[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 8, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E229]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            TROY WADE EULOGY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DINA TITUS

                               of nevada

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 8, 2022

  Ms. TITUS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the accomplishments 
and celebrate the life of Troy E. Wade.
  Robert Oppenheimer once said of the great physicist Niels Bohr about 
his contribution to the development of the atomic bomb: ``It was a 
heroic time. It was not the doing of any one man; it involved the 
collaboration of scores of scientists from many different lands. But 
from first to last, the deeply creative, subtle and critical spirit of 
Niels Bohr guided, restrained, deepened, and finally transmuted the 
enterprise.''
  I believe the same thing could be said of Troy Wade and the nuclear 
weapons testing program. He guided, restrained, deepened, and 
transmuted the enterprise for policy makers, posterity, and for me 
personally.
  Troy certainly guided and transmuted the testing program for policy 
makers in his many positions in state and federal government, including 
as President Reagan's Assistant Secretary of Energy for Defense 
Programs. As NTS historian Darwin Morgan said, ``He was not a 
Washington stuffed shirt.'' Instead, he was known to be a listener and 
used tact and tolerance to move his agenda which was always to protect 
this country and help promote peace.
  This was confirmed when I had a political event at Desert Research 
Institute during my first campaign for Congress. Troy was there to keep 
an eye on things and reassure the sweet little lady docents that the 
secret service dogs were not going to run off with the prehistoric 
bones in the museum. When Vice President Biden arrived, before I could 
introduce them, he said, ``Oh, I know Troy Wade. I sat across the table 
from him many times in the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee. He was a 
tough but fair negotiator. A straight shooter, someone you could 
trust.'' Obviously, no introduction was necessary.
  Troy also translated the testing program for posterity. He wanted 
people to know the story, the whole story, of the test site and the men 
and women on the front lines who helped us win the Cold War. To this 
end, Troy leaned on Nick and Chuck and Bruce and Linda who refinanced 
their houses (without telling their spouses, although I bet Mary knew) 
to fund an atomic testing museum. The museum, thankfully, was a 
success. It is Smithsonian-sanctioned and draws thousands of visitors 
annually, from local school children to foreign dignitaries alike. And 
it indeed tells the whole story. In addition to bomb replicas, it 
relates the plight of the downwinders and offers a wonderful exhibit on 
the impact of the bomb on U.S. popular culture.
  Troy and I got in a bit of trouble, however, when I introduced a bill 
in the state legislature to create a special license plate to raise 
money for the museum. We wanted to put a mushroom cloud on it. As 
George Knapp quipped on Channel 8 News, it ``would kick sand in the 
face of any other plate on the road.'' Governor Guinn, unfortunately, 
vetoed our choice and we settled for the stylized atom design offered 
today.
  Finally, Troy transmuted the enterprise for me personally. He 
patiently answered questions as I did research for my book and often 
steered me in the right direction. He helped me secure AEC documents 
and records for the public reading room of the museum and he spoke to 
my classes. Most importantly, he became my friend. I often referred to 
Troy as the ``ultimate cold warrior''. I hope he took it as a 
compliment, because that's certainly how I meant it. Like so many of 
his family, friends, and coworkers, I will miss him very much. As will 
a grateful Nation.

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