Appendix I: Chronological Summary - University of Arkansas ...

Appendix I: Chronological Summary
Compiled by Mart ha (Moore) Head and Paul C.
Sharrah December 1960. Revised 1981,
1991, 1993, 1995
1 8 6 2 Land Grant Act made law, providing
f or “ Donat ion of public lands t o t he
several st at es and t errit ories and colleges
for t he benefit of agricult ural and
mechanical art s.”
1 8 6 6 Land Grant Act amended giving states 5
years from 1866 to establish colleges.
1 8 6 7 Arkansas Legislature passed an act establishing
an Industrial University. Little was
accomplished under this act.
1 8 7 1 Arkansas Legislature passed “an act for
the location, organization, and maintenance
of the Arkansas Industrial
University with Normal Department
therein.” Bids were to be accepted for
location of the University. $50,000 appropriated
to purchase site and buildings.
160 to 650 acres of land were to be purchased.
N. P. Gates was made Pr e s i d e n t .
1 8 7 1 Fayetteville selected as location for
University November 15, 1871. Wi l l i a m
McIlroy homestead of 160 acres purchased
at a cost of $12,000.
1 8 7 2 First group of students enrolled January
1872. William J. Waggener enrolled in the
Univers-ity March, 1872.
1 8 7 3 Physics was taken during the junior or
senior year “in order that the students
may have the light of the higher mathematics
in investigating some of the problems
presented.”
1 8 7 5 University Hall (Old Main) completed. N.
P. Gates was President from 1875 to 1877.
1 8 7 6 June 10, first graduating class of nine. W.
J. Waggener awarded Bachelor of Arts
degree. Received an M. A. in 1885. Mr.
Waggener served as professor of physics
at the University of Colorado for 13
years, retiring in 1898. (A r k ansas
Alumnus, April 1938)
1 8 7 7 D. H. Hill was president of the University
until 1884. He showed interest in
increasing equipment of scientific courses.
Students petitioned to remove the
physics teacher; standards too high!!
1 8 7 9 Cuthpert Power Conrad was made professor
of chemistry and natural science. He
devoted himself to raising the standards
of the University. He started a mineral
collection with the cooperation of newspapers,
and superintended the Arkansas
Exhibits at the 1883 Louisville and 1884-
85 New Orleans Expositions. A campus
plan was displayed at the New Orleans
e x h i b i t .
1 8 9 3 Chemistry and physics in two-story brick
building south of University Hall. Condemned
and torn down about 1904 or
1905 !
1 8 9 9 Name changed from “Arkansas Industrial
University” to “University of Arkansas.”
1 9 0 2 Anthony Muckenfuss was in charge of
chemistry and physics from 1902-1904.
Thirty-three faculty members; 606 students
(234 college).
1 9 0 4 Engineering Hall built. Used by engineering
until 1926, and then by business and
R . O . T.C. Physics was taught in the
department of electrical engineering by
Professor William N. Gladson and
Instructor H. Schnapper. Razed on 1991.
1 9 0 5 New chemistry building constructed
directly north of University Hall. It was
used by chemistry until 1935.
1 9 0 7 Physics became a separate department
with Electrical Engineering Assistant
Professor Schnapper in charge. A small
frame building (40x50 feet) consisting of
two large rooms was built for the physical
laboratories. The physics department
continued to hold classes in Engineering
Hall and laboratories in the small frame
physical laboratories building.
1 9 0 8 Professor Giles Emmet Ripley became the
first full time professor in Physics and
head of the department. He had been
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graduated from Purdue University and
taught physics and chemistry before coming
to the University of Arkansas. S. A.
Rowland was listed as his assistant in the
1908-1909 catalogue. B.S. degree program
in physics introduced. 149 students
enrolled in physics. Building requested of
the Legislature!!
1 9 0 9 Fire destroyed the 1907 physical laboratory
and all the equipment! Physics continued
in Engineering Hall until 1918!
1 9 1 0 Summer session introduced.
1 9 1 3 D r. John C. Futrall was acting president
from 1913 to 1914 and president from
1914 to 1939. His strong leadership is
credited with establishing a broader base
for the University program.
1 9 1 4 W. D. Gladson, Dean of Engineering is
credited with having operated the first X-
ray machine and the first wireless in
Arkansas. He was the physics instructor
for a time and became the Dean of
E n g i n e e r i n g .
1 9 1 5 First Dean of Arts and Sciences appointed.
Small (6") refractor telescope bought.
Used by A. M. Harding, D. P. Richardson,
etc. New lens 1993.
1 9 1 8 Another frame building was built for the
Physics Department approximately at the
south end of the present campus drive.
This two-story wooden building with
dimensions of approximately 40x60 feet
was used by the department until 1936.
1 9 2 1 1000 students enrolled in the University.
1 9 2 2 Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration. 2814
graduates during the first 50 years.
1 9 2 3 D r. Samuel R. Parsons became a member
of the physics faculty and served until his
death in 1931.
1 9 2 4 University becomes member of the North
Central Association of Colleges and
Secondary Schools.
1 9 2 7 Wesley Milton Roberds was employed and
stayed until he resigned in 1942 to work
with industry. Dr. John Clark Jordan
became first Graduate School Dean.
1 9 2 8 Roy R. Sullivan was the first student to
graduate from the University of Arkansas
with a major in physics. Earned Ph . D .
from the University of Minnesota.
1 9 3 1 Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa installed.
1 9 3 2 D r. L. B. Ham came to the department of
physics from New York University having
received his Ph.D. in physics from the
University of Illinois.
1 9 3 3 An attempt to remove certain faculty
m e m b e r s .
1 9 3 5 Wesley M. Roberds (1927-1942) on leave
for part of the school year to complete
Ph.D. in physics at the University of
K a n s a s .
1 9 3 6 The department of physics moved to the
basement and first floor in the south wing
of University Hall, into approximately
11,000 square feet of space vacated by
the Library when it went to Vol Wa l k e r
H a l l .
1 9 3 9 J. William Fulbright was president of the
University until 1941. Two hundred students
enrolled in all physics courses.
1 9 4 0 First M.S. degree granted in physics. Dr.
L. B. Ham became the second head of the
Physics Department.
1 9 4 1 D r. A. M. Harding was president from
1941 to 1947.
1 9 4 2 Harold Clark from the University of
Illinois and Dr. Paul C. Sharrah from the
University of Missouri joined the physics
f a c u l t y.
1 9 4 3 Civilian enrollment in all parts of the
Univers-ity dropped, and several civilian
and military programs came to the
U n i v e r s i t y, including Civilian Pi l o t
Training, Army Air Corps ca-dets, Army
Specialized Training program, etc.
1 9 4 6 Army Ordnance-Arkansas (ORDARK) project,
Wladimir W. Griegorieff director.
Arkansas-Naval Ordnance (ARNO) project.
G. D. Lingelbach joined the department.
1 9 4 7 D r. Lewis Webster Jones was president
from 1947 to 1951. A new fine arts center
and other extensions of classrooms
and housing were obtained in the next
few years. Institute of Science and
Technology (IST) established with Dr.
Wladimir W. Griegorieff as director.
Instructor was paid $2400 for twelvemonth
appointment. 8,492 University
graduates by 1947. 575 students enrolled
in all physics courses.
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1 9 4 8 A chapter of the national physics honors
society Sigma Pi Sigma, was established
with 12 charter members. Dr. Marsh W.
White of Pennsylvania State University,
national secretary of Sigma Pi Sigma,
presided over the installation. Dr.
Willard C. Bennett, the discoverer of the
plasma pinch effect, joined the IST and
the department. Initiated large research
grant with Dr. Maurice Testerman. Dr. H.
M. Schwartz joined the department of
physics, having recently been employed
by the Brookhaven National Laboratory
and the Bartol Foundation in
Philadelphia. Institute of Science and
Technology obtained several research
contracts. $532,200 budget by 1952. Dr.
Z. V. Harvalik joined the IST and the
department. The Physics Department
received their first research equipment
grant. General Education Program instituted
in College of Arts and Sciences.
Physical Science course developed, three
versions for a few years.
1 9 4 9 $5000 salary for professors. Chapter of
Sigma Xi installed. High level decision to
develop doctoral programs. V. W.
Adkisson, the new Dean of Graduate
School, traveled and consulted with many
graduate schools.
1 9 5 0 First doctoral programs approved.
Dickson Street physics building planned.
1 9 5 1 Research Cooperation Grant received by
Schwartz and Sharrah to study neutrons
produced by cosmic rays.
1 9 5 2 D r. John T. Caldwell was president from
1952 to 1959. Department of Ph y s i c s
moved into new structure on the south
side of Dickson Street with floor space of
more than 20,000 sq. ft. devoted to
teaching and research. Building cost
$300,000. Physics was assigned approximately
13,600 square feet of this space
initially. Dr. Berol L. Robinson joined the
department. Helium ground state calculations,
H. M. Schwartz and Ms. Veronica
Fink, radiation correlating studies, Berol
Robinson, all Atomic Energy Commission
funding through chemistry.
1 9 5 3 A study of the possibility of expanding to
the Ph.D. program was made by the
department of physics. It was decided
about this time to start requiring a thesis
for the Master of Science in Physics. The
physics library was being expanded.
1 9 5 4 D r. R. H. Hughes joined the department
of physics and obtained in 1956 an Air
Force grant for the study of isotope shifts
in atomic spectra. Dr. Brent Stearns
joined the department of physics.
Academic year salary $5500. Paul C.
Sharrah on leave, at the Oak Ridge
National Laboratory, 1954-55.
1 9 5 5 Provost Rohrbaugh served as Research Coordinator;
then research coordinator
duties assigned to Graduate School Dean
V. W. Adkisson and Assistant Re s e a r c h
Coordinator Dr. Aubry E. Harvey.
1 9 5 6 First National Science Foundation
Summer Science Institute was put into
operation on the campus under the direction
of Dr. Lowell F. Bailey of the
Department of Botany and Bacteriology.
Bent and ground crystal “theta-theta” x-
ray monochromator for diffraction studies
of liquids, P. C. Sharrah, R. F. Kruh from
chemistry and Glen T. Clayton. H. M.
Schwartz on leave, at the University of
Tel Aviv for two years.
1 9 5 7 D r. L. B. Ham retired. A summer course
in physics demonstrations was introduced
and continued for some time to be an
important portion of the institute for high
school teachers. Dr. Paul Sharrah became
the first chairman of the Department of
Physics. Graduate Institute of Te c h n o l o g y
started in Little Rock. Department supplied
some of the advisory committee
l e a d e r s h i p .
1 9 5 8 Act 10 (Ref. 3)!!
1 9 5 9 Ph.D. program instituted in the
Department of Physics. Dr. Otto H. Zinke
joined the Department of Physics, having
recently been employed by the University
of Missouri and by the Linde Company.
Plasma studies on exploding wires.
Introduced two-semester senior-graduate
course in modern physics using Leighton.
Zinke taught it the first time. Tw e l v e -
month salary $10,000.
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1 9 6 0 D r. Glen T. Clayton joined the
Department of Physics having recently
completed his thesis work at the Argonne
National laboratory for his Ph.D. from the
University of Missouri. Dr. David Mullins
became the fourteenth president of the
University of Arkansas. The
Undergraduate Colloquium was put into
operation. IBM 650 computer installed in
the physics building. Low energy proton
acceleration, R. H. Hughes and T. S.
Walton. First class in Modern Physics for
Engineers ("UP III") was taught about this
time.
1 9 6 1 D r. S. M. Day joined the department.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance research.
1 9 6 2 Charles E. Jones joined the department,
completed doctoral degree at Texas A&M
in a few months.
1 9 6 4 D r. A. S. Hobson joined the Department
of Physics. First Physics Ph.D. granted.
IBM 7040 computer installed in Science
Engineer-ing Building.
1 9 6 5 Physics department active in organizing
regional section of the American
Association of Physics Teachers (AOK -
Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas).
1 9 6 6 D r. Richard J. Anderson joined the
department. Atomic physics. Dr. Charles
B. Richardson joined the department.
Atomic physics and physics of micro-part
i c l e s .
1 9 6 7 D r. Sharrah taught in National Science
Foundation/Agency for International
Devel-opment sponsored six-week summer
institute for high school physics
teachers at Sarder Patel University in
Anand, Gujarat, India. S.M. Day on leave
1967-68, at University of Nottingham,
E n g l a n d .
1 9 6 8 National Society of Physics Students organized,
local SPS chapter installed.
Physics students Carl T. Rutledge, Leroy
Humphries, and Richard Schurtz attend
organizational meeting at Purdue
U n i v e r s i t y. R. H. Hughes designated
Fellow of the American Physical Society.
1 9 6 9 D r. F. T. Chan joined the department. Dr.
S. M. Day became second chairman of the
d e p t .
1 9 7 0 D r. Michael Lieber joined the department.
Hand-held calculators are here!!
Hewlett Packard, followed soon by Te x a s
Instruments and Radio Shack etc. Several
kinds were programable and some used
small magnetic cards to store programs.
First of several regional meetings of the
Society of Physics Students (1970, 1971,
1972, 1973, 1974). Several were joint
meetings with the Arkansas-Oklahoma-
Kansas section of the American
Association of Physics Teachers. As many
as 200 participants from 26 schools in five
states. S. M. Day and D. O. Pederson and
Richard J. Anderson planned these conv
e n t i o n s .
1 9 7 1 Paul C. Sharrah was on off campus duty
assignment fall semester 1971 studying
physics and astronomy at the University
of Arizona in Tu c s o n .
1 9 7 2 First astronomer, Carol Webb, joined the
department. Spitz A-1 planetarium
installed in excellent renovated space in
the Physics Building.
1 9 7 3 O. H. Zinke was on leave for nearly two
years 1973-74 and served the Office of
the Governor (Dale Bumpers) of the State
of Arkansas, working in Little Ro c k ,
Fayetteville, and in Washington, D. C.
Among other assignments, he chaired the
Governor's Energy Conference of business
men and government officials, funded by
a grant from the Ford Foundation.
1 9 7 5 D r. Gregory J. Salamo joined the department.
Dr. Charles B. Richardson became
third chairman of the department.
1 9 7 6 Laser research initiated.
1 9 7 7 Microcomputers are here!! PET, APPLE,
R A D I O SHACK, etc.
1 9 7 8 D r. Rajendra Gupta joined the department.
Laser spectroscopy. Droke observatory
receives 16 inch telescope. Dr.
Robert D. Maurer was first UA Ph y s i c s
graduate to receive Distinguished
Alumnus citation. UA Physics graduate,
D r. Wallace A. Hilton, received the AAPT
Oersted Metal. Dr. Donald O. Pe d e r s o n
became fourth chairman of the department.
Dr. H. M. Schwartz retired. F. T.
Chan was on an off campus duty assign-
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ment in 1978-79 working with Professor J.
Eichler on atomic collision at the Hahn-
Meitner Institute in Berlin, Germany.
1 9 7 9 R. H. Hughes on sabbatical working at the
Oak Ridge National Laboratory on a laser
generated ion source
1 9 8 0 Second astronomer, Dr. Claud H. Lacy,
joined the department. Dr. Peter W.
Milonni joined the department. Dr.
William L. McMillan received
Distinguished Alumnus Citation.
1 9 8 1 Frank P. Sperandeo, III joined the department
as Research Associate in charge of
production and development of research
d e v i c e s .
1 9 8 2 D r. Paul C. Sharrah retired. Dr. Surendra
P. Singh joined the department.
Quantum optics. Physics is now using
approximately 18,000 square feet of the
Dickson Street building it moved into in
1 9 5 2 .
1 9 8 3 D r. Larry S. Merkle joined the department.
Dr. Howard J. Carmichael joined
the department. Dr. Michael Lieber
became the fifth chairman of the department.
Dr. Richard J. Anderson became
director of the Fulbright College Honors
program(1983-89). Raymond H. Hughes
on leave calender year, 1983, working at
the Air Force Weapons Laboratory at
Kirkland Air Force Base, Albuquerque,
New Mexico, on the interaction of high
intensity electron beams on the atmosphere.
1 9 8 4 Charles B. Richardson was on Off-Campus
Duty Assignment, June-December, 1984,
working with Ignatius Tang at the
Brookhaven National Laboratory.
1 9 8 5 D r. William M. Harter joined the department.
Computer modeling and molecular
s p e c t r o s c o p y. Art Hobson was on an offcampus
duty assignment January-May
1995 working at the Stockholm
International Peace Re-search Institute in
Sweden. Richard J. Ander-son was on
assignment for the academic year 1985-
86 at the National Science Foundation on
an Intergovernmental Personnel Act App
o i n t m e n t .
1 9 8 6 D r. Allen Hermann joined the department
as sixth chairman.
1 9 8 7 Superconductor research developed. Dr.
Z. Z. Sheng joined the department as
Associate Re-search Pr o f e s s o r. Hermann
and Sheng develop at that time the
world's record high temperature superc
o n d u c t o r. Gregory Salamo was on off
campus duty asssignment, 1987-88 and
leave 1988-89, working with Dr. Edward
Sharp at the Night Vision Electro-optics
Laboratory in Fort Belvoir, Vi r g i n i a .
1 9 8 8 D r. Urbano Oseguera joined the department
and was given the responsibility of
directing the elementary laboratories.
D r. O. H. Zinke retired and went into private
consulting. Michael Lieber was on
off-campus duty assignment Spring, 1988,
at the Institute for Theoretical Physics at
the University of California at Santa
B a r b a r a .
1 9 8 9 D r. Reeta Vyas (Mrs. Surendra Singh)
joined the physics department as a
tenure-track faculty member in quantum
optics. Department hosted AOK regional
meeting. Rajendra Gupta became seventh
chairman of the department. Surendra
Singh was on off campus duty assignment,
1989-90, working with John Hall, Joint
Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics
(JILA), University of Colorado and the
National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST).
1 9 9 0 D r. Julio Gea-Banacloche and Dr. Min Xiao
joined the department. Quantum optics.
D r. R. H. Hughes retired.
1 9 9 1 University (Fayetteville) grants 100,000th
degree (Ref. 9). September 21, 1991
rededication of Old Main. University Hall
officially named Old Main! Ph y s i c s
Department receives grant for renovation
and expansion. Total cost of project
$3,900,000. Art Hobson was on a duty
assignment on campus from August 1991-
May 1992 for the purpose of writing a
first draft of a physics textbook.
1 9 9 2 D r. William F. Oliver III joined the department
as experi-mental condensed matter
physicist. James B. Shue joins the
department, Instruc-tor and Equipment
C u r a t o r. Dr. Michael Lieber began serving
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as vice-chairman. Physics is now using all
of the approximately 21320 square feet
of space in the Dickson Street building it
first moved into in 1952. Building renovation
begins and 5,000 square feet additional
teaching space being built (Ph a s e
I). Phase II awaiting funding and is
expected to include a modern planetarium.
A.S. Hobson designated Fellow of
the American Physical Society.
1 9 9 3 February 14th, eight inch snow closed the
University for two days! Dr. William G.
Harter was on an off-campus duty assignment
1993-94 working at Harvard
U n i v e r s i t y. Fall 1993 department started
using some of the renovated offices.
Department moved laboratories out of
east wing for final phase of renovation
work. Dec. 3, 1993 surprise party for
Professor Raj Gupta to recognize his work
in implementing the renovation and Ph a s e
I construction.
1 9 9 4 Remodeled and enlarged Physics Building
officially dedicated Sept. 9, 1994.
Professor Ra-jendra Gupta served as master
of ceremonies at the banquet celebrating
the event at the Hilton Hotel in
Fayetteville. Richard J. Anderson, Donald
O. Pederson, and Paul C. Sharrah were on
the program. Sharrah gave a brief review
of the history of the physics buildings,
with slides. Departmental secretary
Sandra Johnsen surprised everyone by
presenting a plaque to Professor Gupta.
D r. Mark E. Filipkowski and Dr. Gay
Stewart join the physics faculty. Prof. Min
Xiao, NSF Young Investigator Award; up to
$500,000 over three years.
1 9 9 5 William G. Harter designated Fellow of
the American Physical Society. UA Group
Salary Averages-Spring 1995 (AAUP Re p o r t
as printed in the Ar kansas Trav eler
March 10, 1995) Full Pr o f e s s o r s - $ 5 8 , 1 6 0 ,
Asso. Professors-$44,949, Asst.
Professors-$39,323. Professor Surendra
Singh becomes eighth chairman of physics
as of July 1. Dr. Michael Henry joins facu
l t y. It has become the normal practice
in recent years to provide initial funds to
assist new faculty to set up their research
l a b o r a t o r y. Rajendra Gupta on research
asssignment for the University, fall 1995.