Edward Teller was on my Fortune 500's scientific advisory board, and was a stockholder.
Because of certain things I worked on, I was priviledged to meet him many times. He was the most intellectually intimidating person I ever met. When I last saw him, about six years ago, he had a five-hour layover in Boston, and my wife and I had a long lunch with him. (I suppose the real reason the company sent me was they needed a Corporate flunky to push him around Logan in his wheelchair, but who cares?)
There he was, across from us, gesturing and pounding his walking stick on the floor, and laughing about having just returned from Western Siberia, where he had been photographed next to a six megaton warhead. As was his custom, he was in "Lecturing" voice. The restaurant became suddenly silent, as they realized who he was.
Upon returning from the bar, where I had gotten him yet another orange juice, I saw my wife slyly putting something away in her bag. He had autographed the book "The Making of the Atom Bomb" to her: "Dear xxx! Do not believe a WORD they said about me!!!!"
I remember being at meetings at LRL. In their conference room, near the ceiling, and all around the walls, are pictures of the "Greats", Fermi, Bohr, Lawrence, etc., and Teller. There he was, his usual self, in the flesh, and on the wall to his left, his picture.
To a Physics and Chemistry nerd, it was like a normal person being with a Sports idol.
I am so happy to have been able to meet with him over the years. He was in his '80's then, and was still terrifyingly alive and brilliant. He wanted to talk about "Buckyballs". He had things to say about "Cold Fusion". He wanted to know about our nanophase programs.
But I am glad that I had never been on the recieving end of his fury. There are some who have left meetings in tatters, especially if they tried to BS him.
He sat there, appearing to all purposes like he was sound asleep, then..The Questions, The Comments! BANG! THUMP! went his walking stick! "Now Look!..." And someone would get a deer-in-the-headlights look..
What a grand old man he was. He was always gracious to women, whom he seemed to adore. Mrs. Gorzaloon, of Conservative bent, naturally, got along with him very well, and the two were chortling over some hawkish points like old cronies.
While some Cambridge types may think the world will be better without him, one thing we can agree upon is that the collective IQ of the World is much lower this morning.