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Baker (William O.) Collection on John R. Pierce
mssPiercejr
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: William O. Baker collection on John R. Pierce
Creator:
Baker, William O. (William
Oliver), 1915-2005
Identifier/Call Number: mssPiercejr
Physical Description:
0.01 Linear Feet
(1 folder)
Date (inclusive): 1959-2002
Abstract: Materials related to engineer and
writer John R. Pierce collected by scientist and former president of Bell Labs William O.
Baker.
Language of Material: Materials are in
English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The
responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining
necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. William O. Baker collection on John R. Pierce, The Huntington
Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of William O. Baker, January 2006.
Engineer and writer John Robinson Pierce was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1910. Known for
his work with radio communication, microwave technology, computer music, and
psychoacoustics, Pierce earned his bachelor's, master's, and PhD degrees at the California
Institute of Technology (Caltech) in the 1930s. After finishing his PhD, Pierce worked at
Bell Telephone Laboratories from 1936 to 1971, then joined the faculty at Caltech where he
taught until 1980. Pierce was also a chief engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory from
1979 to 1982. In 1983 he accepted a position as Visiting Professor of Music, Emeritus, at
the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics at Stanford University. Pierce also
wrote science fiction under the names John Pierce, John R. Pierce, and J. J. Coupling. He
died in 2002 in Sunnyvale, California, from complications of Parkinson's Disease.
William O. Baker (1915-2005) was a research chemist and a frequent advisor to the United
States government on scientific affairs and technology. Baker was president of Bell Labs
from 1973 to 1979, and was previously Vice President for Research since 1955.
Items collected by William O. Baker related to John R. Pierce, including an original
typescript of Pierce's titled "Life in a Laboratory"; a handwritten note by Pierce regarding
Bell Labs' ESS machine dated 1959; collected remembrances from Pierce's memorial service in
2002; and an announcement of Pierce's death.
Processed at the time of accessioning by Kelly Kress in June 2023.
Nine books included with the collection were combined with books in the John R. Pierce
papers in 2006. The titles are not known.
John R. Pierce
papers,
mssPiercej.
Arranged by format.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Communication models
Science writers -- California -- 20th century
Telecommunications engineers -- United
States
Manuscripts
Pierce, John R. (John
Robinson), 1910-2002