William O. Baker, Morristown
Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill
During his 41-year career at Bell Laboratories, William O. Baker carried out pioneering work on macromolecules, particularly the polymers used as electrical insulators and structural materials in the communications and electronics industries. His early studies in solid-state chemistry extended to the origins of materials science and engineering. With colleagues at Bell Labs, he combined chemical experimentation with high-frequency electrical, ultra-sonic and X-ray and electron scattering techniques to find high-performance materials leading to electronic and mechanical innovation in use. During World War I, Armstrong was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army Signal Corps and sent to Paris. His assignment to detect possible inaudible short wave enemy communications led to his second major invention. Adapting a seldom-used technique called heterodyning, he designed a complex eight-tube receiver that, in tests from the Eiffel Tower, amplified weak signals to a degree previously unknown. He called this the superheterodyne circuit, and although it detected no secret enemy transmissions, it is today the basic circuit used in most radio and television receivers.

Semiconducting polymers, high modulus polymer carbons, and crystallite control in fibers and films were some outcomes of this research. Baker was responsible for the discovery of a synthetic molecule called "microgel," which was heavily exploited in the critically important synthetic rubber program during World War II. His work prepared the way for extensive application of synthetic polymers, such as polyethylene, which subsequently replaced lead in the shielding of communication cables.

This work also led to the introduction of ablative heat shields for missiles, astronauts and satellites that allowed them to re-enter Earth's atmosphere without the hazard of fiery destruction. This work served to speed up man's exploration of our planet and the moon and help bring enormous benefits as well as playing a major role in maintaining and advancing our national defense system.

As Director of Research at Bell Labs and later as President, Baker oversaw the development of an amazing array of technologies that have become commonplace in daily life. From 1954 through 1980, he helped guide scientific and engineering work that led to the first commercial syntheses of quartz crystals and the discovery of families of continuous-wave lasers, pico-second devices, Echo and Telstar satellite communications, the solar cell, mobile cellular radio telephones, the electron-implanted transducers used in modern telephones, modular beam epitaxy, charge-couple devices, commercial superconductors and many other high technology devices.

Baker has worked extensively in the application of science and technology to meet national needs and to promote government/industry/university cooperation. He has served on the President's Science Advisory Committee, the National Science Board, the National Cancer Advisory Board, the National commission on Libraries and information Sciences, and various military advisory boards. Currently, he chairs the Diplomatic telecommunications Services Board related to the U.S. government global network outside the Department of Defense. Baker received his Ph.D. from Princeton University and a B.S. in physical chemistry from Washington College. He holds 13 patents.