Physics in 1976—a personal account

It was a great honor to serve as President of The American Physical Society during the Bicentennial year of the United States. In this article I will report briefly on the accomplishments of the APS in 1976 and then move on to a more personal account—my own feelings and impressions of the image of the physicist and his role in the larger society. I hope to do away with a few stereotypes, shatter some myths and, finally, outline the potential for physicists making greater contributions to the solution of societal problems than they have ever done before. I will start with the commemoration of the Bicentennial.

This article is only available in PDF format