Thomas J. Protus (October 5, 1942-September 25, 2023)
Senior Electronic Technician, Geochemistry Division, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Sad news. Tom Protus, a long-term member of the Lamont community, passed away on Monday, September 25, 2023 in his home in Valley Cottage. Those of us who have been around Lamont for a while knew him, liked him, and respected him. Over the nearly half century that he worked in Geochemistry, he was the go-to person for help with just about everything, whether simple or complex, that needed building or repair. (For example, if an obscure circuit board op amp or other component on a mass spectrometer blew, no matter how obscure the component, he had a way of finding the replacement part.) More important than his tremendous expertise, he was genuinely a prince of a person. I didn't know until I read his obituary that along with his job at LDEO, where he was available 24/7, he served as a handyman for half a century at the Valley Cottage Library.
Rest in peace, Tom.
–Steve Goldstein, Lamont Interim Director
Lamont Service Award
Tom was a beloved member of the Geochemistry division at Lamont and in honor of his outstanding contributions to our work, the division nominated him for the Lamont Service Award in 2009. While typical nominations for this award include three supporting letters, Tom received 29! The diversity of the letter writers (1 undergraduate student, 5 graduate students, 3 postdocs, 11 research scientists, 9 technical and administrative support staff) speaks to the remarkable breadth of Tom's service to the division. He helped everyone, no matter how junior or senior. Whether a sophisticated instrument needed fixing in a laboratory or new equipment needed to be built that could be nimbly assembled at a faraway field work location, Tom always gave his best and what he worked on stands the test of time - in many cases to this day! Tom was naturally honored with the service award.
Tom Protus Symposium
In honor of Tom Protus' years of service at Lamont, a symposium was held in 2011 to celebrate his work and contributions. The event drew a lively crowd of geochemists and colleagues from across the Observatory, and attracted several retired colleagues and a number of Tom’s family and friends.
A poster and wordle created for the symposium by Martin Stute provide an overview of the Geochemistry division spanning Tom’s career at Lamont, and some examples of the many types of equipment Tom helped create to facilitate and advance our research.
In concluding the official program of the symposium, Stute cited a range of comments written in support of Tom’s nomination for the service award. They document the breadth of Tom’s work and the universal appreciation by the Geochemistry division for the many years that Tom shared his expertise and kindness with us.
Tom was one-of-a-kind and fond memories of him will be maintained by those of us who were lucky enough to call him our friend and colleague.
Tom was nominated for the Lamont service award in 2009.
I hear from admin that nominations are supported by as few as 3 letters, Tom had 29!
Diversity of letter writers is remarkable.
1 Undergraduate student
5 graduate students
3 Postdocs
11 Research Scientists
9 technical and administrative support staff
Wordle
So let me summarize these letters for you:
What does Tom do:
You heard a lot about this in the previous presentations
Shahla Ali: Tom’s extraordinary effort is vital in keeping current instruments running and developing new instruments for lab and field use.
One of his main jobs is fixing things that probably should be thrown out or recycled.
Pierre Biscaye therefore calls Tom Mr. Fixit
Gisela Winckler: For the last decade, I have worked continuously and closely with Tom, often – due to the age and sensitivity of our lab equipment – more than I had hoped for.
Martin Stute: I really don’t know who I could keep up my machines without his intimate knowledge if it’s history.
But Tom goes beyond fixing things
Shahla Ali: Tom’s capacity to anticipate and solve issues before they are problems is
thoroughly appreciated by everyone getting ready for field-work
Along the same lines
Karrie Radloff: I most appreciate his knowledge about what tools I might need should something needs repaired; this has saved me precious field time!
Moanna St. Clair: He’s the man who stops a leak before it comes to a flood.
Develop new tools and instruments
Martin Stute: On numerous occasions, Tom has constructed new instruments for me. Tom is unusually invested in his work and really thinks thoroughly about what he does. It is a great pleasure to build new things with him, because these projects turn into joint developments and instruments always turn out to be a lot more functional than I ever envisioned them myself. Many people rely on his services and it must be hard to manage all these demands, yet in my experience, things always get finished by the deadline, sometimes only by a tiny sliver of a margin, but they get done.
Gary Hemming: His creativity and willingness to think outside the box makes him stand out in the Lamont community. I think of him more as a collaborator on projects rather than just technical help.
Tim Newberger: In my many interactions with Tom, his breadth of knowledge and experience has always assured a solution to any problem presented. He sets a great example for us all.
Karen Wovkulich: Tom has always done an amazing job, tending to the finest details and getting things done on impossible deadlines. Even with the diverse and numerous demands of the geochemistry department Tom finds time to give your project the personal attention it requires and he always does it with a smile.
Marty Fleisher: He brings to the job a set of skills that I believe are disappearing. He also interacts extremely well with the service engineers who come on site. More than one of these people remarked how lucky we are to have someone like Tom in our division.
One of his very special contributions was during the move from the ‘pigpen’ as it was described by Gary Comer to the new building in 2008:
Louise Bolge: He has helped resurrect most if not all the instruments that have been moved to the new Comer building. This is not an easy feat considering some of the machines are as old as the graduate students.
Bill Smethie: Tom was invaluable in this move, disconnecting and then reconnecting complex instruments and coordinating the electrical work in the new labs that was needed to power the instruments.
Gisela Winckler: Each single move of the labs went fine, much smoother than expected, and this is to a large extent, beyond the support provided by Dick Greco and his team, due to Tom’s involvement and anticipation. Tom’s pivotal role in supporting the move of the geochemistry labs to the new building came on top of his “main job” (or his many “main jobs”), supporting all the electronic and mechanical needs of the geochemistry labs.
How does he do it?
There are many demands on Tom’s time. He keeps everything going and develops new tools and instruments. This can result in conflicts.
Baerbel Hoenisch put it this way: The best and worst thing about him is that he takes care of emergencies immediately.
Steve Chillrud: Due to this demanding and uncontrollable work load (i.e., instrument breakdowns), Tom ends up spending many a night or weekend at work to allow scientists to make their deadlines.
Pierre Biscaye: When I have been preparing to leave for a cruise or field excursion to Greenland, Tom has gone home late for supper and then returned at night to finish the job for me.
Moanna St. Clair: His home phone number, 845-268-3722, is known to all and you can call him whenever with a problem.
Sidney Hemming: Tom is the guy you can count on night and day and on the weekends. My most extreme example is late Saturday night during the July 4 weekend a few years ago, Tom came in to help me with a problem in the lab. His extreme dedication to the job is mind-boggling.
Let me take this opportunity to apologize to Tom’s family about those many hours we took Tom away from you. We are extremely thankful that you let him come to Lamont on holidays and at odd times.
Ronny Friedrich: Even more than his professional work I appreciate Tom Protus for his personal qualities. Despite his busy schedule, were he often handles multiple projects at the same time, he’s always patient, kind, listens patiently and gives advice. Working with Tom Protus is enjoyable. The way he does his work is beyond all my expectations.
Steve Goldstein: Tom is a great colleague. He is always cheerful, and interacts extremely well with PIs, post docs, students, technicians and engineers. He is one of those people that everybody likes. We are lucky to have someone with Tom’s experience, dedication, and patience to keep our labs running.
Karen Benedetto: If he doesn’t know something (which is unlikely) he finds it out. His attitude is always upbeat, no matter how much work he has on his plate.
How important are Tom and his services to us:
Stephen Cox: I cannot count the number of times that we have encountered a major problem in the lab, often with several well-paid PhD scientists standing in the room, only to hear someone state the obvious: “we better call Tom!” Whether a pump on the mass spec is malfunctioning, or the power back-up is overloaded, or we spilled water all over one of the machines, the answer is always the same: call Tom. However, during that short time I have learned from the PIs, graduate students, and other lab staff that Tom is the gear that keeps the division running.
Linda Baker: Besides being a professional and personal pleasure to work with, the depth and breadth of Tom's knowledge and experience is priceless to those of us trying to keep valuable aging and obsolete lab equipment operating. He is fundamentally essential to the success of much of the new and ongoing research accomplished here at Lamont.
Paul Schmieder: The following is a common perception among Ph.D. students in geochemistry: Tom has been a pivotal resource for the completion of my Ph.D. Without his knowledge in the construction of my scientific equipment, my research would have suffered. He is knowledgeable, courteous, and a strong root in the Geochemistry community.
David McGee: Work in the geochemistry labs would quickly grind to a halt without him!
Jamie Ross: I don't know what we would do without him.
Patty Catanzaro: Tom is a Star!
Shahla Ali: Tom Protus is described as the soul of the geochemistry division by everyone who works with him.
Baerbel Hoenisch had this thought: I wish we could clone him and keep him forever.
Let me close with Moanna: Tom honors Lamont with his presence, his work ethic, and the kind of person that we have all come to depend on. He is truly priceless. For everything else there are NSF, DOE, NIH, and yes - MasterCard.