Prof. Emeritus Gordon dies

By Josh Rutenberg     2/18/10 6:00pm

Distinguished Professor Emeritus William E. Gordon, age 92, died last Tuesday following complications that arose during a recent hip surgery.Gordon has been recognized worldwide for his invention of the Arecibo radiotelescope, a device that uses radio waves to observe the outer layers of Earth's atmosphere along with other atmospheric bodies. He oversaw the construction of a large-scale observatory based on his radiotelescope design in the karst foothills of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, for which the device is named. The Arecibo Observatory received the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' Milestone Award and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers' Landmark Award. Gordon was one of only a handful of people to earn both awards.

Gordon, who was born and raised in Paterson, N.J., received his bachelor's of arts and master's degrees from Montclair State College in 1939 and 1942, respectively. He went on to earn a master's degree in science in Meteorology in 1946 from New York University and a doctoral degree in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University in 1953, where he remained for 13 years as a professor of engineering.

Gordon joined the Rice community in 1966 in the Science and Engineering Department. In his 20 years at Rice, Gordon served as dean of Science and Engineering, dean of Natural Sciences, vice president and provost.

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"He was clearly respected by his colleagues, given his national academy status, and he rose to be provost, so he had excellent administrative instincts and style," Stewart Memorial Professor of Biochemistry and Cell Biology Kathleen Matthews said. "He always had a sense of humor and had a deep love for Rice."

In addition to his academic work, Gordon was a member of several professional academies, including the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering.

Gordon was also named Honorary President of the International Union of Radio Science.

He continued to strive for a vibrant research program at Rice, even during his tenure as provost, Director of the Rice Space Institute Patricia Reiff said.

"His graduate students are among the highest-regarded scientists in the world at [the National Science Foundation], NASA and all around the world," Reiff, a physics and astronomy professor, said. "It reflects well both on Rice and his ability to perform research."

"He was like a father to me," Rice Space Institute Administrator Umbe Cantu said. "He was a wonderful human being and he accomplished so much."

Upon his announcement to retire from Rice in 1986, the Board of Governors unanimously adopted a resolution naming Gordon the university's first "distinguished professor emeritus" of Space Sciences and Electrical Engineering. Only one other professor, Rice President Emeritus Norman Hackerman, has received the distinction.

In his lifetime, Gordon received numerous honors, including the Balth van der Pol Gold Medal in 1966, the Arctowski Gold Medal in 1984, a USSR Academy of Sciences Medal in 1985 and the Centennial Medal of the University of Sofia in 1988.

The William and Elva Gordon Fellowship award honors a graduate student each year who has demonstrated achievement in academics and research in space physics or astronomy.

Reiff said even after he retired, Gordon continued to make Rice a priority, visiting campus on a weekly basis for years until he moved back to Ithaca, N.Y.

"He had a legacy of research, students and science that is enduring," Reiff said.

An on-campus memorial service is being planned for Gordon.

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