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BNL Retired Employees AssociationBREA NewsletterElection EditionVolume 3, Number 1February 17, 2004New Officers NominatedDates to Save: May 27, 2004: BREA luncheon/reunion. March 4, 2004: Eric Forsythfilm.(This is a repeat of thestandard electioncomment) You probably noticed that this isan election, but thereis only a single candidate for each position.We are not a “bananarepublic”, this simplyreflects the difficultyof finding people willing to serve. The voting rule for this election will be that a candidate is elected ifthat candidate re-ceives a positive voteon a majority of theballots returned. Theoffice will be left openuntil another electionif a candidate does notget this majority. Notethat returning a ballot, but not voting fora candidate is theequivalent of a “NO”vote.See next pages for information on the candidates.To vote:1. Detach the lastpage of this ballotand mark your selections.2. Fold that page inhalf so that theaddress of theBREA office is onthe outside andtape it closed (thepost office asksthat you use tape,not staples).3. Put a stamp on it.4. Mail it.FROM THE (NEW) PRESIDENTInside this issue:Computer Woes2New Officer Biographies3Perception and Reality4This is our firstnewsletter since October 2000. TheBREA ExecutiveBoard nominated anew slate of officersin September 2003and we have beenmeeting monthlysince then.We are planning aluncheon on May27th at VillaLombardi’s and arehosting a talk byEric Forsythe atBerkner Hall onMarch 4th. Look foran invitation to attend the luncheonsoon. A new group ofrecently retired employees have joinedthe BREA ExecutiveBoard and are helping make thesethings happen.David Cox hastaken over as membership chair and ashis first task hasbrought our membership databaseup-to-date. We currently have over 600members in our database. Renee Flackis coordinatingplans for our luncheon in May. ElliotAuerbach is gathering information onthe new legislationcovering Medicarebenefits. In addi(Continued on page 2)

PAGE 2BREA NEWSLETTERVOLUME 3, NUMBER 1Computer WoesWe had a close call with theBREA membership database. Serious disk problemsled to the replacing of ourcomputer system. We haverestored the membershipdatabase to the best of ourabilities, but are unsure ifthe result is really up-todate and complete.If you receive this newsletter, you are in the database(obviously—since we use itto make up the mailing labels). But our problem isidentifying anyone we mayhave missed. We thought ofsimply asking anyone thatdid not get the newsletter tolet us know. But the flaw inthis approach is obvious! Sowe have put a note in theBNL Bulletin about theproblem. If you know orhear of anyone that did notget this newsletter, pleaselet us know. We can be contacted at:BREABldg. 475CUpton, NY 11973or by telephone at(631) 344-2707.We have two classes ofmembership in BREA, fulland associate members. Fullmembers are retirees or employees on long term disability, and their spouses (notethis includes survivingspouses). Associate members are all others interesting in joining our community.Reserve the Date!May 27 for a reunion lunch. More information to follow. See the Bulletin.From the President (cont’d):(Continued from page 1)tion, longer-term membersof the BREA board continueto help us.The BREA board meetsmonthly at BNL in Building475. The BREA office is located in that building aswell. We would like to seemore members attend ourboard meetings. If you areinterested in attending,please send email totichler@bnl.gov or leavevoicemail at the BREA officeat 344-2707.Paul Michael has been doinga great job maintaining theBREA web site at www.brea.bnl.gov. Please lookthere for news of the organization.One of the things you willnote on the web site is a series of links to the web sitesof other national lab retireeorganization. Please look atthese and see if any of theseorganizations are involvedin activities you would liketo see BREA take up.Graham Campbell, BarneyMcAlary (former presidentsof BREA) and I met withBill Hempfling, head of Human Resources and laterwith Praveen Chaudhari,BNL’s new Director. Gra-ham, Barney and I toldHempfling and Chaudhariabout future BREA plansand also alerted them to retirees’ concerns about possible changes in benefits because of the new legislationrecently passed by Congress.We will maintain contactwith both of these folks asthings evolve. Both Hempfling and Chaudhari haveaccepted our invitation toattend the BREA luncheonin May. We hope to seemany of you there and tohear from you about your interests and concerns in themeantime.

VOLUME 3, NUMBER 1BREA NEWSLETTERPAGE 3The CandidatesPresident - Joyce TichlerJoyce retired from BNL in September 2001. She worked at the lab from 1961-1963in the Applied Mathematics Department. During that period of time she developedcomputer programs for the High Energy Physics group. She returned to the lab in1972. She worked in the Department of Applied Science. During the 1990’s she ledthe Scientific Information Systems Group within the Department of EnvironmentalSciences. She was also active in Brookhaven Women in Science (BWIS).Vice President - Lew JacobsonLew retired September 30, 1995 after a 33-year career with BNL. Prior to joiningPlant Engineering as the Electrical Engineer in their Special Projects Group in 1970,Lew worked on the Cosmotron and AGS. Assignments within Plant Engineering inaddition to engineering projects, included; 20 years as their Safety Coordinator upuntil retirement, serving as the laboratory's first Energy Management Coordinator andestablishing Plant Engineering's Maintenance Management program and serving asit’s first Coordinator.Secretary - Alyce DalyAlyce started working at BNL in November 1963, when she was hired to work atSigma Center (now the National Nuclear Data Center). After many years withNNDC, she transferred to the Hazardous Waste Management operation, and sheretired as a Senior Computer Applications Specialist from that position in 1995. Inaddition to her work with BREA, she is also active in the local Brookhave n Business& Professional Women’s Club, and serves as President of Business & ProfessionalWomen International / New York.Treasurer - Barney McAlaryPrior to his retirement as Business Manager in 1996, Barney had responsibility for threeAdministrative Divisions, Fiscal Division, Supply and Materiel, and the Staff Services Division. Hisduties also included managing the 50 million Work For Others program of the Laboratory. He has anMS from Long Island University, BS from New York University, and is a Certified PublicAccountant. He resides in Wading River with his wife Jean.

PAGE 4BREA NEWSLETTERVOLUME 3, NUMBER 1Introducing the new Membership Chairman—Dave CoxDave was a senior scientist in the Physics Department prior to his retirement at the end of 1999, after 36 years of service at the laboratory.His research work was carried out mostly at the HFBR and the NSLS,where he participated in numerous collaborative studies with researchgroups from around the world. He resides in the village of Bellport withhis wife, Martine O’Connor, who worked in the Medical Department formany years until her departure in 1989.PERCEPTION AND REALITY – THE “FADED STAR” INTERVIEWBy David Cox (Physics Department 1963-2000)Many Brookhaven retirees mayhave been concerned about a recent article in the “Science” section of the New York Times thatappeared on October 21st , 2003,under the headline “A Conversation with Praveen Chaudhari New Chief at Physics Lab Tries toPolish Fading Star”. In this article, Claudia Dreyfus described aninterview with lab director Dr.Praveen Chaudhari, previously avice-president at IBM, who succeeded Dr. John Marburger earlier in the year. When asked“What was it about headingBrookhaven that intrigued you?”Dr. Chaudhari was quoted as saying “Like many people at privatelabs and at universities, I had thispreconception of the national labsas places where second-class science was being done. I thought, ifthat is true, then here is an opportunity to try something challenging”.In the November 11th issue of theNewsletter of the Brookhaven Organization of Scientists it wasstated that this interview was“widely considered to have had amajor negative impact at theLaboratory and in the Community”, and that in a memo sent onOctober 24th, the BrookhavenCouncil had expressed their deepconcern about the perception that“ the director views the laboratory as a second-rate institution .It is even more distressingthat the director would highlightthis negative perception in an interview with the press. We cannotsee that the public expression ofthis opinion is in any way helpfulto the Laboratory, while the neg ative impact it may have on ourreputation and morale is obvious . We encourage you to findan appropriate way to clarify yourposition to the BNL staff ”.In the November 3rd MondayMemo, Dr. Chaudhari acknowledged that several employees hadinformed him that they were unhappy with the way in whichBrookhaven had been portrayedin recent news articles, and offered some further comments.“ In response, I would say that Ihave only been honest about theperceptions that I had about thenational laboratory system beforecoming to Brookhaven, perceptions that were shared by many ofmy colleagues at universities andindustrial laboratories. Those perceptions have certainly changedsince I started here in April andlearned more about the researchers and the research being conducted at Brookhaven .There aremany excellent scientists and numerous examples of superb research We must all try to understand the perception of the worldoutside the Laboratory, because itis that perception, and the thingsthat have led to that perception,that we wish to change ”.In response to this clarification,the BOS Newsletter noted that“What seems to be missing here isDirector Chaudhari’s vision of apath to correct the perception ‘ofthe national labs as places wheresecond-class science was beingdone’, if indeed it is a commonperception as Dr. Chaudhari suggests. It would seem that statements such as he made in theTimes interview are not the wayto correct that perception, butserve rather to further it”.In the light of this controversy, itis gratifying to learn that Dr. Raymond Orbach, Director of DOE’sOffice of Science, apparently doesnot share Dr. Chaudhari’s perceptions, for in the November 21st issue of the Brookhaven Bulletin,Dr. Orbach is quoted as saying“The quality of this laboratory is,internationally, on the highestlevel .It is an asset, not just tothe United States, but truly for(Continued on page 5)

Place stamphereBNL Retired Employees AssociationBldg 475CBNLUpton, NY 11973-5000(Continued from page 4)the world”. He went on to praiseBNL’s extraordinary work in areassuch as biology and medical imaging, and at facilities includingRHIC, the AGS, and the NSLS.The image of the laboratory as asecond-rate institution is surely notone that most retirees would share,nor a legacy to be proud of. Oneneed look no further than the report“From Fifty to the Future – Brookhaven National Laboratory, 19471997” to appreciate the outstandingscientific contributions made by thelaboratory staff, past and present,and it is refreshing to hear the verypositive comments from Dr. Orbachabout his perception of the labor atory at the present time.REMINDEREric Forsyth will present a talkand film on his latest cruise,"ROUND THE WORLD THEWAY OF THE CLIPPERSHIPS, 2002-2003"The event will be at noon onThursday, March 4, 2004 atBerkner Hall.SAVE THE DATEBREA LUNCHEONMAY 27, 2004, 12 - 4VILLA LOMBARDI’S

BNL Retired Employees AssociationBldg. 475CPO Box 5000Upton, NY 11973-5000FORWARDING SERVICE REQUESTEDPresident - Joyce TichlerVice President - Lew JacobsonSecretary - Alyce DalyTreasurer - Barney McAlary

David Cox has taken over as mem - bership chair and as his first task has brought our mem - bership database up-to-date. We cur - rently have over 600 members in our da - tabase. Renee Flack is coordinating plans for our lunch - eon in May. Elliot Auerbach is gather - ing information on the new legislation covering Medicare benefits. In addi -