William O. Baker
William Oliver Baker (July 15, 1915 – October 31, 2005) was a former president of Bell Labs who advised five presidents on scientific matters.
Contents
Biography
He was born on July 15, 1915 in Chestertown, Maryland.
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 on October 31, 2005 in Chatham, New Jersey.
Awards
- Perkin Medal (1963)
- Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1965)[2]
- Priestley Medal (1966)
- IRI Medal from the Industrial Research Institute (1970)
- American Institute of Chemists Gold Medal (1975)
- Willard Gibbs Award (1978)
- Vannevar Bush Award (1981)
- SASA Medal of Achievement (1984) Thereafter known as the William Oliver Baker Award
- National Medal of Science (1988)
- Benjamin Franklin Medal for Distinguished Achievement in the Sciences of the American Philosophical Society (2000).[3]
- Marconi Society (2003)
References
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- William O. Baker Papers at the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library, Princeton University
- William O. Baker tribute site
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- ↑ New York Times obituary
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- Pages with reference errors
- 1915 births
- 2005 deaths
- American chemists
- Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- National Medal of Science laureates
- People from Morristown, New Jersey
- Princeton University alumni
- Scientists at Bell Labs
- Washington College alumni
- Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
