AAAS
Lifetime of Achievement Earns Golden an Award

William T. Golden was an investment banker when he joined the U.S. Navy in World War II, but he had such a scientific turn of mind that he invented a device that decreased by two-thirds the scarce ammunition that gunners needed to practice on their anti-aircraft guns.

Though his passion was science, Golden had chosen Wall Street after reading "a romantic novel" during his senior year in college. Money was only a means, however, and once he had it, Golden, now 92, launched himself into a career in public life that this year earned him the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Lifetime Achievement Award.

Golden is best known for his notion that the nation should have an office of science advisor to the president, and for convincing President Harry S. Truman in 1950 to move forward on the idea. Fifty years and 10 presidents later, there is still a science advisor at The White House, as well as a presidential science advisory committee, another one of Golden's concepts. Most recently, Golden played a major role in convincing the U.S. State Department to open a position for its own science advisor.

"Bill Golden has devoted his life to advancing science and to making sure that public officials base their decisions on sound scientific principles," said AAAS CEO Alan I. Leshner. "His stature and his love of all things scientific have made him the perfect spokesperson for the worlds of science and engineering."

For 31 years—until 1999—Golden was treasurer of AAAS. With both financial support and guidance he helped build the Association's headquarters in Washington, DC, at 12th and New York Avenue. He also paid for the first year of AAAS's 30-year-old Congressional fellowship program, which has multiplied, annually sending dozens of young scientists and engineers out into the various branches of government to learn policy and provide expertise.

Golden does not claim a deep grasp of science. "Without being competent in the details," he says, "I feel comfortable in the midst of it."

Over the years he became interested enough to take occasional courses in biology at Columbia University. In 1979, he discovered to his surprise that he had earned enough credits for a Master's degree. "I sent in $10, and they sent me my degree."

The grandson of Lithuanian immigrants, Golden is grateful for the opportunities he's been given in the United States. As a 13-year-old boy, he obtained his ham radio transmitting license, a defining moment. He says that his patriotism and his curiosity motivate him in the causes he chooses to support. He is particularly pleased to have served as co-chairman, with Nobel Prize Winner Joshua Lederberg, on the Carnegie Commission on Science, Technology and Government. Golden's work with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) earned him its highest honor, the Public Welfare Medal. Golden is responsible also for creating the Black Rock Forest Consortium, which operates a "natural living laboratory" in a 4000-acre forest along the Hudson River in New York State. He is Chairman Emeritus of the American Museum of Natural History.

Of his attachment to AAAS, Golden says, "AAAS has a soul, so I have affection as well as respect for it." The feeling is apparently mutual. Golden received his award from the Association at a ceremony on 16 February, during the 2002 Annual Meeting in Boston.