Killian, James Rhyne, 1904-

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Scientist, college administrator.

From the description of Reminiscences of James Rhyne Killian, Jr. : oral history, 1970. (Columbia University In the City of New York). WorldCat record id: 122565732

  • October 24, 1957: First Award: Niels Henrik David Bohr
  • January 29, 1959: Second Award: George Charles de Hevesy
  • May 18, 1960: Third Award: Leo Szilard and Eugene Paul Wigner
  • May 18, 1960: Fourth Award: Alvin M. Weinberg and Walter H. Zinn
  • April 6, 1961: Fifth Award: Sir John Cockcroft
  • October 24, 1963: Sixth Award: Vladimir Iosovich Vekslev and Edwin McMillan
  • November 14, 1967: Seventh Award: Bertrand L. Goldschmidt, W. Bennett Lewis, and Isidor Isaac Rabi
  • October 14, 1968: Eighth Award: Sigvard Eklund, Abdus Salam, and Henry DeWolf Smyth
  • May 14, 1969: Ninth Award: Aage Niels Bohr, Floyd LeRoy Culler, Jr., Henry Seymour Kaplan, Ben Ray Mottelson, Compton Alexander Rennie, Anthony Leonid Turkevich
  • May 14, 1969: Tenth Award: Dwight David Eisenhower

On July 20, 1955, in Geneva, Switzerland, President Dwight D. Eisenhower called for an international effort to apply nuclear science to peaceful purposes and expressed his hope that "private business and professional men throughout the world will take an interest and provide an incentive in finding new ways that this new science can be used . . . for the benefit of mankind and not destruction." In response, Henry Ford II, Benson Ford, and Henry Clay Ford proposed that the Ford Motor Company Fund authorize an appropriation of one million dollars to be granted at a rate of $100,000 annually for ten years to recognize outstanding contributions to the peaceful application of nuclear energy. The "Atoms for Peace Awards, A Memorial to Henry Ford and Edsel Ford," was established by the directors of the Fund to receive and administer the monies. The creation of the Awards was announced at the World Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy in Geneva, Switzerland, on August 8, 1955, by Admiral Lewis L. Strauss, chairman of the United States Atomic Energy Commission.

On August 12, 1955, James R. Killian, president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, accepted the invitation of Henry Ford II to serve as chairman of the Organization and Planning Committee for the Atoms for Peace Awards. Six other committee members were subsequently appointed to consider questions of policy and administration. Their decisions and recommendations, which included a suggested Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws for the Atoms for Peace Awards, Inc., were submitted to the Ford Motor Company Fund. These were approved and, on behalf of the Fund, the committee members were named trustees of the new non-profit organization.

Award recipients were selected by the trustees from among the world's scientists, engineers, and others who, in their judgment, had made the greatest contribution to the development of peaceful uses of atomic energy. The award winners were chosen without regard for nationality or political ideology and received a cash honorarium accompanied by a commemorative medal. Individuals and organizations were encouraged to nominate any person who had made a significant contribution. An Advisory Committee on Nominations, appointed by the Board of Trustees, conducted the preliminary screening of the nominations and submitted its recommendations to the trustees who made the final decision. If the Board of Trustees failed to discover a candidate meriting the award, the award and medal were withheld during that year.

From the guide to the Atoms for Peace Awards records, 1944-1972, (Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Institute Archives and Special Collections)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Carpenter, Donald F. (Donald Fell), 1899-1985. Papers, 1922-1984. Hagley Museum & Library
creatorOf Rockefeller, Nelson A. (Nelson Aldrich), 1908-1979. Dwight D. and Mamie Eisenhower audiocassettes, 1949-1982. RIT Library, Wallace Library
creatorOf Barker, James M., 1886-1974. James M. Barker papers, 1825-1975, bulk 1920-1970. Newberry Library
referencedIn Robertson, Jim, 1918-. Jim Robertson papers, 1946-1989 and undated (majority 1970-1982) University of Maryland (College Park, Md.). Libraries
referencedIn Wheeler, John Archibald, 1911-2008. Oral history interview with John Archibald Wheeler, 1988 May 4 to November 28. American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library
referencedIn Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Office of the President, records of Karl Taylor Compton and James Rhyne Killian, 1930-1959 Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Libraries
creatorOf Killian, James Rhyne, 1904-1988. Letter, 1930 : to Lewis Mumford. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn Vannevar Bush Papers, 1901-1974, (bulk 1932-1955) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mid-Century Convocation on the Social Implications of Scientific Progress records Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Libraries
referencedIn Fletcher, C. Scott (Cyril Scott), 1904-1991. C. Scott Fletcher papers, 1926-1991 and undated (majority 1944-1971) University of Maryland (College Park, Md.). Libraries
referencedIn United States. White House Office. Office of the Special Assistant to the President for Science and Technology. Records of James R. Killian and George B. Kistiakowsky, 1957-1961. American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library
creatorOf York, Herbert F. (Herbert Frank). Papers, ca. 1958-1999. University of California, San Diego, UC San Diego Library; UCSD Library
referencedIn Robertson, Jim, 1918-. Jim Robertson papers, 1946-1989 and undated (majority 1970-1982) University of Maryland (College Park, Md.). Libraries
referencedIn John Archibald Wheeler Papers, 1880-2008, 1880-2008 American Philosophical Society
creatorOf Killian, James Rhyne, 1904-1988. A great age for the humanities : [address at] Mount Holyoke College commencement exercises, June 6, 1965 / by James R. Killian, Jr. Mount Holyoke College, Williston & Miles-Smith Library
referencedIn Dwight D. Eisenhower Library Oral History Collection. 1962 - 1998. Oral History Transcripts. 1962 - 1998. Oral History Interviews with James R. Killian, Jr. Dwight D. Eisenhower Library
referencedIn Herbert F. York Papers, 1958-1999 University of California, San Diego. Geisel Library. Mandeville Special Collections Library.
referencedIn Wiener, Norbert papers Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Libraries
referencedIn Fletcher, C. Scott (Cyril Scott), 1904-1991. C. Scott Fletcher papers, 1926-1991 and undated (majority 1944-1971) University of Maryland (College Park, Md.). Libraries
creatorOf Atoms for Peace Awards records Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Libraries
referencedIn Carnegie Commission on Educational Television. Records, 1954-1957, 1963-1957. Wisconsin Historical Society, Newspaper Project
creatorOf Killian, James Rhyne, 1904-1988. Reminiscences of James Rhyne Killian, Jr. : oral history, 1970. Columbia University in the City of New York, Columbia University Libraries
referencedIn Public television's roots oral history project, 1979-1982. Wisconsin Historical Society, Newspaper Project
referencedIn York, Herbert F. (Herbert Frank). Oral history interview with Herbert F. York, 1986 February 7. American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library
creatorOf DuBridge, Lee A. (Lee Alvin), 1901-1994. Radiation Laboratory Reunion [sound recording] / 1976 November. American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Atoms for Peace Awards, Inc. corporateBody
associatedWith Barker, James M., 1886-1974. person
associatedWith Benedict, Manson person
associatedWith Bohr, Aage person
associatedWith Bohr, Niels (Niels Henrik David), 1885-1962 person
associatedWith Bronk, Detlev W. (Detlev Wulf), 1897-1975 person
correspondedWith Bush, Vannevar, 1890-1974. person
associatedWith Carnegie Commission on Educational Television. corporateBody
associatedWith Carpenter, Donald F. (Donald Fell), 1899-1985. person
associatedWith Cockcroft, John, Sir, 1897-1967 person
associatedWith Compton, Arthur Holly, 1892-1962 person
associatedWith Eisenhower, Dwight D. (Dwight David), 1890-1969. person
associatedWith Eklund, Sigvard Arne, 1911-2000 person
correspondedWith Fletcher, C. Scott (Cyril Scott), 1904-1991. person
associatedWith Hammarskjöld, Dag, 1905-1961 person
associatedWith Hevesy, Georg von, 1885-1966 person
associatedWith Kistiakowsky, George B. (George Bogdan), 1900- person
associatedWith Leggett, M. Bryce person
associatedWith Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Office of the President corporateBody
associatedWith Mid-Century Convocation on the Social Implications of Scientific Progress (1949 : Massachusetts Institute of Technology) corporateBody
associatedWith Mount Holyoke College corporateBody
associatedWith Oppenheimer, J. Robert, 1904-1967 person
correspondedWith Robertson, Jim person
correspondedWith Robertson, Jim, 1918- person
associatedWith Teller, Edward, 1908-2003 person
associatedWith Tuve, Merle Antony, 1901-1982 person
associatedWith United States. Dept. of Defense. corporateBody
associatedWith United States. Dept. of State. corporateBody
correspondedWith United States. White House Office. Office of the Special Assistant to the President for Science and Technology. corporateBody
associatedWith Wheeler, John Archibald, 1911-2008. person
associatedWith White, Stephen, person
associatedWith Wiener, Norbert, 1894-1964 person
associatedWith Wigner, Eugene Paul, 1902-1995 person
associatedWith York, Herbert F. (Herbert Frank) person
Place Name Admin Code Country
United States
Subject
Nuclear energy
Science and state
Science and the humanities
Scientists
Occupation
Activity

Person

Birth 1904-07-24

Death 1988-01-29

Americans

English

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