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October
8, 2002
Secretary Spencer Abraham, Former Secretaries
of Energy Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the
Department of Energy
WASHINGTON, DC - Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham
and four former Secretaries of Energy celebrated
the 25th anniversary of the Department of Energy
today at a ceremony at the agency's Washington,
D.C. headquarters. The event honored the department's
employees, particularly the nearly 2000 employees
who have been with DOE since its inception in
1977, and the accomplishments of DOE's 25 years
of service.
Joining Secretary Abraham at the celebration were
the department's first Secretary, James R. Schlesinger
(August 1977-August 1979); Secretary James B.
Edwards (January 1981- November 1982); Secretary
James D. Watkins (March 1989-January 1993); and
Secretary Hazel R. O'Leary (January 1993-January
1997).
Secretary Schlesinger in his keynote recounted
stories of the beginning days of DOE, from the
selection of the Forrestal Building as the headquarters
to the first pieces of legislation influenced
by the new department.Secretary Edwards noted
his transition from South Carolina Governor to
his time in the Reagan Administration. Secretary
Watkins mentioned the importance of nuclear power
both in our past and for the future. Secretary
O'Leary praised the employees of DOE past and
present.
Secretary Abraham delivered the Anniversary Address
to the assembled dignitaries, employees, and former
officials.
"In 1977 the new Department of Energy brought
together for the first time not only most of the
government's energy programs but also science
and technology programs and defense responsibilities
that included the design, construction and testing
of nuclear weapons," Secretary Abraham said.
"During the next 25 years and beyond, the
Department of Energy will be one of the most vital
and exciting agencies in the federal government.
I am genuinely thrilled for the future of this
department."
"The mission we all share - enhancing America's
energy and national security - is even more profound
today than it was in October 1977.October 2002
finds us a nation at war. It finds us a nation
facing serious energy challenges over the coming
decades. But it is also a nation that finds in
us a Department dedicated to meeting the challenges
of the future. We have a highly disciplined, highly
dedicated workforce capable of meeting those challenges,
and a president with great confidence in our ability
to do so."
The Secretary also announced at today's ceremony
that Dr. Raymond F. Davis Jr., who was an employee
at the Department's Brookhaven National Laboratory,
was named by the Nobel Prize Committee to be a
recipient of this year's prize for physics, specifically,
for his pioneering work in the detection of solar
neutrinos. This Nobel Prize is first and foremost
a tribute to Dr. Davis. But it is also further
testimony to the high quality of the scientific
work that the department has underwritten throughout
its history.
The Department of Energy opened for business on
Oct. 1, 1977.In the 25 years since its inception,
the department has enjoyed countless scientific
achievements and technological successes, and
has contributed to the United States national
security.
Some of the key scientific breakthroughs in the
department's national security and scientific
initiatives over the past 25 years include DNA
sequencing and computational technologies that
made possible the historic unraveling of the human
genetic code, our blueprint for life; new holographic
computerized imaging technology that can rapidly
identify hidden weapons, even non-metallic ones,
through the clothing of airline passengers; microbes
that eat waste and can be harnessed to clean up
contaminated sites; securing the safety of nuclear
materials within the former Soviet Union; and
certifying that the nation's nuclear stockpile
is safe, secure and reliable without testing.
www.25yearsofenergy.gov
Media Contact:
Number: PR-02-213
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