Interview with Thomas A. Tombrello - Caltech Oral Histories

Tombrello–102
ASPATURIAN: Evidently not.
TOMBRELLO: But at the end of the day, as I say, it doesn’t mean you’ve really accomplished
anything. So, anyway, Schlumberger. They began to monkey with the budget a little bit after
the first year, and I complained. They didn't really cut it. They may have cut it a half a percent.
[Laughter] I mean, compared to the fluctuations in federal grants at universities, it was noise.
But I had to put up a show of saying how disappointed I was in them—how this was unfair, this
wasn’t part of the agreement. They felt they had to do it. OK, they got away with it. But then,
by somewhere in the middle of the second year, they began to dabble a bit more. And then they
said, “Are you going to leave us?” I said, “I haven’t decided yet.” “Well, when are you going to
tell us?” I said, “When I get ready.” [Laughter] I said, “I have a contract, you know.” So
eventually, I did decide. I had learned a lot of things from the experience. Actually, I missed
being at Caltech. I missed the students.
I had the equivalent of students at Schlumberger. I have a story about that. The previous
director had done something brilliant. He hired a guy named Bob Burridge, an applied
mathematician from Courant Institute at NYU. I asked Burridge why he had come to
Schlumberger, and he said, “You know, I never really had many students at Courant, and there
are all these young people here in the lab.” Then he said, “I’m in the geophysics department, but
I’d really like to report to you.” I said, “Well, Bob, you’re probably one of the most senior and
distinguished scientists here. I could put up with that, but there’s a price.” He said, “Well,
what’s the price?” I said, “Ah, the price is the following: I may pick out some young scientist in
the lab. And I will say, ‘Bob, I’d like you to work with that person for maybe six months, on a
problem of your choosing, his choosing. You work together.’” He says, “Hey, that sounds
wonderful to me. Not much of a price.” I said, “At the end of the six months, I’m going to have
you come in and talk to me very candidly about how this person is doing, what their promise is,
the rest of it.” He says, “Well, that’s what professors do.” I said, “Fine; I’ll arrange it today that
you’re reporting to me. I want you to keep your office, because you’re an asset to the geophysics
department, but at the same time you’re reporting to me, and remember the price.”
Then I would find somebody who I thought was bright enough but who I had a feeling
would not necessarily have a long-term future, and who was going to hit a ceiling at some point.
And so I’d say, “Bob, why don’t you work with Jorge?” “Oh, yeah, he’s an interesting guy.”
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