[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 19 (Friday, February 18, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E302]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E302]]
    IN MEMORY OF DR. ALLEN BROMLEY, PROFESSOR OF PHYSICS AND FORMER 
                      PRESIDENTIAL SCIENCE ADVISOR

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. VERNON J. EHLERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 17, 2005

  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the contributions 
of physicist Allan Bromley to this nation's science and technology 
enterprise.
  Dr. Allan Bromley, a Yale University professor, nuclear physicist and 
architect of national science policy during the administration of 
President George H. W. Bush, passed away on Thursday, February 10, 
2005, at the age of 79.
  A native of Westmeath, Ontario, Canada, Dr. Bromley earned bachelor's 
and master's degrees at Queen's University and a doctorate from the 
University of Rochester in 1952. He subsequently received 32 honorary 
doctorates from universities on four continents.
  Bromley was the first scientist to artificially form nuclear 
molecules through high-speed collisions using a five million-volt 
particle accelerator that he pioneered in 1959. He founded the A. W. 
Wright Nuclear Structure Laboratory at Yale and served as its director 
from 1963 to 1989. During the same period, his outstanding teaching 
contributed to his laboratory graduating more Ph.D.s in experimental 
physics than any other institution in the world. In 1988, he received 
the National Medal of Science, the nation's highest scientific award, 
for his remarkable contributions to the advancement of science and the 
characterization of atomic nuclei.
  Dr. Bromley's tremendous accomplishments were not limited to the 
confines of the academic laboratory. As the first person to hold the 
Cabinet level rank of Assistant to the President for Science and 
Technology, Dr. Bromley increased both the staff and budget of the 
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy by factors of more 
than five between 1989 and 1993. He supported increasing scientific 
research in the federal portfolio, considering it a necessity to remain 
competitive with other nations' investments. He championed the 
expansion of the ``data superhighway,'' the precursor of the internet, 
and is credited with convincing the president to attend a summit on 
global warming. Among his many other accomplishments, Dr. Bromley has 
served as the president of the American Physical Society, a member of 
the Governing Board of the American Institute of Physics, and as a 
member of the National Science Board.
  Curiously, Dr. Bromley became a U.S. citizen through rather unusual 
circumstances. In 1970, after visiting a high-security testing site, 
someone realized that Bromley wasn't a U.S. citizen. With the help of a 
judge, this oversight was quickly remedied.
  At the time of his death, Dr. Bromley was still actively teaching 
physics at Yale as the Sterling Professor of Sciences.
  Dr. Bromley served his country in a variety of ways, from the Oval 
Office to the classroom. He will be remembered as one of the most 
influential science advisers ever, as well as one of the most beloved 
teachers in higher education. We fondly remember his leadership and 
invaluable contributions, and we extend our condolences to his family.

                          ____________________