William O. Baker

William Oliver Baker
5th President of Bell Labs
In office
1973–1979
Preceded by Ian Munro Ross
Succeeded by James Brown Fisk
Personal details
Born (1915-07-15)July 15, 1915
Chestertown, Maryland
Died October 31, 2005(2005-10-31) (aged 90)
Chatham, New Jersey
Spouse(s)
Frances Burrill
(m. 1941; her death 1999)

William Oliver Baker (July 15, 1915 – October 31, 2005) was president of Bell Labs from 1973 to 1979 and advisor on scientific matters to five United States presidents.[1]

Biography

He was born on July 15, 1915 in Chestertown, Maryland.[1]

He received his degree from Washington College and went on to get a doctorate from Princeton University, studying under Charles Phelps Smyth. He later did research for Bell Labs that helped lead to synthetic rubber. He held 11 patents in all. He headed Bell Labs from 1973 to 1979. Prior to being named president, he had served as Bell Labs Vice President for Research since 1955. Baker was a longtime resident of Morristown, New Jersey.[1]

He died of heart failure on October 31, 2005 in Chatham, New Jersey.[1]

Awards

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Margalit Fox (November 3, 2005). "William O. Baker, 90, an Adviser to Five Presidents About Scientific Matters, Dies". New York Times.
  2. ↑ "SCI Perkin Medal". Science History Institute. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  3. ↑ "Book of Members, 1780-2010: Chapter B" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
  4. ↑ "Charles Lathrop Parsons Award". American Chemical Society. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
  5. ↑ "Benjamin Franklin Medal for Distinguished Achievement in the Sciences Recipients". American Philosophical Society. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.