his death, he remained emeritus director of the Dudley Observatory and emeritus distinguished professor of physics and astronomy at Union College. Alpher's approach to science Alpher told Joseph D'Agnese in his interview for Discover Magazine, "There are two reasons you do science. One is the altruistic feeling that maybe you can contribute to mankind's store of knowledge about the world. The other and more personal thing is you want the approbation of your peers. Pure and simple." Ralph Alpher told his son Victor in 1980, when considering advanced education, that approbation of anyone was not the reason to pursue graduate study or a career requiring advanced intensive study. Rather, he said to Victor, "you must enjoy and find satisfaction in the work you do every day, because you will not receive frequent rewards or pats on the back." Up to that time, he had received only three awards for his work in cosmology, from the American Philosophical Society, the Belgian Academy of Science, and the Franklin Institute—all occurring after he turned 50. Personal life and views Despite raising a Jewish family Alpher considered himself to be agnostic and humanist. Alpher was a beloved husband and father. He was married to Louise Alpher, had two children named Victor Seth and Harriet Rose and two grandchildren Lisa and Rachel Lebetkin. Ralph Alpher died following an extended illness on August 12, 2007. He had been in failing health since falling and breaking his hip in February 2007. See also List of Jewish American physicists Nobel Prize controversies References External links Website about Alpher maintained by his son Victor S. Alpher, Ph.D "On the Origin and Relative Abundance of the Elements," Doctoral Dissertation, George Washington University, May, 1948. Although discouraged from an academic career in Chemistry because of his Jewish ancestry, this continuing interest is reflected in 1) subject matter for his dissertation, and 2) subsequent research conducted as a full-time employee at the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University. Newspaper review of Big Bang book citing Alpher as major contributor to Big Bang theory Article about Alpher's life in a 1999 Discover magazine. Oral History interview transcript for Ralph Alpher on 11 August 1983, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library and Archives Oral History interview transcript for Ralph Alpher and Robert Herman on 12 August 1983, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library and Archives Obituary in the Washington Post Obituary