April 12, 2024

John Bartelt, the man, the myth, the legend is retiring!

By IT Communications

John Bartelt, a distinguished and revered member of SLAC IT, will be bidding farewell at the end of this month, marking the end of an era spanning four decades.  

MEMORABLE MOMENTS   

An early milestone:  seeing the Mark-II's first Z0 particle (which didn't look quite like expected; that turned out to be a fluke).

A long-term initiative:  working on an early study that showed the promise of an asymmetric B-Factory; and then years later, working on BaBar.

An IT milestone:  getting SLAC's Unix web servers under "taylor" configuration management  
 

POINT OF PRIDE

I've filled a lot of different roles at SLAC over the years.

 

MOST ENJOYED

Working with smart, dedicated people, who I learn from every day.  

 

PARTING ADVICE   

* Ask questions.

* Ask for help (your boss, your colleagues, ...).

* Ask for more (more opportunities, responsibilities, flexibility). 

Headshot of John Bartelt

John's journey at SLAC began in 1983 as a Postdoc with Experimental Group BC, later known as Group H, where his groundbreaking work contributed to the construction of the Central Drift Chamber for the Mark-II upgrade for the SLC. His involvement in software development for this instrument played a pivotal role in facilitating the first precision measurements of the Z boson's properties, a landmark achievement in particle physics following its discovery at CERN.

In 1987, John embarked on a feasibility study for an asymmetric e+e- collider to explore B-mesons, co-authoring the pioneering paper that laid the groundwork for the SLAC B-Factory and the BaBar experiment. His expertise and dedication continued to shine as he returned to SLAC in 1997 to work on BaBar, contributing significantly to software development projects and charm physics analyses, earning co-authorship on several BaBar papers.

Transitioning to SLAC Information Technology in 1999, John's impact extended beyond physics research. As part of the Systems Group, he played a crucial role in supporting the physics community, managing applications, and pioneering Unix-based web server management. Over the years, John assumed diverse responsibilities, from administering AFS and LSF to chairing meetings with projects like Fermi GLAST, where his efforts ensured seamless communication and collaboration.

John's influence expanded further with his pivotal role in supporting essential Atlassian applications, including Confluence, Jira, and Crowd, vital tools for the SLAC science community. Even after transitioning from a managerial role to an individual contributor, John's commitment to technical excellence remained unwavering, contributing to cyber initiatives and supporting various committees.

As John embarks on the next chapter of his journey, we take this opportunity to honor his remarkable contributions and legacy.  If you want to leave a message for John, please sign the virtual greeting card.  

 

Contact Regine Buenaseda or Bobbi Woody-Mistriel if you would like to sign a poster in person or get information about the Retirement Party.
 

A twin bond beyond birthdays

Neal Adams and John Bartelt smiling while standing in the lobby of the Bing Concert Hall

I have had the pleasure of working with John since his coming to SLAC Computing Services back in 1999. I was on the interview panel when he was hired, it was a no-brainer. Aside from the fact we share the same birthday, exact same day, he has been a wonderful colleague and friend. I have always admired his ability to cut through the noise and just get the job done. He’s a fantastic sleuth when it comes to troubleshooting problems and has always been methodical and sensible. For someone with a PhD in physics he also has a wonderful sense of humor. I will miss him in the office, but we will certainly continue to get together for our monthly beers. — (Left: Neal Adams, John’s twin brother)

Neal Adams IT Relationship Management and Communications

Through the years

john bartelt crouching down to open bottle of champagne
john and colleagues standing and talking
bartelt and dorfan shaking hands
persis drell presenting award to john bartelt
john, wife, colleagues sitting at dinner table
john bartelt image shown on maples pavilion scoreboard
3 people sittng at a table sipping beer
soledad, monica, olga and john standing outside of LSST buidling
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