Presentation of the Arthur L. Day Medal to Gerald J. Wasserburg

Abstract

The first course I taught at an American university was a semester of crystallography, inflicted on three Rutgers students, one of whom was Gerald J. Wasserburg. This may be why, ever since, Jerry has been busy converting crystals into the most tenuous plasma possible. In those days, more than twenty years ago, Jerry was recently out of the Army where, as the only linguist in his company advancing into Germany, he was the logical choice for stepping forward, challenging the enemy to surrender, and promptly getting shot at. So when I first knew him, Wasserburg was still mad at the world. He often came to our house, invited or not, where he liked to sit on the floor, and voice disagreement with our opinions on any subject whatsoever. Jerry has mellowed over the years, but not much.