# 210 — Maury Irvine

The NonProphet Podcast

Maury Irvine was born in San Francisco in 1924. He was deeply moved by the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and immediately attempted to enlist in the Navy but due to a birth defect in one eye he was turned away. Maury was determined so went back 27 times, hoping to catch a recruiter who would let him pass, but didn’t. He was eventually hired by TWA Airlines, who had lowered the eyesight requirement because of the war, but after realizing he would be desk-bound there he joined the Merchant Marines. Maury became a decoder during WWII, working closely with the ship’s captain and traveling the world. His fascination with travel, science and culture took him all over the world, at one point he visited 33 countries in seven years. He holds a PhD in physics, taught at Lehigh University and worked for Bell Labs during the development of the transistor computer, among other projects. After retiring Maury volunteered at The Museum of the Rockies, where Jack Horner was the Head of Paleontology. The pair hit it off and eventually traveled to five different continents together digging for dinosaur bones. Maury volunteered at the Museum for almost 30 years and donated over 10,000 hours of service. He has lived a remarkable and inspiring life, and Blair and I are fortunate to have spoken with him for this podcast. For further insight check out Blair’s essay about her dear friend on the NonProphet website.