George Patteson (Jack) Williams, Jr., a gifted physics educator and experimental condensed matter physicist died on November 8, 2015 after a month’s hospitalization in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Jack was born on January 23, 1925 in Manteo, Virginia. He was nicknamed “Jack” as a baby when a relative noticed his resemblance to the heavyweight fighter Jack Dempsey. Jack joined the Navy in 1942 and after submariner training was sent to the USS Lamprey 372 in Perth, Australia in January 1945. With his physics background, Jack became the Assistant Engineering Officer and Torpedo and Gunnery Officer. He was promoted to Lieutenant JG in January 1946. After patrols in the Pacific, South China Sea, and Gulf of Siam, he was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1946. After the war, Jack returned to college on the GI Bill and earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Richmond in 1947. He earned his PhD from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1958, mentored by Larry Slifkin.
Jack joined the Physics Department of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC in 1958 where he developed his unique teaching style which inspired his students. He served as Chairman of the Physics Department from 1974 to 1990. Under Jack’s leadership and vision, the department significantly increased in size. He increased the diversity of the department by hiring its first woman faculty member. In this case, he had the foresight to solve a logistical two-body problem by also by convincing the administration to hire her biophysicist spouse, setting a high standard for the family-friendly environment at Wake Forest University. Jack also seized the opportunity to apply for a prestigious Reynolds professorship and used it bring Richard T. Williams to the department. Jack facilitated the development of the Ph. D. program in the Physics Department. Since 1994, Wake Forest University has granted more than 70 Ph. D. degrees in Physics. In addition to his inspiration to generations of physics students, one of Jack's most enduring legacies is Olin Physical Laboratory, made possible by his successful efforts to obtain a grant from the F.W. Olin Foundation and completed in 1989. The form of the main lecture halls and demonstration room all came from Jack’s original design. Since retiring in 1999, Jack remained active in attending Physics Department events including the weekly colloquia. He was beloved by his colleagues and students alike.
Figure caption: Portrait of Jack Williams. Artist: Anne Shields. Photographer: Eric Chapman.
Authors of this obituary: Members of the Physics Department of Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109
Contact person: Natalie Holzwarth [email protected]
