The publication is reproduced in full below:
TROY WADE EULOGY
______
HON. DINA TITUS
of nevada
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, March 8, 2022
Ms. TITUS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the accomplishments and celebrate the life of Troy E. Wade.
Robert Oppenheimer once said of the great physicist Niels Bohr about his contribution to the development of the atomic bomb: ``It was a heroic time. It was not the doing of any one man; it involved the collaboration of scores of scientists from many different lands. But from first to last, the deeply creative, subtle and critical spirit of Niels Bohr guided, restrained, deepened, and finally transmuted the enterprise.''
I believe the same thing could be said of Troy Wade and the nuclear weapons testing program. He guided, restrained, deepened, and transmuted the enterprise for policy makers, posterity, and for me personally.
Troy certainly guided and transmuted the testing program for policy makers in his many positions in state and federal government, including as President Reagan's Assistant Secretary of Energy for Defense Programs. As NTS historian Darwin Morgan said, ``He was not a Washington stuffed shirt.'' Instead, he was known to be a listener and used tact and tolerance to move his agenda which was always to protect this country and help promote peace.
This was confirmed when I had a political event at Desert Research Institute during my first campaign for Congress. Troy was there to keep an eye on things and reassure the sweet little lady docents that the secret service dogs were not going to run off with the prehistoric bones in the museum. When Vice President Biden arrived, before I could introduce them, he said, ``Oh, I know Troy Wade. I sat across the table from him many times in the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee. He was a tough but fair negotiator. A straight shooter, someone you could trust.'' Obviously, no introduction was necessary.
Troy also translated the testing program for posterity. He wanted people to know the story, the whole story, of the test site and the men and women on the front lines who helped us win the Cold War. To this end, Troy leaned on Nick and Chuck and Bruce and Linda who refinanced their houses (without telling their spouses, although I bet Mary knew) to fund an atomic testing museum. The museum, thankfully, was a success. It is Smithsonian-sanctioned and draws thousands of visitors annually, from local school children to foreign dignitaries alike. And it indeed tells the whole story. In addition to bomb replicas, it relates the plight of the downwinders and offers a wonderful exhibit on the impact of the bomb on U.S. popular culture.
Troy and I got in a bit of trouble, however, when I introduced a bill in the state legislature to create a special license plate to raise money for the museum. We wanted to put a mushroom cloud on it. As George Knapp quipped on Channel 8 News, it ``would kick sand in the face of any other plate on the road.'' Governor Guinn, unfortunately, vetoed our choice and we settled for the stylized atom design offered today.
Finally, Troy transmuted the enterprise for me personally. He patiently answered questions as I did research for my book and often steered me in the right direction. He helped me secure AEC documents and records for the public reading room of the museum and he spoke to my classes. Most importantly, he became my friend. I often referred to Troy as the ``ultimate cold warrior''. I hope he took it as a compliment, because that's certainly how I meant it. Like so many of his family, friends, and coworkers, I will miss him very much. As will a grateful Nation.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 41
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