Dedication of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
Festivities of the Dedication of the Fermilab began the night of Friday, May 10, 1974, with the first program of the Auditorium Committee's Artist Series, a dance concert before a full house in the Auditorium, performed by Chicagoland artists, followed by a social hour in The Atrium with members of the Fermilab Women's Organization as hostesses. The gala weekend brought together old friends and associates of the Laboratory, as well as distinguished visitors on their first trip to the Laboratory
Over 1,500 Fermi Laboratory people, along with many distinguished visitors, joined in celebrating the dedication of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory on Saturday, May 11, 1974. They heard Dr. Dixy Lee Ray (see Village Crier, February, 15, 1973, pg. 3), chairman of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, speak of the "great hope and confidence in the future and the importance of this institution," as she dedicated the "building, the instrument, and the activity" of the laboratory to the memory of the famous physicist, Enrico J. Fermi. The gusty winds of the Illinois prairie blew constantly during the ceremony, held in the front of the Central Laboratory at 3:30 p.m.
MRS. ENRICO J. FERMI spoke briefly at the dedication of the newest, and largest, facility to be named after her famous husband. The Fermis came to the United States from Italy in 1939, and Mrs. Fermi described how Fermi began immediately to use the cyclotron at Columbia University for his fission research. Fermi compared these machines to the pyramids of Egypt, she said. "Both were tangible victories of men over the brute power of nature; both were built without consideration of financial return, she pointed out.
CONGRESSMAN MELVIN PRICE, chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Atomic Energy, spoke of the dedication as "a culmination of the hopes and efforts of many people. And I am most pleased," he said, "to acknowledge that what has been accomplished has even exceeded the hopes of many of us." He praised the "new horizons" and the new effort underway at the Laboratory toward the goal of a 1000 BeV machine sometime in the future. "Such talent and enthusiastic dedication are precious gems in our store of true National treasure," Mr. Price said.
SENATOR CHARLES PERCY was also on the program for the Fermilab celebration. "It is not the least of your accomplishments that you have broken down social as well as scientific barriers," he told the audience, praising the equal employment opportunity program at the Laboratory. "I believe that you who study the most remote elements in the earth realize more clearly than most of us that all men and women are bound together by bonds far stronger than color or creed, and you encourage others in the area to see that."
"The Laboratory has renewed the Nation's appreciation of the role of scientists in our society," he went on to say. "We are realizing once again that we need to make scientific as well as social progress if we are to be a complete society. One important thing this Laboratory proves is that we can do both simultaneously and we can do them very well indeed."
LEON LEDERMAN of Columbia University, represented the scientific users of the laboratory as he described the esoteric experimenting that is underway at the Laboratory. He brought Enrico Fermi to life for those assembled by playing a taped recording of Fermi lecturing many years ago. "This formidable challenge laid down 22 years ago by Fermi has today for its interim response, the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory," Dr. Lederman concluded.
DR. ROBERT R. WILSON. Director of the Laboratory, accepted the dedication on behalf of the Laboratory. "We are deeply honored to have the name of Fermi attached to our Laboratory," Dr. Wilson declared. And turning to Mrs. Fermi, he said, "Laura, I pledge that we will do our best to make this a laboratory worthy of the name of Enrico Fermi."
DR. ROBERT BACHER, president of Universities Research Association, served as master of ceremonies for the program. In introducing Dr. Wilson, he announced that Wilson has recently accepted an additional five-year appointment as Director of the Laboratory.
H. GUYFORD STEVER, Science Advisor to the President and Director of the National Science Foundation and at one time a member of the URA Council of Presidents, read from a letter written by President Richard M. Nixon to Dr. R.R. Wilson. The President expressed his "personal appreciation to you and your colleagues for an outstanding job in building and successfully operating one of the world's most complex machines."
Also seated on the platform were: JOHN ERLEWINE, General Manager of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission; EDWARD CREUTZ, Assistant Director for Research of the National Science Foundation; CONGRESSMEN CRAIG HOSMER and CHET HOLIFIELD, members of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy; DR. NORMAN RAMSEY, President-elect of URA, who previously served as URA President for seven years; A. GEOFFREY NORMAN, Chairman of the URA Board of Trustees; CONGRESSMAN FRANK ANNUNZIO; GERALD TAPE, U.S. Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, and JOHN TEEM, Assistant General Manager for Physical Research and Laboratory Coordination, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.
THANKS, EVERYONE: The Laboratory's Dedication Ceremony and associated activities were all a great success. Many people contributed much time and effort to make it work out so smoothly. It will be impossible for me to write a letter to each one of you who helped us with one or another phase of the festivities. I am therefore resorting to this means of expressing my gratitude to the many people who worked long hours at short notice and under difficult conditions to make it all come to pass.
- NED GOLDWASSER
