[time-nuts] Shortt Clock Recent Measurements (Brooke Clarke)

[johncroos at aol.com]

It is not surprising that one can find little about Alfred Loomis. He was notoriously publicity shy and never gave interviews. Before his death he had much of research material disposed of. However the private lab he created at Tuxedo Park NY. was a gathering place for all of the key scientists of his time. He used his considerable fortune to fund the research of promising scientists. If anything was hot in physics in the 30's and early 40's he was there. For example he is in a photo taken at the early Berkley Summer Study where the greats in physics gathered to determine the feasibility of the A-Bomb.

He was probably the last of the great "Gentleman Scientists".

A great read is "Tuxedo Park...." by Jennet Conant (yep of the same family) first published in 2002.  I read a borrowed copy then.  And with all the discussion about him, I recalled the book. I tried Amazon and just got a Kindle edition. (The amazon listing mentions Oppenheimer, but the book is all about Loomis). Read the reviews if interested.

- 73 john k6iql