Aug 18, 2008

Domenici honored at foundation banquet

By ROGER SNODGRASS, Los Alamos Monitor Editor

OHKAY OWINGEH PUEBLO – The grand banquet room at Ohkay Casino Resort and Hotel was sold out Friday night, thanks to a big name and a worthy cause.

“I truly don’t deserve it,” Sen. Pete Domenici said near the end of an outpouring of gratitude from an evening of tributes. “But I might as well acknowledge it.”

Continuing on to his coming retirement, Domenici was the honored guest at the Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation’s 12th Annual Banquet, a fund-raiser for a newly endowed scholarship fund in the senator’s name.

There were frequent references to his national and international leadership, but the emphasis for this occasion was his friendship and support of the people of the state.

A slide show of projects he helped fund seemed to include most of the significant projects in the state that have been built, acquired, developed or protected over the course of his 36-year career in the Senate.

According to the foundation’s plans, the Senator Pete Domenici Endowed Scholarship Fund will endow a four-year scholarship every year for each of the seven counties of Northern New Mexico.

On behalf of Los Alamos National Security, LLC, LANL Director Michael Anastasio announced a $500,000 donation to the fund.

Diana MacArthur, president of the LANL Foundation board of directors, along with Dynamac Corporation, Los Alamos National Bank and Los Alamos Technical Associates, contributed $25,000 each.

Many other companies and individuals contributed amounts ranging from $10,000 to $250.
Susan Herrera, executive director of the Foundation, recalled the story of how the Foundation began with an endowment that has now grown to $62 million.

The Los Alamos Employee’s Scholarship Fund, established in 1998 and administered by the Foundation has awarded $1.3 million to over 450 northern New Mexico students.

The Foundation has also bestowed more than $30 million in 1,700 small grants, as Herrera said, “to almost every school system and nonprofit in the region.”

Noting how hard it was to say “thank you” to someone who had done so much, she said, “We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

Stealing away from his duties at the special session of the Legislature, House Speaker Ben Lujan, called Domenici “a giant among giants,” and jokingly thanked him for giving his son, Ben Ray Lujan, “a chance to run for Congress.”

The younger Lujan is running for the office of Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., who is in the race for Domenici’s Senate seat against Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M.

Jill Udall, representing her husband Tom at the banquet, said Domenici was a legend in his own time.

“Senator, you will be missed, but never really replaced,” she said. Then added, “though some of us will try.”

Steve Pearce, running for the senate seat against Udall, told Domenici that it was not enough to say thank you, but identified him as one of a special kind of people, saying, “You carry the fire.”

Española Mayor Joseph Maestas was the Master of Ceremonies. He presented Domenici with a key to the city, which he said was the first he had ever given, noting that Domenici was always welcome.

In Domenici’s concluding remarks that responded to the outpouring of gratitude throughout the evening, he talked about the scholarships and the young people and “the long road after I’m long gone.”

He confessed the reason that he has had some success was that he was “blessed with the finest staff of men and women.”

He said, “They made me shine.”

Extending his thanks to his wife Nancy, who shared in the evening’s appreciations, he gave back in kind some of the affection he had received during the evening.

“You are my really great friends,” he said. “When I come through here, I know there will always be a friend. They can’t have all disappeared.”

A formal-ribbon cutting at the foundation’s new facility, the Center for Educational and Nonprofit Leadership, preceded the dinner.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

The clock is ticking down for St. Pete's exit. According to polls, it looks like Tom Udall will have an easy time taking Pete's seat in the Senate. LANL will be losing what little is left of its political support within Congress. This does not look good for the lab's future.

Anonymous said...

Stop stressing 10:54, LANS's superb mgt team has it covered.

Anonymous said...

The "Party" is over, hang on to your ass's the fall-out will be far-reaching in terms of money from DOE..

Anonymous said...

No, but it looks good for the nation's future.

Anonymous said...

"No, but it looks good for the nation's future.

8/18/08 1:52 PM"

How to you see that?

Anonymous said...

"How to you see that?

8/18/08 4:14 PM"

Oh, I don't know... Surely there is nothing being done at this facility that couldn't be done elsewhere. For less money. With more safety. Oh, and one other teeny, tiny little thing: More securely.

Anonymous said...

Who could argue the superiority of Domenici-free competition for research money? Think how nice it will be to have grants that are fairly awarded without unnecessary secrecy and with peer review!
We all will profit from a return to fairness - with the possible exception of LANL organization.

Anonymous said...

What is LANL really anticipating with St. Pete's retirement?

Anonymous said...

"8/18/08 4:14 PM"

Oh, I don't know... Surely there is nothing being done at this facility that couldn't be done elsewhere. For less money. With more safety. Oh, and one other teeny, tiny little thing: More securely.

8/18/08 4:52 PM"

I do not see it how you could do
the work done at LANL at another facility for less money and more safely. With even the smallest amount of thought it is clear that it could not be done more securley elswehere. You have no argument whatsoever.

Anonymous said...

"Who could argue the superiority of Domenici-free competition for research money? Think how nice it will be to have grants that are fairly awarded without unnecessary secrecy and with peer review!
We all will profit from a return to fairness - with the possible exception of LANL organization.

8/18/08 6:31 PM"

This does not make any sense. There is peer review and it does work.

Anonymous said...

Outsourcing - ain't heard that word for a while. Why does LANL do computer support, furniture, facilities maintenance, Security, etc. Give em away with performance based fees. Do what the contract says and get your fee. Do really well and get a bonus. Screw up and get a penalty.

Anonymous said...

8/18 9:56 pm: "Do what the contract says and get your fee. Do really well and get a bonus. Screw up and get a penalty."

Why does this have to only apply to subcontractors? Why can't DOE/NNSA apply the same rules to LANS? Why would LANS be more likely to apply it to a sub?

Anonymous said...

Do any of you "younger" folks know what will transpire at LANL without Sen Domenici? He amazed even the former Directors with his uniquie ability to fund the un-fundable and spend the un-spendable. The overall budget will shrink around half a billion by next year!!!!without his clout over the DOE.

Anonymous said...

"Do any of you "younger" folks know what will transpire at LANL without Sen Domenici? He amazed even the former Directors with his uniquie ability to fund the un-fundable and spend the un-spendable. The overall budget will shrink around half a billion by next year!!!!without his clout over the DOE.

8/19/08 4:52 PM"

So what, than we go get jobs elswhere.

Anonymous said...

8:54 is right. Without the golden handcuffs of a defined benefit plan, every TCP2 employee is much freer to leave when they choose to do so. The age of spending a career at LANL is over.

Anonymous said...

"So what, than we go get jobs elswhere." - 8/19/08 8:54 PM

Poor writing skills and an apathetic 'Gen-Y' attitude may work to hinder your efforts, 8:54 PM.

Anonymous said...

Where are you from 8:54?

Anonymous said...

So what, then we go get jobs elsewhere. Where will wil go get jobs elsewhere, you can't eve write a full complete sentence, sorry Charlie but you represent a small minority of employees' who may have a hard time gaining employmnet, after the "Gravy Train" is gone. Maybe you could get your GED and improve your grammer.

Anonymous said...

Does 8:54 know who Sen Domenici is? And what he brought into this Lab in terms of money? Or do you care?

Anonymous said...

Another anonymous contributor (8:15, 8/18) assures us that there is funding that passed peer review at LANL. My experience is that only a very small fraction of LANL research has passed that test. A proposal review committee considers two criteria besides the quality of the proposal.
That includes:
1. The cost
2. The record of accomplishment in the field of the proposal.

LANL costs are among the highest in the country but, more important,
the continuity of programs, particularly the programs that were propped up by Dominici's gullibility, is awful. I also work at both weapons labs and LLNL has the present advantage of a recent history where they had to work much harder for funding. As a result they have an impressive history of accomplishment and expertise. I participated in many of LANL's ill-fated programs that were, I now understand, not based on meaningful proposals.
I believe that LANL personnel are just as capable as any other laboratory but, as others have pointed out, the time has come to work our way out of pork-barrel funding.
I’ve seen angry comments about LLNL on this blog and it is true that they’ve had some famous program failures. If you visit the place, however, you see some programs with both a history and a future. The isotope separation program actually worked. unlike LANL’s , which was largely based on mis-representation. It is now shut down because the centrifuge proved more economical. The laser fusion program, however, is large and still working in permanent, dedicated facilities with very-highly-trained technicians. All the big programs at LANL during the last 30 years were terminal. The laser and beam programs, for example, just ended and no one, anywhere followed up on them. The time has come for LANL to accept this sad history, stop complaining about salaries and try to revive scientific accomplishments.

Anonymous said...

2:41 pm: "So what, then we go get jobs elsewhere. Where will wil go get jobs elsewhere, you can't eve write a full complete sentence, sorry Charlie but you represent a small minority of employees' who may have a hard time gaining employmnet, after the "Gravy Train" is gone. Maybe you could get your GED and improve your grammer."

Please tell me this is a subtle jab at the earlier poster's mistakes and not a serious post on your part. Kettle? Black??

Anonymous said...

"The time has come for LANL to accept this sad history, stop complaining about salaries and try to revive scientific accomplishments."

Hey - we need those high salaries! Do you think it is easy to screw up with six sigma consistency?

Anonymous said...

"My experience is that only a very small fraction of LANL research has passed that test."

This is simply not true.

Anonymous said...

"an apathetic 'Gen-Y' attitude may work to hinder your efforts, 8:54 PM.

8/20/08 10:00 AM"

You insult is not based on reality. I bet you are some bitter boomer creating the myth about Gen-Y. The article below shows how our strong work ethic is why we will get the choice jobs.

The World Today - Wednesday, 8 August , 2007 12:52:00
Reporter: Barbara Miller
ELEANOR HALL: They're portrayed as confident, technology-savvy, materialistic and carefree. But a new report has found that many members of what's known as Generation Y don't fit that mould at all.

The report by the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling at the University of Canberra finds that members of Generation Y actually work and study harder than previous generations. The report's authors say their findings debunk many of the ideas held by Baby Boomers and Generation X-ers about those born between 1976 and 1991.

Anonymous said...

"This is simply not true."

Oh boy, that was convincing. Telling an anonymous person he has not experienced what he stated. How would you know? Did you think before you typed that?

The next commenter cleverly employs poor writing and a report titled "The Gender Wage gap for Generation Y in Australia" to make the point of the person he is arguing with.

Brilliant. Assuming it was comedy, that is.