To: All Employees
From: Mike Anastasio
As some of you may have heard, two of our own were killed on their way to work Monday in a plane crash near Golden, New Mexico. My heartfelt condolences go out first to the families of the two men and then to their friends and coworkers here at the Lab.
State Police have just informed us they now have positive identifications on both.
Our two employees were Matt Porter of Engineering Services and Randy Rupert of Construction Management. The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting a full investigation into the cause of the crash.
All of us are deeply saddened by the passing of these two men and offer the sincerest hope that their loved ones may find some small measure of relief in the fact that both were so highly respected and liked by their friends and peers at Los Alamos National Laboratory, and that they will be missed.
The Employee Assistance Program is available to any Laboratory employee wishing to discuss any issue of concern. Counseling services may be offered through EAP or outside providers may be recommended. If you would like to speak with a counselor, contact the EAP at 667-7339. The EAP is staffed Monday through Thursday from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm and Friday 8 am to 5 pm.
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28 comments:
I know that someone that frequents this blog will somehow manage to flog their favorite targets using Mike's note, but I thought this was a thoughtful and classy response to this tragedy.
Bullshit 10:03 AM. The Director only gives a shit when the death makes the news? Why didn't he do this for all the other workers that pass away unexpectedly like Wes Efurd who spent his entire life working for this country?
Yes, this was indeed a thoughtful response to the tragedy. But, I cannot resist noting that this response is quite out of character with our management!
4:06 pm has made 10:03 am's point in the most direct way possible. The classless cannot recognize class. The muck just sticks to everything. Yuk!
Thanks for not disappointing, 4:06pm. I am surprised it took as long as it did.
I worked with Wes Efurd on a short project just once over 10 years ago. Wes left such a strong, positive impression on me that it greatly saddens me to read here that he has passed on.
3/13/09 4:06 PM is exactly correct.
The workers at TA_55 send Randy's family heartfelt condolences.
He was a good man and we enjoyed working with him.
Rest in peace.
I would be a lot more inclined to recognize the humanity of LANS and the LANS management team if they would simply, and publicly appologize for the treatment of Sara Kauppila and her family and compensate them accordingly. They are only in the news when it serves them directly. Sometimes having integrity is just a little bit harder than showing up at a funeral in a black suit. I've not seen Mike demonstrate that he has an ounce of compassion for the people of this community that he and his corporate clones ravage on a daily basis.
I think that it is quite a sad situation that whenever LANL management does something decent we are just reminded of all of the crappy things that they have done.
Sort of like the relationship between "attaboys" and "awshits."
Did past directors of LANL acknowledge *every* employee death? I rather doubt it. I'm unaware of any large organization that does. These sorts of statements do tend to get generated in more visible situations. We can each read into it what we choose.
Perhaps we can get Mikey to sign up for a two-year extension too. It seems inevitable that his replacement will be even worse.
3/6/09 2:10 PM
Just curious, who would you nominate as a BETTER replacement?
3/14/09 10:04 AM
This was from another thread on the blog - fits in here pretty good.
LANS had nothing to do with the Kappulia's so why should they apologize? Nanos and the CREM incident happened on UC's watch.
Get used to it...this is a company town. You just work here.
This thread is so full of the sad, the sick, the ugly, and the truly good at LANL. As a 30+ year employee, now retired, I can only worry how LANL's funding sources, who are assuredly reading this, will react. My advice to them is to read this for what it is, and to make their own judgements about how it represents LANL employees as a whole, and then decide if this wretched place is worth your dollars. I would guess not. So, the LANL employees who trash LANL here at every opportunity, you are creating a self-fulfilling prophesy.
Randy, Matt, and Wes: I'll catch you upstairs sooner or (hopefully) later.
"Sometimes having integrity is just a little bit harder than showing up at a funeral in a black suit."
Exactly. Harder, but more important, to be a decent human being every day.
Doesn't mean much when you shed crocodile tears over the passing of someone that you trashed on a daily basis while they were around to hear it and react to it.
Lots of employees suffering under the current mismanagement. It is a load of BS to blame the victim for complaining about abuse.
Well, 3:52, I'm glad you asked. It just so happens that another, more qualified, more genuine, individual applied. His name was Paul Robinson. Somehow he didn't get the job. He had two strikes against him. First he was a scientist, and second, he wasn't from Livermore.
God rest their souls.
First he was a scientist, and second, he wasn't from Livermore.
3/15/09 7:51 AM
... and third, he had the cajones to come out and tell NNSA they were wrong about the idiotic LANL shutdown. That last one sealed the fate of LockMart and Robinson.
NNSA's Tom D'Agostino couldn't stand that type of insolence and honesty from the lab's future LLC management. Instead, he selected what would turn out to be a trained and extremely obedient little puppy dog called LANS (aka Bechtel and BWXT). Heel!!!
Gee 11:16 PM, couldn't agree with you more. A lot of people in my group C-NR bashed Wes behind his back while he was alive - even my group leader. Very sad that she and all the others showed up to his funeral and pretended to be shocked and care when giving condonlences to his wife. He should have been a Lab Fellow for all he did for the Lab and this country, but nobody could be bothered. Poor, sweet, caring man. Didn't even get a special letter from our worthless Director.
I am unaware of anyone who bashed Wes or who had any lack of respect for his scientific talents and dedication. All of the comments I ever heard were gentle teasing about his love for Cheetos and amazement at the analyses he performed.
Wow, for once the comments on a topic were silenced. I just remember a great guy who did his job very well and loved his country. Sounds like those comments about Wes' so-called friends, colleagues, and managers were true. How very, very sad.
3/19 10:44 pm: Your comment will either be removed or Frank will say "Me? Censorship? No Way! Prove it!"
8:20pm:
No, Frank lets any little prick, such as yourself for example, contribute their brave little contributions to his blog.
Yours would have never seen the light of day when I was running the LANL blog.
Have a nice day.
--Doug
LANL, Retired 2005
"Me? Censorship? No Way! Prove it!"
Seriously, not much gets censored here. I didn't know any of these people but I was prepared to start deleting comments if things got nasty. I didn't need to. On this post, so far, you're seeing every comment.
7:27 am: Doug said: "Yours would have never seen the light of day when I was running the LANL blog."
Just what I like to hear - a staunch proponent of the First Amendment. Like the blog's entire existence didn't depend on the rights you are so willing to strip from anyone you don't agree with. Glad you're gone, Doug. Especially from LANL, but also from control of this blog. Another poster had it right - you ARE on a "power trip from hell."
It sounds to me like Doug is a staunch proponent of keeping garbage off of the blog, 10:34. We could do with a little cleanup here, maybe starting with your contributions.
6:28 am: "Cleanup" = censorship. Choose your environment: censorship vs free speech. Be careful what you wish for. Next they will come for you.
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