Bethe, Agnew first recipients of Los Alamos National Laboratory Medal

Laboratory Director John Browne on Wednesday announced that Nobel Laureate Hans Bethe and former Laboratory Director Harold Agnew will receive the first-ever Los Alamos Medal, deemed "the highest honor the Laboratory can bestow on an individual or small group."

Bethe, who headed the Theoretical (T) Group at Los Alamos from 1943-1946, was selected for his role as "scientific visionary and leader, mentor and role model to the Laboratory from its inception," said Browne. In 1967, Bethe won the Nobel Prize in physics for his contributions to the theory of nuclear reactions, especially his discoveries concerning energy production in stars. He is professor emeritus of physics at Cornell University.

Agnew, who was director of the Laboratory from 1970-1979, is cited "for leadership during the Laboratory's formative years and ascension to international stature." Agnew's association with the Laboratory began in 1943, when he joined the Laboratory's former Experimental Physics (W) Division. He was elected a state senator in 1955, and in 1961 became science adviser to the NATO supreme allied commander in Europe. He returned to Los Alamos in 1964 to head the former W Division. Upon leaving Los Alamos, Agnew headed Gulf General Atomics in San Diego, a nuclear reactor builder.

A formal award ceremony and reception will be held in December. Nominees for the Los Alamos Medal are judged on selection criteria that include a contribution that changed the course of science, a major enhancement of the Laboratory's ability to accomplish its mission, a significant impact on Laboratory sustainability and establishment of a major direction for the Laboratory and/or nation.