are not released while investigations are still pending.”
