  The 1950s-- and perhaps also the 1960s-- were very special times for the
development of solid-state/condensed-matter physics. The University of Illinois
at Urbana was at the center of these activities. In areas like NMR and
superconductivity, methods were developed which would form the basis for the
next half century of science and technology. Experimentalists, including
Charlie and John Wheatley, worked hand in hand with theorists, including the
incomparable John Bardeen. They worked cooperatively to develop ideas, often
born in Urbana, but with godparents at Harvard and Moscow and Paris. A
characteristic style of broad collaboration and spirited exchange developed and
spread from Illinois. This development was not an accident but the result of
the vision of leaders like Wheeler Loomis, Fred Seitz, and later Gerald Almy1.
The strong leadership saved the other scientists from expending their time on
departmental decision-making. The style of the scientific activity was set by
Fred, who strongly encouraged joint activities--especially the interaction
between between theory and experiment and between physics and engineering. Fred
encouraged comments from everyone, and helped everyone grow fast
