Interviews
Conversations with pioneers of Canada's nuclear industry
Sixteen video interviews were carried out over several years to record the recollections of retirees or former employees of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited who had been involved with various aspects of research and public affairs at Chalk River.
Some are relatively short while others cover particular fields of research in significant detail. Excerpts of these interviews have been put together to give viewers a flavour of all of the interviews and to guide them to the full versions in which they might have the greatest interest.
Playlist
Excerpts
This one-hour video contains excerpts from all of the interview videos.
Dr. J.A.L. Robertson
Archie Robertson joined AECL in 1957 from Harwell in the U.K. He played a major role in the research programs carried out to improve CANDU fuels and later was a spokesman for the nuclear industry in talks to the general public and in the Porter Commission deliberations. He retired in 1985. The 36-minute interview took place in his home in 2015.
Dr. John Hilborn
John Hilborn joined AECL in 1954 and played a major role in the startup of many of the first reactors. He is best known for the development of the Hilborn neutron-flux detectors used worldwide as well as being the “father” of the SLOWPOKE reactor. This extended (92 minute) interview which covers his long career took place in his home in 2020.
Al Herriot
Al Herriot, a chemical engineer, joined AECL in 1954. He initially worked in the NRX reactor and eventually became the Director of the Operations Division at Chalk River with responsibilities that included not only NRX but also NRU and NPD. He was also a dedicated outdoorsman and naturalist. The short (20-minute) interview took place at the Society studio in 2021.
Dr. Bruce Bigham
Bruce Bigham, a nuclear physicist by background, joined AECL in 1954. Initially he did work in reactor physics before he joined the Accelerator Physics Branch for work on the radiofrequency system for the Intense neutron Generator (ING). Along with Harvey Schneider, he patented a design for a superconducting cyclotron that was built for the TASCC facility at Chalk River. The interview took place at the Society studio in 2021.
Al Rose
Al Rose, a chemical engineer, initially worked at Chalk River in 1959. He left for a period and returned around 1962. After some time, his career took him to a position with the Atomic Energy Control Board and finally to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. The (61-minute) interview took place at the Society studio in 2021.
Arden Okazaki
Arden Okazaki joined AECL in 1955 as a “computer”, the term used for people who worked with large mechanical calculating machines to solve physics problems. Her career took her next to the first electronic computer, the electron-tube based, Datatron, and continued on through to the transistorized CDC series of computers and finally to the PC era. Arden was also a noted knitter in the Deep River area. The (19-minute) interview took place at the Society studio in 2021.
Betty Robertson
Betty Robertson, a chemist who graduated from McGill, joined AECL in 1948. She juggled a career as a chemist and a mother over the next several years and describes some of the problems encountered being a woman in nuclear research. Betty worked in the low-background laboratory at Chalk River looking for strontium, from weapons testing, in milk samples and later upgraded her education with a Masters degree on work on the Perch Lake environmental studies. The short (11-minute) interview took place at the Society studio in 2021 shortly before her death.
Dr. Tom Holden
Tom Holden, a physicist, joined AECL in 1966 as a post-doctoral fellow. He had a long and distinguished career in neutron scattering at Chalk River and had delved in the history of the field which originated at Chalk River. During the extended interview he talks about the early researchers in the discipline as well as his own career. The extended (83-minute) interview took place at the Society studio in 2021.
Dr. Tom Alexander
Tom Alexander was a physicist with a long and illustrious nuclear physics career at Chalk River. He initially arrived in 1955 and worked both in reactor physics and electronics. He left for several years to acquire his PhD but then returned as a nuclear physics researcher to work with many of the most illustrious Chalk River nuclear physicists of the 1960-1990 period. Tom describes both his work and that of others at CRNL. The (17-minute) interview took place at the Society studio in 2021.
Alan Ross
Alan Ross joined AECL in 1957 after a short working career in the U.K. He was assigned to work in the metallurgical research section at Chalk River and quickly became an expert in CANDU fuels. During the 71-minute interview he discusses highlights of his long career and the work of many of his co-researchers. The interview took place at the Society studio in 2021.
Eva Gallagher
Eva Gallagher first came to Chalk River as a summer student in 1966. She met her husband Dave, whose father had worked in the nuclear industry during the construction of the Chalk River laboratory. After raising a family, she joined the Public Affairs group as a tour guide, based in the Public Information Center. Eva describes the work of that group in providing tours to a large and broad cross-section of visitors over many years. These tours included school groups and also featured an annual weekend session for school teachers. The 34-minute interview took place at the Society studio in 2022.
Dr. C.E. Coleman
Kit Coleman, a metallurgist, came to Chalk River in 1965 after his PhD in the U.K. His graduate work on hydrogen and zirconium systems was an excellent fit to the CANDU-related work being carried out at Chalk River. Kit became an expert in the use of zirconium and its alloys for pressure tubes and fuel sheathing. During the extended (74-minute) interview he discusses his work and that of others on CANDU-related research. The interview took place at the Society studio in 2022.
Dr. A.I. Miller
Alistair Miller, a chemical engineer, joined AECL in 1966 at a time when concerns with the supply of heavy water for CANDU reactors were high. Two production plants in New Brunswick were being commissioned but both encountered significant problems. Alistair and a group from CRNL were brought in to resolve some of the problems. During the 74-minute interview he describes the analytic and experimental programs initiated to solve and optimize the output at these facilities and at the Bruce heavy water plants. Hydrogen feeds are important for the heavy water production and Alistair discusses his interests in hydrogen as an alternative fuel. The interview took place at the Society studio in 2022.
Guy Lemire
Guy Lemire started his nuclear-related career in 1952 when he was part of a construction crew for the Chalk River powerhouse. He returned to AECL in 1957 and started work at NRU as a Reactor Operator Trainee. Guy was a person constantly looking for opportunities to further his knowledge and took self-taught courses in engineering, computers and mathematics. Over time he was able to advance his position to that of Shift Supervisor at NRU, a position until then reserved for university graduates. Unfortunately, Guy was fighting serious health problems in the period that the interviews were conducted in 2022 but he nevertheless was able to give the viewers an excellent account of his involvement in the life of NRU during the 41-minute interview at the Society studio.
Dr. A. B. McDonald (Nobel laureate)
Art McDonald joined AECL in 1969 and spent 12 years in nuclear research until his departure in 1982. During a 2022 visit to the Canada’s Nuclear Heritage Museum, when he donated one of the photomultiplier tubes used at the SNO project, he volunteered to sit for an interview. The 63-minute interview covers his research and that of his colleagues at CRNL, the Nobel prize winning work at the Creighton mine labs and the future work planned there in dark matter studies. Also discussed is the large inter-lab effort assembled during the Covid pandemic to produce a new line of affordable ventilators. The interview took place at the Society studio in 2022.
David Thompson
Dave Thompson had a two-part career at Chalk River. He began in 1959 as part of the Operations crew that operated the 3.5 Van der Graff accelerator and later the EN tandem in the Nuclear Physics Division. He then returned home to Ireland for about five years after which he rejoined the Operations group, initially as an accelerator operator but soon afterwards in NRU. His career in NRU was long and he eventually rose to became the Director of Reactor Operations Division. Dave discusses his career in his distinct style, the problems associated with an aging NRU reactor and his interactions with people as varied as Allan Bromley, Al Herriot and Harry Collins during his 44-minute interview. The interview took place at the Society studio in 2022.
