by Joe David an Joann DiGennaro
It has been over forty years since Admiral Hyman G. Rickover died. He still remains the subject of controversy and interest. Some of those who knew him or read about him in history books remember him for his bold actions and acerbic remarks. Others who really knew him saw beyond that. He was an engineer of exceptional ability who distinguished himself as a consummate politician, educator, leader, and vociferous reader. Most importantly, they saw him as a multi-dimensional thinker and fierce fighter who could select a team of engineers and scientists to build a nuclear reactor small enough to fit into a submarine hull and simultaneously deal with the resistance of unsupportive Navy leaders. By being both a thinker and a fighter, he was able to use nuclear fission to drive a submarine (the Nautilus) and to heat homes (Shippingport Atomic Power Station).
Rickover Underway, My Way isn’t a story about an ordinary man. It is instead a story of a renaissance man who got things done his way on schedule. By creating the first nuclear-driven submarine, the Nautilus, the Admiral achieved a feat most people thought far-fetched and not doable. And he achieved this feat in five years.
Some navy officers and Brahmans in industry despised him. To them, he was an unrefined Jew, a poverty-stricken oddball the size of an elf who lacked noteworthy physical or social distinction. To military leaders who appreciated ability, he was a champion, a man who got things done — meticulously and on schedule. His curse and strength were his commitment to excellence.
One leader who never doubted his ability was his commanding officer, Admiral Earle W. Mills. During World War II, Mills observed Rickover firsthand, and he saw immediately how extraordinary he was. Mills knew when the time was right, Rickover would be the man he would send to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to learn about reactor techniques.
Along with select friends in the Navy, they and the U.S. Congress were always near to give him the power and the protection that he needed to survive the politics of the Navy. To his many congressional friends, the Admiral was a man of worth, a titan, the perfect example of American exceptionalism.
When set to action, no human force could discourage him. This was a man who rose from grim poverty in Western Tsarist Russia (today Poland) to world fame. And he achieved such fame because he was a bold engineer who dared to defy conventions.
Several of his noteworthy accomplishments are:
Rickover Underway, My Way isn’t a story about an ordinary man. It is instead a story of a renaissance man who got things done his way on schedule. By creating the first nuclear-driven submarine, the Nautilus, the Admiral achieved a feat most people thought far-fetched and not doable. And he achieved this feat in five years.
Some navy officers and Brahmans in industry despised him. To them, he was an unrefined Jew, a poverty-stricken oddball the size of an elf who lacked noteworthy physical or social distinction. To military leaders who appreciated ability, he was a champion, a man who got things done — meticulously and on schedule. His curse and strength were his commitment to excellence.
One leader who never doubted his ability was his commanding officer, Admiral Earle W. Mills. During World War II, Mills observed Rickover firsthand, and he saw immediately how extraordinary he was. Mills knew when the time was right, Rickover would be the man he would send to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to learn about reactor techniques.
Along with select friends in the Navy, they and the U.S. Congress were always near to give him the power and the protection that he needed to survive the politics of the Navy. To his many congressional friends, the Admiral was a man of worth, a titan, the perfect example of American exceptionalism.
When set to action, no human force could discourage him. This was a man who rose from grim poverty in Western Tsarist Russia (today Poland) to world fame. And he achieved such fame because he was a bold engineer who dared to defy conventions.
Several of his noteworthy accomplishments are:
• In 1954, his first nuclear ship, the Nautilus, broke all records in speed and endurance. In early August 1958, it made history by traveling from Hawaii to North Pole, mostly submerged for nearly 2,000 miles under Arctic ice caps, to Greenland without incident. • He used sophisticated technical skills to launch other ships. They included the George Washington (the first of a class of Polaris-missile-armed submarines, commissioned in 1958), the Triton (the first submarine in 1960 to circumnavigate the earth submerged), and the Enterprise (the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in the world, commissioned in 1961). • He set the standards for the nuclear-power industry and established quality control procedures for the safe management of the industry. • He trained over 54,000 officers and enlisted men on how to operate safely nuclear reactors and power plants. As a result, unlike the Soviets, he never had an accident with his reactors during their years of operation. • He designed the prototype for America's first civilian atomic power plant, Shippingport, which performed successfully from 1957 to 1982, when decommissioned. • He wrote five books and spent considerable time lecturing and devoting himself to ways to improve education for Americans, a subject that he believed required immediate priority. • His rewards for his hard work were 13 military medals, 14 honorary degrees, and 59 awards, which included America's highest civilian honor, the coveted Presidential Medal of Freedom (for his meritorious contributions to world peace) and the prestigious Enrico Fermi Award (for his engineering and administrative leadership in developing safe nuclear power). The latter two awards were presented at White House ceremonies. • And after the Navy fired him, his work continued. He founded the Admiral H.G. Rickover Foundation with Joann DiGennaro, a lawyer with no military background. Today the Admiral H.G. Rickover Foundation is known as the Center for Excellence in Education, dedicated to helping students at no cost to them reach the forefront of a STEM career. The achievements of his “Rickoids,” (the name RSI students call themselves) have continued through the years, and their successes have become a tribute to the Admiral. Among those Rickoids who followed Rickover’s pathway to success are: Terence “Terry” Chi-Shien Tao, a world-renowned mathematician and Fields Medalist; Dr. Feng Zhang, a biochemist, who developed the technologies behind optogenetics and CRISPR; Ben Silbermann, co-founder of Pinterest, a social media network; Lauren Ancel Meyers, an Integrative Biologist who heads the biological and mathematical laboratories at the University of Texas in Austin; Lauren Kiyomi Williams, a professor of mathematics at Harvard University; and Mark Kantrowitz, a financial expert who is nationally recognized for his expertise in student financial aid. All six of these Rickoids were awarded the coveted Senator Joseph I. Lieberman Award.
Despite the Admiral continuously being confronted by humiliation, insults, and brazen disruption to his work from his many enemies, he never weakened or lost his focus. He still managed to emerge over time from the conflict as a Renaissance man.
His success is best attributable to two very important characteristics: his devotion to learning and his unwavering commitment to excellence.
In reflecting on the man, DiGennaro said, “Working closely with Rickover after his retirement from the Navy enabled me to appreciate his extraordinary commitment to excellence. When he and I decided to form the foundation, we both agreed that its emphasis must be on excellence. Nothing of value can ever be achieved in this world without a commitment to excellence. During the 45 years that I have headed the foundation, I have promoted this focus by nurturing his memory and sharing it with the world’s youth through the foundation’s programs.”
A quote most often attributed to the Admiral was, "Why not the Best?" This was the question that the Admiral posed to Ensign Jimmy Carter when he learned Carter hadn’t given his best to his studies while a student at the U.S. Naval Academy. This question stuck with Carter. Many years later it became the title of his autobiography. Carter’s only explanation for not being the best when asked the question by the Admiral was an embarrassed “I don’t know, Sir.”
It wasn’t until much later, when Carter was President and Commander-in-Chief of The United States Armed Forces, that he revealed the importance of that question by publicly stating: “The quality of our nuclear Navy — its men and ships — is a lasting testimony to the unique contributions Hyman Rickover has made to the peace and security of our nation.”
On June 9, 1982, during the Admiral's second Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony, Congressional leaders met to express their admiration for the Admiral. Senator Henry “Scoop” Jackson, a powerful senator from Washington state, whom Rickover treated like a son, reiterated what he had said many times. The Admiral was a “man of vision, steadfastness, high principles” whose “devotion to his duties during his illustrious career of more than 64 years in the US. Navy ... will always invoke an image of unsurpassed excellence.”
Another close friend and famous supporter who was always near when the Admiral needed him was Senator John Warner. He too was quick to share praise for the Admiral’s exceptionalism. “It was my privilege to serve with Admiral Rickover in the Department of Defense for more than five years ... as Under Secretary and Secretary of the Navy. At that time, we formed a strong bond of mutual personal and professional respect, and I was able to observe firsthand the incalculable contributions this distinguished American made to the strengthening of America's defense.”
His successes are primarily attributable to the personal choice he made during his career: his decision to reject mediocrity and strive for excellence. Equally as important was his commitment to maintaining a humanistic approach to science (see the appendix for his paper, “Humanistic Technology” for his thoughts on the subject).
With his respect for hard work and rigorous academic acumen, the Admiral showed what must be done to remain free as a country. As President Nixon aptly summarized during a tribute to him: “To those of us who treasure our liberty Admiral Rickover means a great deal, because of all he has done to protect it.”
There is a colorful and revealing story about Admiral Rickover that few know. It succinctly identifies him. The story occurred in 1984 before Commodore Grace Hopper, a noted mathematician responsible for the development of the first COBOL compilers , was to speak to a group of students attending the first Rickover Science Institute in 1984. Like him, Commodore Hopper had a long career in the Navy and had accumulated her share of awards for achievement. Unlike him, she enjoyed citing her many jobs in conversation.
Shortly after tolerating each other during dinner, she privately handed him her several page vita.
“Will this be sufficient for my introduction?” she asked.
To her surprise, after glancing at it, he crumbled the paper and discarded it. He then said curtly, "When I am introduced, Admiral H. G. Rickover is sufficient. Unlike you, I don't need a vita. A person must be judged by how well he does his job, not by the jobs he has had.”
His success is best attributable to two very important characteristics: his devotion to learning and his unwavering commitment to excellence.
In reflecting on the man, DiGennaro said, “Working closely with Rickover after his retirement from the Navy enabled me to appreciate his extraordinary commitment to excellence. When he and I decided to form the foundation, we both agreed that its emphasis must be on excellence. Nothing of value can ever be achieved in this world without a commitment to excellence. During the 45 years that I have headed the foundation, I have promoted this focus by nurturing his memory and sharing it with the world’s youth through the foundation’s programs.”
A quote most often attributed to the Admiral was, "Why not the Best?" This was the question that the Admiral posed to Ensign Jimmy Carter when he learned Carter hadn’t given his best to his studies while a student at the U.S. Naval Academy. This question stuck with Carter. Many years later it became the title of his autobiography. Carter’s only explanation for not being the best when asked the question by the Admiral was an embarrassed “I don’t know, Sir.”
It wasn’t until much later, when Carter was President and Commander-in-Chief of The United States Armed Forces, that he revealed the importance of that question by publicly stating: “The quality of our nuclear Navy — its men and ships — is a lasting testimony to the unique contributions Hyman Rickover has made to the peace and security of our nation.”
On June 9, 1982, during the Admiral's second Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony, Congressional leaders met to express their admiration for the Admiral. Senator Henry “Scoop” Jackson, a powerful senator from Washington state, whom Rickover treated like a son, reiterated what he had said many times. The Admiral was a “man of vision, steadfastness, high principles” whose “devotion to his duties during his illustrious career of more than 64 years in the US. Navy ... will always invoke an image of unsurpassed excellence.”
Another close friend and famous supporter who was always near when the Admiral needed him was Senator John Warner. He too was quick to share praise for the Admiral’s exceptionalism. “It was my privilege to serve with Admiral Rickover in the Department of Defense for more than five years ... as Under Secretary and Secretary of the Navy. At that time, we formed a strong bond of mutual personal and professional respect, and I was able to observe firsthand the incalculable contributions this distinguished American made to the strengthening of America's defense.”
His successes are primarily attributable to the personal choice he made during his career: his decision to reject mediocrity and strive for excellence. Equally as important was his commitment to maintaining a humanistic approach to science (see the appendix for his paper, “Humanistic Technology” for his thoughts on the subject).
With his respect for hard work and rigorous academic acumen, the Admiral showed what must be done to remain free as a country. As President Nixon aptly summarized during a tribute to him: “To those of us who treasure our liberty Admiral Rickover means a great deal, because of all he has done to protect it.”
There is a colorful and revealing story about Admiral Rickover that few know. It succinctly identifies him. The story occurred in 1984 before Commodore Grace Hopper, a noted mathematician responsible for the development of the first COBOL compilers , was to speak to a group of students attending the first Rickover Science Institute in 1984. Like him, Commodore Hopper had a long career in the Navy and had accumulated her share of awards for achievement. Unlike him, she enjoyed citing her many jobs in conversation.
Shortly after tolerating each other during dinner, she privately handed him her several page vita.
“Will this be sufficient for my introduction?” she asked.
To her surprise, after glancing at it, he crumbled the paper and discarded it. He then said curtly, "When I am introduced, Admiral H. G. Rickover is sufficient. Unlike you, I don't need a vita. A person must be judged by how well he does his job, not by the jobs he has had.”
Rickover Underway, My Way
Introduction