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WILLIAM PENCE SLIGHTER
1 922-1 990
BY DAVID W. McCALL
WILL~ PENCE SLIGHTER, retired executive directorwithAT&T
Bell Laboratories, died at this home in Chatham, New Jersey, on
October 25, 1990. He succumbed to cancer in his sixty-ninth
year. Dr. Slichter's career coincided with the emergence of
materials science as a recognized discipline, and he played an
important role in research, development, management, and
definition of the field.
Dr. Slichterwas born in Ithaca, New York, where his father was
a professor in the Economics Department of Cornell University.
Sumner Slichter transferred to Harvard University in 1926.
William Slichter grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he
graduated from the Browne and Nichols School and Harvard
College. Following graduation from Harvard in 1944, he en-
tered the U.S. Army. He achieved the rank of lieutenant in the
field artillery and that of captain in the reserve and saw service in
the Pacific theater. He always spoke favorably of his military
experience and invoked organizational principles learned there
in diverse situations later in life. Upon discharge from the service
in 1946, he enrolled for graduate study, again at Harvard, and
emerged with a Ph.D. in chemical physics in 1950. His doctoral
research was carried out in collaboration with Professor George
Bogden Kistiakowsky in the area of molecular beams methodol-
ogy. In those days molecular beams experiments were per-
257
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258
MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
formed with handmade glass apparatus, and the techniques
were extremely difficult.
Dr. Slichter then elected to enter an industrial career with the
Bell Telephone Laboratories as part of a new initiative in poly-
mer research headed by W. O. Baker. The decade of the 1950s
was an exciting time at Bell Labs, and Slichter lost little time in
becoming a key contributor in the community. After a period of
learning in the polymer area, he was called to join a team
working on the processes of diffusion in semiconductor crystals.
This work led in 1953 to a seminal paper with I. A. Burton and
R. C. Prim in which the theory and experimental situation in
regard to the distribution of impurities and desired solutes was
described in useful terms. Their results were summarized in the
now-classic Burton-Prim-Slichter equation, which describes the
segregation of impurities during solidification as a function of
experimental variables. Their findings were immediately ap-
plied to the preparation of silicon single crystals and were key to
obtaining crystals satisfactory for early transistors. This became
one of the building blocks of the field of semiconductor crystal
growth and solid-state processing that continues until this day.
In 1954 Slichter returned to the area of high polymer studies
and focused on solid-state structure and properties. The long
chain nature of polymers had been discovered some years
earlier, and important studies of the crystallography of polymers
had been carried out by Baker and C. S. Fuller. Slichter per-
ceived that the next essential step in understanding lay in the
next higher level of molecular organization, that of polymer
morphology, or specifically, the manner in which polymer crys-
tals are organized into spherulites. The discovery and verifica-
tion of chain folding in polymer lamellae in the late 1950s was a
key step. (Interestingly, chain folding had been discovered at
Bell Labs much earlier, in gutta-percha, but the general signifi-
cance of the finding was not appreciated, and the phenomenon
remained to be rediscovered by Keller in England in 1956.)
At the same time a new tool, nuclear magnetic resonance
(NMR), arrived on the scene, and Slichter initiate<] a long-term
program that provided the underpinnings for dielectric and
mechanical relaxation. This work provided engineering insights
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WILLIAM PENCE SLIGHTER
259
that were essential in the application of polymers in communi-
cations equipment and also had great impact on polymer appli-
cations in other fields. While the morphology revolution re-
mained largely focused on polyethylene in the 1950s and early
1960s, Slichter began to apply the principles to a wide variety of
useful polymeric materials. He contributed to the experimental
methodology through the development of NMR spectrometers
built locally and involving the most advanced techniques known
at the time.
His papers were clear and persuasive, and he was highly
regarded for his ability to interpret advanced results in terms that
were clear to coworkers concerned with engineering problems.
For this work Dr. Slichter was awarded the American Physical
Society High-Polymer Physics Prize in 1970. The prize committee
recognized his contribution to the understanding of engineering
properties of polymeric materials.
A large part of Dr. Slichter's career was devoted to the
management of engineering and research activities within Bell
Labs. He recognized early on that manufacturing processes were
becoming less mechanical and more chemical, and he assem-
bled an organization capable of supporting the design, manufac-
ture, and maintenance of the most advanced communications
equipment. He was instrumental in building organic and theo-
retical chemistry groups in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
During the 1960s he assembled a highly regarded group cover-
ing polymer physics and chemistry, polymer engineering, and
specific applications groups concerned with extruded products,
molded products, adhesives, and many other classes of materi-
als. In the 1 970s he formed a chemical engineering organization
well adapted to the needs of the company.
While metallurgy, ceramics, and glass technology were evolv-
ing into the other parts of materials science, Slichter assumed
responsibility for the entire range of AT&T's materials activities
as Executive Director of Research, Materials Science and Engi-
neering Division, in 1973. Through his efforts the diverse branches
of materials science were developed into a coherent, unified,
and effective organization that successfully provided materials
engineering to the design, manufacturing, and operating divi-
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MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
signs of AT&T. Dr. Slichterwas an inspiring leader, who succeed-
ed in bringing together effective teams to perform innovative
tasks. Examples include optical fiber technology (including
glass compositions and processing as well as the plastic coating),
resist chemistry for electron beam production of integrated
circuit masks, superior wire and cable insulation and sheathing,
radiation cured distributing frame wire insulation, magnetic
components for telephones, and novel alloys for connector
applications, to mention only a few.
Dr. Slichter's technical and managerial skills were widely
recognized; he was elected to the National Academy of Engi-
neering (NAE) in 1976, and he was frequently asked to consult
with and advise organizations other than AT&T. The following
partial list of his activities will give a flavor of their importance
and diversity:
Advisory Committee, Division of Mathematics and Physical
Sciences, National Science Foundation
Visiting Committee on Acivanced Technology, National
Institute of Standards and Technology
National Academy of Engineering, Materials Engineering
Peer Committee
Director, Michigan Macromolecular Institute
NAE Engineering Research Centers Assessment Committee
Committee on Major Materials Facilities, National Research
Council (NRC), which reported to the White House
Board of Trustees, Gordon Research Conferences
Committee on Scientific and Technological Aspects of
Materials Processing in Space, NRC
Director, American Society of Testing and Materials
Advisory Committee for Chemistry Department, Harvard
University
National Materials Advisory Board, NRC
Advisory Council, National Aeronautics and Space
Administration
Space Applications Board, NRC
Council of the American Physical Society
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WILLIAM PENCE SLIGHTER
261
At the time of his death, Dr. Slichter's calendar contained
many of these and similar commitments.
Dr. Slichter had remarkable instincts for good engineering
and science. He did his homework carefully, and he knew how
to deliver firm messages with kindness and tact. He thought
deeply about the future, on both a corporate and national level.
His managerial accomplishments were recognized by two awards
in 1988: the EarIe B. Barnes Award for Leadership in Chemical
Research Management given by the American Chemical Society
(ACS) and the Application to Practice Award of the Minerals,
Metals and Materials Society.
Dr. Slichter took an active interest in education and published
significant papers on the subject. His enthusiasm for engineer-
ing and science was infectious, and he influenced many young
people in their career choices. He served on the ACS Committee
on Professional Training for a number of years.
Beyond his many professional accomplishments, Dr. Slichter
is memorable for his evident humanity. He was singularly gener-
ous with his colleagues at all levels. He was bright and friendly,
and people generally gravitated to him. There was never a
greater agent for inspiring high morale. His passing will be
mourned by people of goodwill around the world. He was an
active member of the Committee on Human Rights of the
National Academy of Sciences and the Committee on Chemistry
and Public Affairs of the American Chemical Society.
Dr. Slichter's wife, the former Ruth Kaple, died in 1988. He is
survived by his daughters, Carol Dougherty, a chef and restaura-
teur in Larchmont, NewYork; Catherine Slichter-Aiuto, with the
U.S. Department of State in NewYork City, MargaretVan Cott of
Nantucket, Massachusetts, and two grandchildren. His brother,
Charles P. Slichter, is a professor of physics at the University of
Illinois, Urbana.
Representative terms from entire chapter:
william pence
