[keenrodent]

I’ve still got one of these (a dime from my Dad’s pocket, irradiated, then into the box with the rest of my kid treasures) from when my family and I visited Oak Ridge in the 60’s. I can’t speak to why they had the machine to do it there, but I still remember why I put the dime in.

I was 7 or 8. The future seemed closer then, like we were almost just right there. “Atomic energy,” the space program, television: I remember when WAND in Decatur started broadcasting in color. Everything was getting better right in front of our eyes. Cool Whip! One day it was THERE.

And so on a visit to Oak Ridge, TN, you felt as a kid that it was all happening, that you could learn about it, and when you grew up you could join the team and make it happen, too. The dime was proof.