News Archive

Ed Tupin

Have you ever gone to a family or class reunion, run into someone you haven't seen in 20 years, and they ask you, "So [Ed], what have you been doing?" And you answer, "I've been working as a health physicist at XYZ." Then comes the questioning look and response … "A health what?"

In the historical documents of the Baltimore-Washington Chapter of the Health Physics Society (HPS), I found an interesting memo from Lauriston Taylor (National Bureau of Standards) to the Members Committee, which was reviewing proposals for the name of the HPS. Taylor was chairman of the committee. The date of the memo is 5 March 1956 and the subject is "Suggested Names." It appears to be a copy of the memo that was sent to Elda Anderson, as there is a handwritten "Dr. E.E. Anderson" at the very top of this copy. In the P.S. to Dr. Anderson at the bottom of the page, Taylor notes, "I have just discovered … I have failed to join the Society … accept the enclosed check as evidence of my intensions."

There were eight suggestions for names from K.Z. Morgan (Oak Ridge) and four others. Three names included some form of "Health Physics …" and the others were variations of Radiological, Radiation, Safety, or Protection. Jack Healy (Hanford) made the argument that "… the term Health Physics is a poor description of the work …" and recommends "Radiation Protection Society" as the name.

It is fascinating to read of the discussions and proposals for the formal name for our organization as it began in the mid-1950s. These early discussions continue off and on to this day … but what's in a name?!