Stan Thompson
Element Trainer

Stan Thompson

[ 1939-1942 ] [ 1946-47.htm ] [ Seaborg ad Nauseum ]

1946-1947

Golf, the "Hot Lab," and Beer at Larry Blake's?

Professor Seaborg conveniently excluded some major contributions that Stan Thompson was making to nuclear chemistry during this era; especially related to resolving Seaborg's problem that the results he presented as evidence for discovering Americium and Curium were not replicable. Thompson performed the necessary experiments and and theoretical formulations to accurately describe the physical and chemical characteristics of Americium and Curium for his dissertation. It also appears that Dr. Seaborg overlooked documenting Stan Thompson's development of the "Hot Lab" during this period in favor of presenting the record of Thompson and Seaborg's  luncheon dates and golf matches.

The Webmaster is particularly curious about the Southern California "golf vacations" documented at great length by Seaborg.  Since Thompson briefed and accompanied Seaborg to the most significant scientific meetings during the War, might not the two of them been in Southern California so Thompson could  intensely prepare Seaborg for the major meetings Seaborg had scheduled immediately after their golfing vacation? The Webmaster, a native of Southern California, has played several of the courses mentioned by Seaborg. He finds it inconceivable that two men as bright as Thompson and Seaborg would travel 500 miles and waste their precious vacation time to play these public golf courses as if they were destination resorts. Obviously, these vacations were offsite technical briefing by Thompson for Seaborg. Why wouldn't Seaborg simply state as much unless he were trying to disguise the true nature of his dependence on Thompson.

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The Internet is a wonderful vanity press. It is a bully pulpit that costs the author of a website almost nothing. Therefore, it falls on the reader to exercise increased vigilence while browsing websites because the the layers of "editors" and "publishers" have been removed from the information transfer process and so that anybody can say most anything without regard for the facts or truth. This website is no exception. For that reason, I have tried to provide copies of enough of the original materials so that the reader can make his or her own interpretations of the source documents that led me to the conclusions expressed here. 

Last Edited 07/21/15 --Comments to Webmaster