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cs211

Fascinating portrait of a brilliant man of science &business

Commenté aux États-Unis 🇺🇸 le 8 novembre 2003

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The subject of Tuxedo Park, Alfred Loomis, is an absolutely fascinating individual whose life story is so unique and so amazing that, were this book fiction, the reader would likely not believe it. Loomis, who undoubtedly was a brilliant left-brained rational thinker, was educated as a lawyer, rose through the ranks of a law firm, then quit to become one of the wealthiest bankers on Wall Street. He foresaw the 1929 stock market crash and cashed out beforehand, and then gave up his finance career to educate himself so that he could work on the very leading edge of scientific research in multiple fields, including biology, physics, astronomy, and (at the very end of his life), computer science. Because he possessed immense wealth, brains, and leadership qualities, as well as patriotism and a savvy understanding of geopolitics, he became a key individual who put together the multiple scientific labs and projects that helped the Allies win World War II.
Jennet Conant succeeds admirably in the primary objective of her book: to describe the many technical and leadership contributions Loomis made to the scientific efforts, especially the development of radar systems, that ultimately produced victory for the Allies in World War II. She makes a very strong case that without Loomis's leadership, the development of both radar and the atomic bomb would have been delayed, endangering the Allies' chances of success and resulting in many more lives lost. Loomis's World War II efforts and achievements occupy half the book; the remainder covers the rest of his biography.
Besides being a fascinating, engrossing story, Tuxedo Park has much to teach the reader. The common impression is that the development of the atomic bomb was the greatest scientific achievement in the Allies' victory; however, as one of the scientists says, "radar won the war, and the atomic bomb ended it". Radar was the weapon the Allies used to defeat the Germans' submarines, superior air force, and rocketry. Tuxedo Park also shows the interconnected web of relationships at the pinnacles of the worlds of science, academia, government, and business in the mid twentieth century. Rational thought alone does not produce results; all accomplishments involve humans, and Loomis was able to navigate these worlds and relationships with remarkable aplomb. The book also shows the negative side of Loomis and genius in general: the toll it exacts on family life, and the depression and suicide that plagues certain families.
I have only minor quibbles with Tuxedo Park. Loomis's pre-World War II achievements were so impressive and interesting that I would have enjoyed more detail about those years. When Conant describes the many inventions of Loomis and others, I often had difficulty visualizing them; some line drawings would have helped. And there are a few errors in the book, such as referring to the RAF when the author means the USAF.
I would recommend Tuxedo Park to anyone interested in biographies of scientific figures, as well as anyone who would appreciate a history lesson on the role science played in winning the last major world war.

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Ilya Korobkov

Excellent if a bit dry at times

Commenté aux États-Unis 🇺🇸 le 2 février 2018

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This is a fascinating peek into the life of brilliant and reclusive millionaire, whose contributions to the US army technology made it possible to defeat the Nazis in the WWII (at least on the Western Front). I've never heard of Alfred Lee Loomis before, and it's amazing how man possessing a rare combination of financial, scientific and engineering brilliance could slip so easily under the mainstream history's radar (sorry for the pun).

While not exactly a full-fledged biography, the book does a good job chronicling Loomis's career as an extremely successful businessman (he was able to predict the stock market crash and survive the Great Depression with virtually no damage to his fortune), his abrupt, unlikely switch to engineering pursuits and the subsequent rise to scientific prominence. Loomis's work led to the development of radar technology that helped thwart German U-boats and bombers during the WWII, and the book helps put his contributions in a proper spotlight showing that they were just as important as creation of atomic bomb and cracking of the Enigma code. My only gripe is that the book sometimes throws a lot of technical details and lingo at you without really bothering to explain what all of it means; so, a bit of supplementary reading might be required. On the other hand, little details and anecdotes pertaining to personal life and characters of Loomis and his circle of friends, relatives and colleagues also abound, so even if you don't particularly care for nuts-and-bolts of physics, you're unlikely to stay bored for too long. Recommended!

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W. Brandt

A man of such influence that hardly anyone knows

Commenté aux États-Unis 🇺🇸 le 3 septembre 2009

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I just finished an interesting book called Tuxedo Park, about a little-known fabulously successful Wall Street financier turned amateur physicist who was responsible for vastly improving radar technology during WW2. He formed a group of scientists, including Ernest Lawrence, that would become the core at Los Alamos.

Alfred Loomis shunned publicity which is the way he wanted it but his contribution towards victory in WW2 through technology cannot be underestimated.

It's a fascinating story from a book that is a bit dryly written in places.

His private lab that he built in Tuxedo Park, NY - moved during WW2 to MIT employing 1000s - with a western branch at Berkeley that became the Lawrence Livermore lab.

He financed Laurence before the war and enabled him through his cyclotron to be instrumental in developing The Bomb.

Interesting quote because the Bomb drew attention to Los Alamos - most of the accomplishments of the Rad Lab were overshadowed and largely forgotten. The Rad Lab scientists said that "We helped end the war [through their radar innovations] and the Bomb finished it".

An apt description of the 2 accomplishments.

I would give it 5 stars but felt the subject was a bit dry in some areas - for such a fascinating subject - I had to force myself through in a section.

In all fairness to the author I acknowledge that this could simply be an isolated reaction. But it is a memorable book and one that will have built my permanent knowledge (as opposed to books one reads and largely forgets)

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Mike Sappingfield

Fascinating study of Albert Loomis -- virtually nothing about Oppenheimer.

Commenté aux États-Unis 🇺🇸 le 5 mai 2014

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Firstly, the Amazon listed title is not the correct title and is very misleading. Oppenheimer only appears in the pages for a few lines towards the end of the book. The book is about Albert Loomis, a self made millionaire who recognized the signs of the impending stock market crash in 1929 and got out with his fortune intact, then used the funds to assist almost all the well known physicists of the 30's and during the war to get the tools and equipment and support to develop the science, and then the technology to create the weapons of WWII. He often used his money and his contacts to get funding for projects, such as the cyclotron in UC Berkeley with Lawrence, improve the microwave radar systems to make them useful in airplanes, and many other advances. Conant also finds time to liven up the book with discussion of his long time affair with a neighbor and its impact on his family. All in all, if you like non-fiction in which you learn about fantastic people and why events occur as they did, this is a must read. If you are interested in Oppenheimer and Los Alamos, go elsewhere.

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Kevin C. Kropf

Interesting figure, good writing, but patience is required

Commenté aux États-Unis 🇺🇸 le 19 novembre 2002

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About halfway through the book a question was raised in my mind; is this man the greatest patron of the sciences since the beginning of the industrial revolution? Conant offers an excellent portrayal of this dynamic and seemingly brillant man who excelled in every endeavor he undertook. From law to financing a significant portion of the utility industry to almost every area of physics, Loomis combined his passion, his efforts, his money and his contacts to work at the highest levels.
I was constantly amazed at how he juggled all of his demands, but kept asking why had I not heard of him before? Ulitimately it is because Loomis sought not the limelight for himself, but for the creation of new and better inventions that would serve others. Yes he has an oversized ego, but he was more concerned with creating products than receiving credit.
My one fault is that the book seemed slow in pace, yet it was still exciting. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in science, technology and even WWII.
Thank you Ms. Conant.

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REESECUP

Actually a 4.5 stars

Commenté aux États-Unis 🇺🇸 le 23 mai 2014

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I loved the history of this amazing person, whose life began during the 'Gilded Age. Perhaps he was controversial to some, but he was smart, and made the money to financially support his inventions. He was motivated and saw what was needed to win WW II,from radar to the atomic bomb. It was a race to beat the Germans! He had the energy and brains to develop things that are now such a part of our lives, we take them for granted. In the end, he was a very modest man, who lived privately till the end of his life. The only negative were the technical descriptions in some places, but not many. I highly recommend it. I think it would be a great book club selection because of the many areas that could be discussed: The person, the times, before and after the depression, his relationship with the Presidents, his generosity, WW II and the race to win.

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Larry D. Hollis

Tuxedo Park

Commenté aux États-Unis 🇺🇸 le 16 avril 2014

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Much has been written about the technological advances developed for World War II but nowhere can I recall the efforts put forth by wealthy businessman and scientist/inventor Alfred Loomis, who seems to have relished doing so much out of the public eye. With an inventive mind and creative business sense, this man was a major force in gathering the forces and funds needed to develop, among other things, the cyclotrons, radar and atomic bomb which helped put the allied forces ahead of the Germans during World War II. I found this a very interesting account of the exploits of this men and the various inventors, scientists and physicists he gathered together in pursuit of great technological advancements in the mid 20th Century. The man deserves to be more than just a footnote to that period, and this book is a great start on bringing his accomplishments to the public awareness he deserves.

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Nancyd375

Tuxedo Park

Commenté aux États-Unis 🇺🇸 le 29 avril 2014

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I read this book aloud to my husband, a retired nuclear physicist. We both found it very interesting. Neither of us had ever heard of Alfred Loomis, which is amazing considering what important work he did himself and the people and work he supported, especially during WWII. Don't be deceived by the reference to Robert Oppenheimer and Los Alamos in the subtitle--neither plays a significant role in this book. I don't know why Conant (or her publisher) does this--I read another book by her that purported to be about Julia Child's role in the OSS but the book was really about someone else. If you are interested in science and the development of radar and nuclear energy, and if you want to learn about an interesting and important but little known person, I recommend this book.

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Donna

The Talented Amateur

Commenté aux États-Unis 🇺🇸 le 4 octobre 2016

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The story of the development of radar was pretty much unknown to me until I read this book. Where would we have been without the vision of people like Mr. Loomis and others? World War II could have cost the US more lives, more treasure and certainly have lasted longer. This book raises my appreciation of "talented amateurs" who enter the scientific world for the love of pure science but who contribute their experience and knowledge of the business world, of economics, and the many other aspects of the reality of dealing with finance and corporate and military bureaucracy to further scientific innovation. Fascinating read.

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Kay M.

Watch out

Commenté aux États-Unis 🇺🇸 le 27 octobre 2020

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Enjoyed the story, but the quality of the printing was awful. The print ink varied (dark to very light) so much it made it difficult to read.

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