Dixon Bogert, Fermilab's "Indiana Jones," retires
Dixon Bogert, a physicist in the Accelerator Physics Center, retires today after 38 years.
When floodwater started making its way to the uncompleted Main Injector in 1996, Deputy Project Manager Dixon Bogert rushed to the scene. Clad in a necktie and rubber boots, he waded to the source to address the problem.
"He was only truly in his element when bouncing around in his red overland Jeep or wading through the muck in galoshes," said Steve Holmes, Associate Director of Accelerators. "We would never have completed the Main Injector on time and on budget without Dixon's contributions."
Bogert, affectionately known as the "Indiana Jones of Fermilab," has been the go-to man since he started at the laboratory in 1970. He retires today after 38 years.
At a reception Tuesday, more than 100 people came to the second floor crossover to bid farewell to Bogert, a physicist in the Accelerator Physics Center.
"Dixon has been instrumental in developing all of our major accelerators in the last 20 years," said Elaine McCluskey of the Accelerator Division, who worked closely with Bogert on the Main Injector and NuMI projects.
Since joining Fermilab's Physics Division in 1970, those seeking guidance have often ended up at Bogert's office door. During the last few decades, his main role has been working as a translator between physicists and civil construction engineers. He transformed abstract calculations into the blueprints of the buildings and tunnels we walk through today.
"He's one of the few people with contributions so big that we can see them from space," said APC head Vladimir Shiltsev, referring to satellite images that show the rings of Fermilab. "There is definitely a 'D' stamp somewhere."
Although Bogert is retiring, he is not going far. He will continue to work at Fermilab as a guest scientist.