Ira S. Bowen(1898-1973)

Astrophysicist and Director of the world's two greatest observatories, Mount Wilson Observatory (north of Pasadena) and Palomar in southern California. At the age of 28, he published evidence that the entire universe is composed of the same elements that are found on earth. In recognition of his work on nebulae, Bowen was awarded the Henry Draper Medal of the National Academy of Sciences for 1942. He taught physics at the California Institute of Technology from 1921 to 1945.

Nobody can grasp the tremendous space now open to us for study without feeling a great deal less responsible for the behavior of the universe and a great deal more responsible for his own behavior.