NIST

Allen V. Astin (1940 – 1953 or 36 to 49 years old)

Actor preferably in his 40s. Astin was an introvert, quiet, integral, and honest man. He was a man of science and had a quiet bravery to him. He loved to smoke his pipe. When you asked him a question he would pause and puff on the pipe, about ten seconds worth. His responses were always very measured, thoughtful, and helpful. He was married with two boys. 

Background:

Allen Varley Astin was born on June 12, 1904. He was an American physicist who served as director of the United States’ National Bureau of Standards (now the National Institute of Standards and Technology) from 1951 until 1969. During the Second World War he worked on the proximity fuse. He was an advocate for the introduction of metric weights and measures to the United States.

He was the eldest of three children. His mother was a school teacher in Utah. Astin’s father died when he was only four years old. He graduated from the University of Utah’s physics program and in 1928 was granted a PhD in physics from New York University. That same year, Astin obtrained a two-year fellowship for studies at John’s Hopkins University. Upon completing the fellowship he secured a staff position at the National Bureau of Standards, eventually working his way up to his appointment as Director in May, 1952.