In 1985, the American chemist Galen Winsor garnered worldwide recognition after he ate the radioactive element Uranium on live television. He demonstrated it to omit the masses’ fear of radiation, but the point he wanted to prove was denied, and it became controversial over time.
However, he kept insisting that radiation doesn’t affect human health. Despite his multiple attempts, he couldn’t prove anything, and he passed away at the age of 82.
According to his obituary, his second wife, Ruby Kathryn Sears Van Sant, survived him. Before Ruby, Galen Winsor was married to his first wife, LaDene Mikkelsen Winsor.
Galen and LaDene met while studying at Brigham Young University. Later, on August 29, 1947, the couple tied the knot in the Salt Lake Temple. They then shifted to Richland, expanding their family and welcoming four children together.
The then-couple had three sons, Scott Winsor, Lane Winsor, and Todd Winsor, and a daughter, Gayle Winsor.
Galen Winsor was a Utah native who never believed that ‘radiation exposure causes genetic mutations‘
The late nuclear chemist Galen Winsor was born on June 4, 1926, in Morgan County, Utah, as the third child of his parents, Murkins Terry Winsor and Eleanor Hulet.
At the age of 3, Galen lost his father, so he grew up with his mother and his stepfather, Josiah Adair. He completed his high schooling at Lincoln County High School and then served in the US Navy before attending Brigham Young University to study Chemistry.
That’s when his journey as a chemist began. After earning a degree, he worked as a Nuclear Chemist for General Electric at Hanford. There, he assisted experts in designing nuclear power plants and extracting Plutonium.
After that, he took charge of managing a uranium ore facility in Nucla, CO. Likewise, he did several other jobs in the nuclear industry for the next 33 years. He strongly advocated that radiation exposure doesn’t cause genetic mutations during his tenure.
According to The Daily Herald, Galen carried Uranium with him whenever he gave a lecture and ate it in front of people, demonstrating that it doesn’t have a negative effect. But all this went in vain.
Well, his inability to justify his point on radiation is one thing. But, it cannot be denied that he became able to name himself in history as the chemist who ate Uranium.
Additional Information
- Galen Winsor took his last breath on 19 July 2008 in West Richland, Washington. His body was buried in Sunset Memorial Gardens.
- At the time of his demise, he already had nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
- His funeral was organized in the Thayer Chapel on July 24, 2008.
