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Fermilab physicists have a lot to say when asked to describe their colleague and longtime friend, Peter Limon. Leon Lederman called him eloquent, noisy and insistent. Jim Strait called him rowdy, entertaining and impatient. Alvin Tollestrup affectionately called him "a pain in the butt."

They all agreed that after he retires, they will miss his boisterous attitude, extensive knowledge of physics and ability to get things done. Today is his last day at the laboratory, 37 years after he first started as a full-time employee.

"I certainly feel invested in Fermilab," Limon said. "My ego and Fermilab are intertwined."

Limon played a major role in building the Tevatron, especially in the installation of its magnet systems. He also worked on design, installation and leak-checking for the accelerator's cryogenic vacuum system. His tendency to ask hard questions - and find the answers - made him an invaluable part of the team, physicist Helen Edwards said.

Retired Fermilab physicist Rich Orr, who first hired Limon full-time, said he could assign him to any part of the project and know he would do a good job.

"He could fend for himself," Orr said.

At one point, Limon returned to Fermilab from a sabbatical to find himself without an office. When Orr did not respond to his requests for one, Limon built his own office in the hallway out of packing crates. It wasn't long until he got his wish.

While working on the Tevatron, Limon used his sense of humor to bring people together, Orr said.

"A chemistry grows up among people doing a hard project," he said. "Peter was a favorite. He was a big part of that chemistry."

Since then, Limon's influence has carried almost as widely as his booming, Boston-tinged voice. He had a hand in the design of the CDF detector and later managed an upgrade for its endcap. He worked on the design of the Superconducting Super Collider. He served as head of Technical Division, worked on the Joint Dark Energy Mission and edited the design study for the Very Large Hadron Collider. He spent two years at CERN and was key to getting Fermilab involved in building accelerator components for the Large Hadron Collider.

Limon said of his career, "By and large it's been pretty interesting, mostly enjoyable, sometimes tense." After a pause, he said, "I suppose the most enjoyable moments were the tensest."

Limon will retire to a decidedly more peaceful environment: a small town in Vermont, where he plans to spend time with his wife and daughter, work in his garden and woodshop, and pursue a new interest in beekeeping.

"It'll be quieter at the lunch table," Tollestrup said. "It won't be as much fun."

The Directorate plans to host a farewell party for Limon on May 17.