![]() ![]() “He was the kind of person that always had information,” said Mandelcorn. Shapiro knew much, even apart from his specific field, said Lyon Mandelcorn, who worked at Westinghouse. Shapiro’s scientific contributions at Bettis, such as developing the reactor that powered the USS Nautilus, the world’s first operational nuclear powered submarine, highlighted America’s atomic age. With reliance upon nuclear propulsion, the vessels no longer needed to resurface for air. Shapiro and the small group developed a process whereby submarines could remain submerged for longer periods of time. “He wanted things yesterday you were already late when you started.” “He was a very tough customer,” said Goldman of Rickover. The work was overseen by Admiral Hyman Rickover of the U.S. ![]() Shortly after receiving his doctorate, Shapiro joined Westinghouse Electric Corporation and partnered with its cadre of scientists at Bettis to develop new materials for nuclear reactors. He later attended Johns Hopkins University, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and earned his B.A., M.A. He graduated in 1938 from Passaic High School, his class’ valedictorian. Though born in Canton, Ohio, Shapiro and his parents, Abraham and Minnie Shapiro, relocated to New Jersey. ![]() Shapiro’s intellectual spark radiated from an early age. Get The Jewish Chronicle Weekly Edition by email and never miss our top stories “I think that he was close to genius,” said Ken Goldman, a metallurgist who worked with Shapiro in the 1950s at Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory in West Mifflin, Pa. ![]()
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