John Roy Whinnery

John Roy Whinnery (b. July 26, 1916 in Read, Colorado, d. Feb 1, 2009 in Walnut Creek, CA), was an American electrical engineer and educator who worked in the fields of microwave theory and laser experimentation. He received the B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1937, and the Ph.D. from the same institution in 1948. Throughout World War II he was active in war training classes, held a part-time ... more

John Roy Whinnery (b. July 26, 1916 in Read, Colorado, d. Feb 1, 2009 in Walnut Creek, CA), was an American electrical engineer and educator who worked in the fields of microwave theory and laser experimentation. He received the B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1937, and the Ph.D. from the same institution in 1948. Throughout World War II he was active in war training classes, held a part-time lecturership at Union College(1945-46), and earned his doctoral degree while working 6 days a week in microwaves at General Electric, Schenectady, New York, working on problems in waveguide discontinuities, microwave tubes, and applications to radar. He continued his career working on He-Ne laser modulation, the transmission of laser light for optical communication and photo thermal effects. His research evolved to include quantum electronics and opto-electronics as well. Whinnery had been on the faculty of the University of California,... less