A Full Circle Moment

Caltech Associates Eugene and Carol Epstein help usher in a new century of innovation as Associates 100 Legacy Circle members.

As a boy, Eugene Epstein (BS '56) searched his Hollywood canyon neighborhood looking for a place to fly his model of the P-51 Mustang, a World War II fighter aircraft. The only tree-free place was on a nearby estate with an expansive south lawn. One day Eugene knocked on the main house's front door to ask permission to test his plane. Julia Wattles answered and graciously gave her approval. The estate, known today as the Wattles Mansion and Gardens, was home to Julia and her husband Gurdon Wattles. A successful Midwestern banker, Gurdon was one of the 100 founding members of the Caltech Associates—a philanthropic organization created a century ago to ensure the future of the Institute.

That neighborly relationship, which would continue through Eugene's young adulthood, came full circle this year when he and his wife Carol joined the Associates 100 Legacy Circle. Following in the Wattles' footsteps, the Epsteins are among a new group of benefactors supporting Caltech in expanding the frontiers of human knowledge.

The couple has participated in numerous Associate events over the years including attending salons featuring Nobel laureate and Linus Pauling Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering and Biochemistry Frances Arnold and Merkin Institute Professor Sarkis Mazmanian. As an astronomer, Eugene also has relished the opportunities to go behind the scenes with the Associates at JPL and celebrate the 70th anniversary of his childhood obsession: the Hale Telescope.

Scientific Wonders

At 91, Eugene still remembers the day he fell in love with astronomy. Just a few years after testing his airplane on the Wattles estate, he visited the iconic Griffith Park Observatory where the study of the universe, says Eugene, hit him like a ton of bricks. He and his friend rushed to the Observatory gift store to expand their newfound knowledge.

"I bought every pamphlet in the gift shop that I could," recalls Eugene. Within a week, he found a book on astronomy in his father's own bookstore, the famous Pickwick Book Shop on Hollywood Boulevard. "And that was it." Eugene set his sights on a career in astronomy and started building his own telescopes.

Eugene's fascination with telescopes grew, and as a teenager he found a way to visit the 200-inch Hale Telescope located at the Palomar Observatory south of Los Angeles. "I knew there was no way I could attend the dedication in 1948," says Eugene. But, as a stamp collector, he knew something most people did not. The US Postal Service always held a ceremony open to the public when issuing a commemorative stamp. He also knew the post office had plans to issue the Palomar Mountain Observatory stamp on August 30, 1948. "I convinced my father to make the drive. We got to go out on the floor of the telescope and see it up close. That was a big deal for a youngster."

With its distinctive 135-foot-tall white dome, the Hale was the world's largest telescope for more than four decades. The visionary behind it, astronomer and Caltech Trustee George Ellery Hale, was yet another tie for Eugene to the Institute. He translated his childhood passion into an undergraduate degree in astronomy at Caltech, followed by a PhD at Harvard University. He did radio astronomy research during his career at The Aerospace Corporation.

Years later, Eugene would return to the Hale Telescope when he heard about a trip with the Associates to Palomar and decided to become a member in order to participate. "This time, I got to ride up the side of the dome, right to the prime focus observer's cage," he says.

Then when it was time for Eugene and Carol to marry, he would return to the Griffith Park Observatory so the couple could marry in the planetarium theater. "The first 15 minutes were an introduction to the wonders of astronomy as demonstrated by the Zeiss projector," says Eugene.

Leaving a Legacy

On Friday, April 10, the Associates will gather at The Huntington in honor of the organization's founding and to celebrate a century of leadership and innovation. The event echoes a similar gathering in 1926 when railroad magnate and art collector Henry E. Huntington invited many of Southern California's business and civic leaders to his then-home in San Marino to discuss the future of Caltech. It was there that 100 benefactors each pledged $1,000 per year for 10 years to help lift up the fledgling Institute and make it a world-renowned scientific powerhouse.

The Associates 100 Legacy Circle members are paying homage to the Associates founders by donating the equivalent amount in today's dollars: $15,000 for 10 years. Like the original 100, their modern counterparts will be ensuring Caltech's uniquely creative and collaborative environment continues to facilitate the kind of innovation that changes the world.

Eugene appreciates the significance of this historical moment, as he may be one of the only current Associates with a tangible connection to the original founders. He also can attest to today's ongoing need for philanthropy in helping to advance research. During his time as a member of the chair's council for the Department of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy (PMA), and from his own experience, Eugene observed the work invested in pursuing funding for projects. So in addition to their support as a Legacy Circle members, Eugene and Carol have also provided in their estate plan for an endowed fund in PMA to support research and education. "The goal is to support research and education with minimal paperwork," says Eugene. "We hope our gift makes everyone's lives simpler so faculty and students can focus on the research."