Statement by UC President Richard
Atkinson
In the long
and illustrious history of the University of California, Ernest Orlando
Lawrence stands out as one of its most distinguished scholars and certainly
its most influential physicist. His invention of the cyclotron in the
waning days of 1929 earned him a Nobel Prize, the first to be awarded
to a UC faculty member. The invention accelerated the revolution then
underway in physics and led to the formation of the great laboratories
at Berkeley and Livermore that bear his name today.
His multidisciplinary approach
to science became the model for national laboratories across the United
States. In the years before large scale government funding, as the shadow
of world war spread across the oceans, his unselfish willingness to share
the resources of his laboratory set a standard for public service to the
nation that remains with us today.
On this centennial
anniversary of Ernest Orlando Lawrence’s birth, the University of California
proudly takes note of his great scientific accomplishments and his enduring
legacy of public service. — Richard C. Atkinson
E.O. Lawrence Remembered
Ernest Orlando Lawrence died on August 27, 1958. His death brought
forth an outpouring of tributes. Here is a small sample of what was said.
"My own career in science has a great deal of its foundation in Ernest
Lawrence’s contributions and generosity, his buoyant optimism, and his
invincible spirit. He was one of a rare company of men in history who
lend majesty and hope to human existence."
— Glenn T. Seaborg, Nobel
laureate chemist
"Ernest Lawrence was one
of the greatest pioneers of science in world history and one of the greatest
administrators of scientific research."
— Clark Kerr,
former UC President
"The achievements of Ernest
Lawrence represented the highest standard of scholarly excellence, but
it is of Ernest the man I am thinking today; of his vitality and integrity,
his friendliness and modesty."
— Robert Gordon
Sproul, president emeritus of the University of California.
"His loss is a tragic one
for the United States and for the entire free world."
— Dwight D.
Eisenhower
"His were truly magnificent
attainments and were all geared to the eventual attainment of peace in
our world and the betterment of humanity in general."
— Goodwin J. Knight,
Governor of California
"He helped solve the most
fantastic problems ever faced by scientists and will go down in history
as a distinguished scientist, a distinguished inventor, and a distinguished
administrator."
— Major General
Leslie R. Groves, director of the Manhattan Project.
"The real difficulty is
that there isn’t an Ernest Lawrence anymore."
— Luis Alvarez,
Nobel laureate physicist, and one of "Ernie’s boys."
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