Interview with Thomas A. Tombrello - Caltech Oral Histories

Tombrello–144
ASPATURIAN: Before we return to Paul Jennings’s second tour as provost, I’d like to get to
where your onetime protégé becomes the provost. That will keep it chronological, to some
degree.
TOMBRELLO: Oh, yes! Well, I had mentioned earlier that when [Gerry] Neugebauer was
finishing his five years as PMA chairman [1988-93], he clearly was very unhappy with the
administration. So they had a search committee, and I mentioned earlier that [Roger] Blandford
had run the committee and had waffled and ended up sending four names forward, and Charlie
Peck got chosen. Koonin was not chosen, and he was quite unhappy about that. But the next job
to open up was provost, and he got that.
ASPATURIAN: And he’d been chair of the faculty, I believe.
TOMBRELLO: He had been chair of the faculty earlier.
ASPATURIAN: What were the circumstances of Koonin’s being appointed?
TOMBRELLO: I don’t know, precisely; I never got any insight into the committee. I didn’t think
it was an unreasonable choice. When he got in, there were some rough edges to start. He’d
never had an administrative post at Caltech. He got crosswise with a number of people,
including Ahmed Zewail and some others.
http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechOH:OH_Tombrello_T