Ernest Fox Nichols Lecture

Thank you Dean Zollman, for your kind remarks. I am honored to speak to you today, and I hope that I will be able to say something of interest to each of you. When I attended school here, it was called Kansas State College. 1) Agriculture and agronomy were strong and I am pleased to introduce my friend during those years here, who later became a professor in Agronomy here at K‐State: Dr Warren Prawl, and his wife Nancy. 2) The Physics Dept was in a different location in those days 3) Wildcats did just fine, but Oklahoma won the trophies in those days. 4) And in 1951, there was a terrible flood here in Manhattan. 5) I helped clean up several areas: Penny's, where we took wet clothes and spread them out on a field of alfalfa, to dry out; 6) IGA store where we had to wear gas masks ‐ you cannot imagine the stench!; and 7) a home of an elderly widow, who had lived there for many years, with all possessions covered with mud on the main floor as well as a basement full of former treasures. 8) We are here today, primarily, to celebrate the life of Frederick Reines. His parents were immigrants from Russia. His childhood was spent in an average community where his father ran an average country store. He first became interested in physics, while he was relieving his boredom of sitting in a classroom. He noticed a "diffraction" pattern as he looked at outside light through a hole in his fist. He was a man of evident intellect who concentrated full attention on the project of the moment. He was very articulate and loved to explain the details and objectives of work at hand. His presence raised an aura of respect and admiration. He spoke with a booming, bass voice ‐ though not as low as Edward Teller! Our paths crossed as we both sang in Choral Societies in Los Alamos, Aiken, SC and Augusta, Georgia. He nearly always was a soloist. Above all, he displayed a high level of enthusiasm for life and his work. He really "LOVED" to be involved in physics, throughout a life‐long career, and even in everyday life. While he was being shaved at the barber shop, he asked, "I was just wondering ‐ How many razor strokes do you make for an average shave? The …