Alan Sussman passed away at the age of 90 on May 12, 2023 in Merwick Care and Rehabilitation Center in Plainsboro, NJ . Cause of death was presumably a heart attack.

Alan was born and raised in New York City and graduated from Stuyvesant High School. He subsequently received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Yale University. He moved to the Princeton area in 1958 to accept a position as a Member of Technical Staff at the then RCA Sarnoff Laboratories (now SRI International).

During his long career at the Sarnoff Labs, Alan worked on several important problems on the optimal design of liquid crystalline materials and their use in displays of various types, including TVs. Liquid crystals also played an important role in his personal life, as he met his future wife Martha at a liquid crystal conference.

Alan had many interests and abilities outside of science, beginning with his passionate love of classical music. He played clarinet and oboe and was a long-time subscriber to the Metropolitan Opera and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He also loved collecting African art, spending annual vacations in Italy, and visiting New York museums, the Bronx Zoo, and the New York Botanical Garden. Finally, Alan was a skilled carpenter and electrician, who almost single-handedly renovated the old house he purchased in 1969 and in which he lived until his death.

Alan is survived by his wife of 48 years, Martha Cotter, by a nephew, Robert Stewart of Washington, DC, and by several cousins. His brother Robert passed away in 2015.