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A Ph.D. Physicist Runs for Congress

September 27, 2007

I got the following from my undergraduate classmate and friend, Larry Sulak, who is a former chair and distinguished professor of physics at Boston University.

No matter what district you live in, if you agree with Larry and me that we need more people in Congress who understand science, read on.

Dear Fred,

This is a personal appeal for your help to elect a scientist and technologist, Bill Foster, to Congress. Bill is one of my best PhD students, a first-class physicist, and a successful businessman.

Bill started his electronics company with his younger brother as a kid in their basement in Madison. His firm now makes 70% of all the theater lighting equipment in the U.S. Bill is a technology wizard, having designed or built novel integrated circuits, superconducting magnets, and advanced particle accelerator elements. The latest of the machines at FermiLab was his technological initiative; Bill led the teams of engineers and physicists that built the magnets for it.

Bill has a recessive gene for political activism. His father was a civil rights lawyer; his parents met on Capitol Hill when they worked for two different senators. Bill first got involved in politics during the last election cycle, campaigning for Patrick Murphy, the only Iraq War vet to make it to congress. Bill set up the Get-Out-The-Vote system, their team knocked on 240,000 doors in the last 72 hours, and Murphy beat an entrenched incumbent by 1500 votes.

Bill is running for Dennis Hastert's seat, the Illinois 14th. With Hastert retiring, the seat is now open. (Hastert may resign early, which would trigger a special election.) Before Hastert announced his retirement, Bill's pollster predicted that he would have a 9 point lead over Hastert! The primary is on February 5. To contend financially in the Chicago TV market, Bill is appealing to his science friends outside of his district. He is matching 1 to 1 any contribution with his own funds.

I believe that Congress and the country would benefit greatly with a research scientist/hi-tech businessman onboard, of either stripe. Hence I am doing my best to support Bill. I am hoping that you too might feel that we need a physicist in the House. Please visit Bill's web site at www.Foster08.com.

You can help his campaign by publicly endorsing him at the tab you will find there and by sending him your financial support via the site. The 3rd quarter fundraising deadline is the end of this month, so it would be most valuable if you could make your contribution by September 30th if at all possible.

With sincere appreciation,

Larry