From the Bronx to Batavia and Beyond: Leon Max Lederman (1922–2018)

Abstract

Leon Max Lederman was a towering figure in the world of elementary particle physics in the second half of the 20th century. His experiments shaped our understanding of the world of particle physics. Included in the long list of his accolades was the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physics, which he shared with Melvin Schwartz and Jack Steinberger for the discovery that the muon neutrino is distinct from the electron neutrino. Among his many science leadership roles, he served for a decade as Director of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. Lederman was a spokesperson and champion for science and one of the most visible physicists of his generation. In his remarkable career Lederman journeyed from his youth in the Bronx, NY, to the directorship of Fermilab in Batavia, IL, to become an international proponent for physics beyond any one institution.