Lawrence Eugene Evans

Lawrence Eugene Evans, 92, passed away on May 25, 2025, from complications of lymphoma. He was a long-standing member of the Duke University faculty and the local community. 

Born September 18, 1932, in San Antonio, Texas, Larry was the youngest child of Robert Lee and Maurine Carter Evans. He is predeceased by his parents, his five siblings, and his ex-wife Frances. He is survived by his daughter, Anne Trotter (Rob) of Gainesville, Georgia, and their sons Adam and Evan; and by his son Brian Caswallon Evans (Theresa Harris) of Silver Spring, Maryland. He is also survived by his long-time partner Dietlinde Wittmann of Durham, North Carolina. 

Educated in public schools in Birmingham, Alabama, Larry received a BS degree from Birmingham-Southern College in 1953, and a PhD in physics from The Johns Hopkins University in 1960. After three years at the university of Wisconsin, Larry accepted an offer to join the faculty of Duke University in 1963. He remained active at Duke until retirement in 2000. 

Larry’s research interests centered on quantum field theory, especially quantum electrodynamics (QED). He authored or co-authored several papers on the formal structure of QED. Later he turned to applications of QED in particle physics and other topics in that area. He taught many courses at Duke, ranging from Physics for Poets to Advanced Quantum Theory. He was a regular for 50 years in the summer session, teaching introductory physics to thousands of students. Serving nine years as its chair, Larry guided his department through a period of growth and recognition, among other things overseeing the establishment of the free-electron laser laboratory. 

At Duke outside physics Larry was best known for his foundational work in faculty governance. He chaired the committee that initiated creation of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and of its representative undergraduate council, the precursor of the Arts and Sciences Council. A member of the committee chaired by George Christie, he was influential in establishing the role of the faculty, through the Academic Council, in decision-making by the university. Later he chaired the Council at a time when the university was retrenching because of financial stress. He chaired important ad hoc committees on various topics, such as the size of the total undergraduate enrollment. In retirement he edited the monthly faculty newsletter called Faculty Forum. 

Larry’s other passion was for music. As a violinist and violist he became well known in the Triangle area, playing in orchestras, for musical shows and operas, and in chamber music groups. He had a leadership role for 25 years in the Chapel Hill Philharmonia. 

Through Linde, Larry acquired a second family, including her three children and their children, as well as her large circle of family in Austria. Regular visits with the latter were experiences that greatly deepened and enriched his life. 

In the final years it was Larry’s great good fortune to have been able to spend “those precious days” at life’s end in the close and caring companionship of his beloved Linde.

The family is under the care of Hall-Wynne Funeral Service.