Dr. Frank Joseph Nagy

February 07, 2017 Last Updated: February 07, 2017 11:00 AM Death Notice

Dr. Frank Joseph Nagy, 67, died Dec. 21 at his home in St. Charles, Ill. Frank grew up in Sarver and was the valedictorian at Knoch High School in 1967. He then earned his bachelor's degree in physics from Carnegie Mellon University and his master's and doctoral degrees in physics from California Institute of Technology.

Frank was proud of working as an applied scientist at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Ill., from 1980 to the present. During his time there, he designed the network protocol for Accelerator Control Network and was a major contributor to many other aspects of the design of the network, which preceded the invention of the now-ubiquitous Ethernet and Internet standards. He was also involved in the design and implementation of EPICURE, the new beam line control system.

Over the years, Frank managed the distributed computing group, the VMS systems support group and the CDF/D0 systems support group, then worked as a member of the computer security team where he helped implement the Kerberos Certificate Authority Service.

At the time of his death Frank was a senior member of the authentication group. His knowledge of the lab, its services and policies were a tremendous asset to the group. Frank acted as both a mentor for the other group members and subject matter expert for the Kerberos services he managed.

Aprobably incomplete list of his publications is located at http://home.fnal.gov/~nagy/FJN-Publications.html.

Frank often mentored younger scientists and inspired students to take the most demanding math and advanced science classes, so they could better contribute to science.

Frank was predeceased by his parents, Frances and Frank Nagy; and his younger brother, Peter Nagy.

He is survived by his brother, David (Heather) Nagy, of Hernando, Fla.; his sister-in-law, Cathy Nagy, of Cabot; his nieces, Kimberly Nagy and Sarah Nagy; and his nephew, Scott (Allison) Nagy.

He also leaves cherished friends, Bonnie Alcorn and Al Thomas. Frank loved his five cats dearly, and he will be missed by Pixel, Natasha, Fuzzy, Tigger and Patches.

NAGY — A celebration of the life of Dr. Frank Joseph Nagy, who died Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2016, was observed at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Ill.No other services are planned.In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Carnegie Mellon University Department of Physics to ensure future generations of scientists.