To all staff
The following notice will be issued from London Office to-day:
Dr J Howlett, CBE, who has been the Director of the Atlas Computer Laboratory since its inception, will retire on 29 August. Responsibility for the Laboratory will be assumed by Dr G H Stafford as Site Director for all the Council's activities at Chilton. The appointment of a new Division Head to be responsible to Dr Stafford for the activities of the Atlas Computer Laboratory remaining at Chilton will be announced later when more progress has been made with the plans for an Interactive Working Facility and a National Computing Campus. Meanwhile, Dr Stafford has appointed his Deputy Director, Dr G Manning, to take personal charge of these activities."
I agreed the date for my departure about two weeks ago and it has distressed and embarrassed me greatly to have had to keep quiet about this until now. The reason is simply that I felt I had to be able to say something about who would look after the Laboratory then, and this has only just been settled.
The actual circumstances of my leaving will be a bit odd. I shall be in America from 19 August, returning on the overnight flight from Chicago which is due to land at Heathrow at 10.00 on 29 August. Unless this is really badly delayed I should get to the Laboratory before lunch and so have time to walk round and say good-bye to everyone before finally moving off.
This is no occasion for philosophizing, and in any case I have written so much about the Laboratory during the past two years that no-one can be in doubt about my views. Of course there will be changes but this is not necessarily a bad thing; the future can and I very much hope will be as rewarding as the past. One thing I am very glad indeed to be able to say, and that is that the name "Atlas Laboratory" is to stay.
J Howlett
Director
