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This is to share a heart warming exchange of emails which I received last night.

The background is this: I am founder and president of a non profit organization on Isle La Motte, which has preserved about 100 acres of fossil outcrops about 480 million years old called the Chazy Fossil Reef. This geological treasure has been studied by scientists for many years, and is now designated as a National Natural Landmark. Earlier this year, through the network of connections that Jennifer Morgan has created through the Deep Time Journey website, we were offered the loan of a world class outdoor educational exhibit called Walk Through Time (WTT). It consists of some 95 panels depicting the 4.6 billion years of Earth history meant to be set up along a walk or trail 4,600 feet long with each foot representing a million years.

We procured the exhibit in April, set it up on our largest preserve in May, had a Grand Opening on June 22nd, and it will be up and open to the public for the entire summer. It’s gotten a tremendous amount of press throughout Vermont and we are honored to have it.

The person who originally designed the exhibit was a scientist, Sid Liebes of Hewlett Packard. To create an exhibit portraying the 4.6 billion history of Earth in such a way that would dramatically convey the scale of time – had been a dream of his for many years. Before his retirement, HP learned of his dream and told him to design and build it and they would fund it. He did and they did and it was first set up at a conference for HP scientists from all over the world in 1997. Since then two additional sets of the exhibit have been built; one is in the San Francisco Bay area, one is in Switzerland, and the third is now here on Isle La Motte, Vermont (the northernmost island of Lake Champlain.)

Recently I did a bit more research on the designer, Sid Liebes, and learned that he had been a physicist at Princeton. I wrote to the Project Director responsible for the distribution of the WTT exhibits – Geoff Ainscow in California – and asked him to find out from Sid Liebes whether he knew my uncle, Val Fitch – Noble Laureate Physicist at Princeton now retired. Last night I received the following exchange of emails.
The Email Exchange

June 30, 2014
Geoff Ainscow to Sid Liebes
Hi Sid, When you were at Princeton did you know a professor by the name of Val Fitch, he was a Nobel Laureate in physics? He is the uncle of Linda Fitch, who is the president of the Isle La Motte Preservation Trust, where the Walk is on display. Linda is the person responsible for organizing the placement of the Walk.
Cheers,
Geoff

July 1, 2014
Sidney Liebes to Geoff Ainscow

Congratulation, Geoff! Thanks, for sending the report on the opening. Lots of dedicated people, and beautiful setting.

Small world. Not only did I know Val Fitch, we were close friends, tennis partners, and shared an office together, in the early 1960’s.
One day, after he and his colleague had completed a particle physics experiment that disagreed with prevailing theory, he paced the office pondering the discrepancy. Turning to me he asked, “Can you see what’s wrong with the experiment?” I replied that my knowledge of particle physics was not sufficient to help. This was the experiment that they courageously concluded to publish, risking their reputations in doing so. Instead, they were granted Nobel Prizes.

Best, – Sid

July 3, 2014
Geoff Ainscow to Linda
Hi Linda
It is a small world and I think the WTT was destined to arrive at ILM. I’m forwarding to you this message from Sid. He shared an office with your uncle, amazing synchronicity.
Cheers,
Geoff

Linda Fitch, President
Isle La Motte Preservation Trust
3849 West Shore Road
Isle La Motte, VT 05463
linda@ilmpt.org
609-924-0822
802-238-7040 (cell)