Oswald Garrison Villard, Jr.

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Oswald Garrison "Mike" Villard, Jr. (born September 17, 1916 in Dobbs Ferry , New York ; † February 7, 2004 in Palo Alto , California ) was an American geophysicist and electrical engineer at Stanford University and the Stanford Research Institute (SRI).

Villard is considered to be one of the inventors of over- the- horizon radar and developed other military applications such as jammers (see strategic jammers ), single sideband modulation (a method for mutual communication on a radio frequency ) and methods for blocking enemy target radars or sonars . In the 1980s he developed an antenna for receiving radio programs despite the presence of jammers .

Life

Villard's father was Oswald Garrison Villard, Sr. (1872-1949), a newspaper publisher and political activist. His father was Henry Villard (1835-1900), a German-born railroad magnate. Whose father-in-law was William Lloyd Garrison (1805–1879), an abolitionist .

Villard earned a bachelor's degree in English (that is, English-language literature ) from Yale University in 1938 and then went to Stanford University . During World War II he worked at the Radio Research Laboratory of Harvard University . In 1943 he received a degree in engineering . In 1948 he obtained a Ph.D. from Frederick E. Terman at Stanford University with his thesis A new technique for studying meteors and the upper atmosphere. in electrical engineering. In 1955 he became a full professor, in 1960 head of the Radio Science Laboratory at Stanford Radio Research Lab . In 1969 he moved to the Stanford Research Institute , where his militarily important research could be better kept under lock and key.

Villard retired in 1987, but published until 1995. His work is still cited (as of 2020).

His students included Allen Montgomery Peterson and Mac Van Valkenburg . Villard was married to Barbara Letts († 1996) since 1946. He died of complications from pneumonia and left three children behind.

Awards (selection)

literature

  • IEEE History Center (Ed.): Oswald Garrison Villard: An Interview Conducted by A. Michal McMahon . November 23, 1984 ( ethw.org ).
  • Keay Davidson: Oswald Villard - electronics pioneer at SRI . In: SFGate . January 20, 2004 ( sfgate.com ).
  • Dawn Levy: Oswald Villard Jr., father of 'over-the-horizon' radar, dies at 87 . In: Stanford Report . January 26, 2004 ( stanford.edu ).
  • Douglas Martin: Oswald Villard Jr., 87; Improved Radar's Sight . In: The New York Times . February 8, 2004 ( nytimes.com ).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b survival data, publications and Academic pedigree of Oswald Garrison Villard, Jr. at academictree.org, accessed on 2020-07-28.
  2. ^ Villard, Oswald G. In: scopus.com. Retrieved July 28, 2020 (English).
  3. ^ IEEE (Ed.): IEEE Morris N. Liebermann Memorial Award Recipients . May 6, 2010, p. 4 ( ieee.org [PDF; 53 kB ; accessed on July 28, 2020]).
  4. ↑ Oswald Villard. In: nasonline.org. National Academy of Sciences, accessed July 28, 2020 .
  5. ↑ Dr. Oswald G. Villard, Jr. In: nae.edu. National Academy of Engineering, accessed July 28, 2020 .
  6. ↑ Book of Members 1780 – present, Chapter V. (PDF; 234 kB) In: American Academy of Arts and Sciences (amacad.org). Retrieved July 28, 2020 (English).
personal data
SURNAME Villard, Oswald Garrison
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Villard, Oswald G .; Villard, Oswald
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American geophysicist and electrical engineer
DATE OF BIRTH September 17, 1916
PLACE OF BIRTH Dobbs Ferry , New York
DATE OF DEATH February 7, 2004
Place of death Palo Alto , California