A gentle, striking, inspirational obituary appears in Physics Today magazine, February 2012 issue. By Daniel Kleppner, it begins:

Norman Foster Ramsey Jr, a towering figure of physics in the second half of the 20th century, died on 4 November 2011 at age 96. Ramsey was widely esteemed for his scientific contributions, his achievements as a statesman of science, and his teaching. He is best known for inventing the separated oscillatory field method and the hydrogen maser, for which he received the Nobel Prize in 1989, but those were just two of his many contributions. ...

... and after a discussion of scientific accomplishments, notes:

Ramsey made a strong impression on most everyone he met. A handsome, tall man with a broad smiling face and an open and friendly manner, he loved to tell stories with a booming voice that was legendary. Once, a visitor passing his office inquired about the noise. Told that it was Ramsey talking to someone in Chicago, he inquired, "Why doesn't Ramsey use a phone?"

It concludes:

Even as Ramsey's health declined in his final years, his cheerful disposition and optimistic outlook never deserted him. As one of his students put it, Norman Ramsey was a role model for everything.

(cf. McGs (2002-02-28), Physics Today Obits (2010-10-20), Sam Hurst Obituary (2011-02-23), ...) - ^z - 2012-02-23