Four New Members Join Board of Directors

Four new members recently joined the SRS Heritage Foundation Board of Directors:

Joe Ortaldo has a BS and MS in Chemical Engineering and 42 years of experience in chemical and nuclear industries. He spent 24 years at SRS before retiring in 2004. He has been a member of the SRS Citizens Advisory Board and the Health Effects Subcommittee of the Centers for Disease Control.

Karen Patterson worked at SREL for 15 years. Since leaving SREL she has worked as an environmental consultant on projects supporting WSRC, SRNL and DOE. She served on the Citizens Advisory Board for 10 years and is a member of the CNTA Board of Directors and the SC Governor’s Nuclear Advisory Council.

Kent Sullivan graduated from Auburn University and was a cooperative education student at SRS prior to full-time employment in 1973. He retired in 2005 and is now a Senior Associate with Longnecker & Associates. He has served as a City Councilman in North Augusta and currently is Membership Chairman of the SRS Retirees Association and Vice Chairman of the SRP Federal Credit Union.

Bruce Wilson retired as Deputy Manager of the SRS Office of National Security Administration after 35 years of federal service at SRS with the Atomic Energy Commission, Energy Research & Development Administration, the Department of Energy and NNSA.

We are delighted to welcome these talented and experienced new members to the Foundation Board.

SRNS is Foundation Santa

SRNS presented an early Christmas gift to the Heritage Foundation in the form of a check for $10,000. The surprise presentation was made at the SRNS Christmas Drop-in by Clif Webb, SRNS Vice President of Public Affairs. Clif Webb noted that the check qualifies SRNS as a Corporate Sponsor of the Foundation. Fred Dohse, SRNS Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, also enthusiastically endorsed the work of the Heritage Foundation in preserving the history of the Savannah River Site.

"Displaced" Named "Best Southern Feature"

The "Displaced" video was recognized as the "Best Southern Feature" at the Southern Appalachian International Film Festival in Greenville, TN. Mr. Mark Albertin, of Scrapbook Video Productions, producer of the video for the SRS Heritage Foundation, will be in Greenville November 13 to attend the screening and to receive this prestigious award.

All Day Neutrino Celebration

The Neutrino Celebration on August 27 was an all-day event hosted by the SRS Heritage Foundation to celebrate the historic discovery of the neutrino and recognize the Nobel prize. . .the only Nobel prize in science awarded for work done in South Carolina. The confirmation of the neutrino at the Savannah River Site P Reactor by a team from Los Alamos, headed by Dr. Fred Reines and Dr. Clyde Cowan, was one of the most significant for modern physics. The neutrino, a sub-atomic particle, was calculated to exist by Wolfgang Pauli in 1931 and named “neutrino. . .little neutron” by the Italian physicist, Enrico Fermi. The Reines-Cowan team, dubbed the “Poltergeist Project”, persisted until their quest for the elusive neutrino was confirmed in 1956. Unfortunately, Dr. Cowan died in 1974 but Dr. Reines was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1995.

A replica of the plaque presented to SRS by the Atomic Energy Commission to commemorate confirmation of the neutrino was unveiled during a ceremony in front of the Chamber of Commerce at 10 am. The event was attended by about 50 guests to include the two daughters of the late Dr. Cowan, who came to Aiken to be a part of the celebration. A state historical marker was also unveiled during the morning activities. The marker is located in front of the Chamber building. One side commemorates “The Detection of the Neutrino, 1956” while the second side commemorates “The Nobel Prize in Physics, 1995”.

A film lecture made by Dr. Cowan at the U.S. Naval Academy shortly before his death opened a series of presentations moderated by Dr. Lester Welch at the Etherredge Center at 1 pm. A panel discussion chaired by Dr. Henry Gurr included participants in the neutrino experiment who shared reminiscences and anecdotes from the past. The program concluded with two presentations “Neutrino in Astrophysics” by Dr. Frank Avignone and “Neutrino Research Using Accelerators” by Dr. Sanjib Mishra, both of USC Columbia. The audience of about 60 enjoyed the presentations, exhibits and light refreshments.

To conclude the day’s activities, the CNTA, one of the co-sponsors of the Neutrino Celebration, hosted a dinner at Newberry Hall at 6:30 pm. Dr. John Palms, Distinguished President Emeritus of USC, was the featured speaker. Other co-sponsors were the University of South Carolina Aiken and the American Nuclear Society in conjunction with the 175th Anniversary of Aiken.