Oppenheimer’s Honorary Degree

Your fine story on the film Oppenheimer in PAW’s July/August issue mentions the honorary degree J. Robert Oppenheimer received from Princeton in 1966. For those of us present for that Commencement, it was an unforgettable moment. The other honorary degree recipients — all male, all white — stood up and down, and the audience applauded politely. Then when Oppenheimer received his degree, the entire audience unexpectedly rose to its feet in a spontaneous ovation that went on and on. The gaunt and frail Oppenheimer turned and faced the audience silently.

It was a scene that brought tears to many eyes.

He died less than a year later at 62.