Historical Photo of the Month – February 2010

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Dr. Lew Allen, 1925-2010

Photograph Number D2001_0110_D1

Dr. Lew Allen, Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory from 1982-1990, passed away on January 4, 2010. Allen earned a doctorate in nuclear physics and had a long career in the Air Force, retiring in 1982 as a four-star general.

In 1990, the Lew Allen Award for Excellence was established in his honor, to recognize and encourage significant individual accomplishments or leadership in scientific research or technological innovation by JPL employees during the early years of their professional careers. The winners receive a wall plaque and a grant of $25,000 from the Director’s Research and Development Fund. The above photo shows Dr. Allen, left, with Dr. Ed Stone, JPL Director from 1991-2001, and Andrea Donnellan, who was a recipient of the Lew Allen Award in 2000.

To see more photographs of Dr. Allen, go to the JPL Archives public DocuShare library and search for the name “Lew Allen.” Click on the View Images icon to see thumbnails and Properties to see full photo captions.

For more information about Dr. Allen and the history of JPL, contact the JPL Archives for assistance. [Archival and other sources: Lew Allen biography file (JPL323), Faces of Leadership: The Directors of JPL online exhibit, and various issues of Universe.]

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