Lawrence Lane Tankersley

July 6, 1946 — May 24, 2026

Lawrence Lane Tankersley, passed away on May 24, 2026, in San Antonio, Texas. He was born in Mercedes, Texas.

Larry graduated at the top of his class at Mercedes High School in 1964 and earned his bachelor’s degree on a scholarship from Rice University in Houston. He went on to complete his Master’s and Doctorate in Physics and Mathematics at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. He served as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy from 1972 to 1977.

In March of 1979, Tankersley accepted a position as a civilian professor at the United States Naval Academy in their Physics Department and continued teaching young midshipmen for 37 years until his retirement in 2011. While living in Annapolis, Maryland, he also worked at the Naval Research Lab in Washington during this time in the optics division. After retirement, he volunteered his time to the University of Texas San Antonio Physics department tutoring, helping them develop a physics laboratory, and occasionally substitute teaching.

Tankersley joined AAPT in 1988 and was a member until 2012.

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David Wolfe

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