02758cam a22003133u 450000100060000000300070000600500170001300600020003000700050003200800410003704000110007804100170008905000070010610000340011324500260014726400510017330000470022433600260027133700260029733800360032349000730035950000310043250801230046352016770058653400450226365300200230883000730232885600430240128118UtSlPG20260610133636.0mcr n260607r2009||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d  aUtSlPG 7aen2iso639-1 4aPS1 aJones, Raymond F.,d1915-199414aThe Great Gray Plague 1aSalt Lake City, UT :bProject Gutenberg,c2009  a1 online resource :bmultiple file formats  atextbtxt2rdacontent  acomputerbc2rdamedia  aonline resourcebcr2rdacarrier1 aProduced from Analog Science Fact and Science Fiction February 1962.  aRelease date is 2009-02-18  aProduced by Greg Weeks, Dave Lovelace, Mary Meehan and the
Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net  a"The Great Gray Plague" by Raymond F. Jones is a science fiction novel written in the early 1960s. The story centers around Dr. William Baker, a 50-year-old director at the National Bureau of Scientific Development, and explores themes of scientific progress, human creativity, and the conflict between established authority and unconventional thinking. The narrative touches upon Baker's pride in his achievements, yet sets the stage for conflict as he interacts with colleagues and faces unexpected challenges, hinting at the emerging crisis that will unfold in response to a mysterious phenomenon.  At the start of the novel, we meet Dr. Baker on his fiftieth birthday, where he receives a heartfelt surprise from his staff that underscores the camaraderie of his work environment. However, the tone quickly shifts as Baker's day progresses, revealing a tension between him and his friend Dr. John Fenwick, who is seeking a research grant for Clearwater College. Their conversation exposes the rigid criteria the Bureau employs to judge grant applications, including ludicrous evaluations of faculty backgrounds and cultural contributions, which irritate Fenwick. Baker's disdain for unconventional ideas and his adherence to the bureaucratic processes set up a conflict when a seemingly crackpot inventor, Jim Ellerbee, presents a potentially revolutionary communication device that challenges Baker's established views and beliefs about what constitutes legitimate scientific inquiry. The opening thus hints at a deeper exploration of creativity, human ingenuity, and the limitations imposed by rigid academic structures. (This is an automatically generated summary.)  nOriginal publication data not identified  aScience fiction 0aProduced from Analog Science Fact and Science Fiction February 1962.40uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/28118