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Oak Ridge Resident and Former ORAU Director Honored for 50 Years of Contributions

OAK RIDGE, Tenn.—Former Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) director Roger Cloutier (pictured third from left, middle) celebrated with his longtime colleagues and friends at the Pollard Technology Conference Center on Monday.

Cloutier was honored during a reception for his numerous contributions to ORAU over the last 50 years.

ORAU Vice President and Director Dr. Eric Abelquist , former ORAU director and retiree Evelyn Watson and many others were on hand to pay tribute to the professional and personal ways Cloutier had impacted the organization, as well as their lives.

Watson—a “Cloutierite,” as former colleagues have gladly termed themselves—thanked Cloutier for being her mentor, teacher and friend. “Almost 100 percent of whatever I achieved in life, I owe to Roger,” she said.

Cloutier, an Oak Ridge resident, began working at ORAU in 1959 as a radiation safety officer. He identified a need for internal radiation dose estimation and helped to establish an ORAU program as part of the Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS)—another ORAU program he also helped bring to fruition. Both groups are still in operation today.

Cloutier soon became involved in ORAU’s Special Training Division (established in 1948 by the Atomic Energy Commission), which provided courses to scientists and physicians in radioisotope techniques.

In 1974, he assumed the directorship of this division.

To date, more than 25,000 individuals have attended ORAU training courses in Oak Ridge, another 25,000 to 30,000 trainees having participated from abroad, and more than 10,000 college students and faculty have trained in the group’s specialized, mobile laboratories.

During his time at ORAU, the amount of contributions made by Cloutier are nearly too numerous to count. Although he retired in 1992, Cloutier still remains involved with retiree activities… and his legacy remains.

“Roger made an impact on this organization and on so many people’s lives,” said Dr. Abelquist, director of ORAU’s Independent Environmental Assessment and Verification Programs—the group that now carries on much of the radiation sciences training, among other capabilities that Cloutier helped to establish. “It’s people like Roger who have made ORAU such a great place to work.”