John Roy Whinnery
- February 1, 2009
- 92 years
About John Roy Whinnery
John Roy Whinnery, 92, American electrical engineer and educator.
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Full Biography
|John Roy Whinnery (July 26, 1916 – February 1, 2009) was an American electrical engineer and educator who worked in the fields of microwave theory and laser experimentation.
Biography
Whinnery 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 lectureship 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 was on the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley, beginning in 1946, holding appointment as lecturer, associate professor, and professor. From 1952 to 1956, he directed the Electronics Research Laboratory; from 1956 to 1959, he was chairman of the Electric Engineering Department; from 1959 to 1963, he was dean of the College of Engineering at Berkeley. During Whinnery's terms, many of the most successful young faculty were hired to the College of Engineering, Berkeley, specifically in Electrical Engineering, contributing significantly to Berkeley's reputation as one of the premier colleges of engineering in the world today.
John Whinnery was a Fellow of the IEEE and of the Optical Society of America, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He received the IEEE Education Medal and Microwave Career Award of the IEEE, as well as the Lamme Medal of the American Society for Engineering Education. In 1980 he was appointed University Professor at the University of California. On leave from the University, he acted as head of the Microwave Tube Research Section of the Hughes Aircraft Company (1951–52), engaged in research in quantum electronics at the Bell Laboratories, Inc., Murray Hill, New Jersey (1963–64) and held Visiting Professorship at the University of California, Santa Cruz and Stanford University. In 1959 he held a Guggenheim Fellowship at the ETH Zurich, Switzerland. In 1985 he was awarded the IEEE Medal of Honor "For seminal contributions to the understanding and application of electromagnetic fields and waves to microwave, laser, and optical devices" and in 1992 he received the National Medal of Science.
He also served on the board of trustees of Science Service, now known as Society for Science & the Public, from 1967 to 1971.
Publications
- "Fields and Waves in Communication Electronics," Simon Ramo, John R. Whinnery, Theodore Van Duzer, 3rd edition, 1994 ISBN 9780471585510
- "Lasers: Invention to Application," John R. Whinnery, Jesse H. Ausubel (eds.), 1987 ISBN 0309594715
- The World of Engineering, John R. Whinnery (ed.), 1965
Selected honors and awards
- IEEE Fellow (1952)
- John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship (1959)
- National Academy of Engineering (1965)
- IEEE Education Medal (1967)
- National Academy of Sciences Member (1972)
- ASEE Lamme Medal (1974)
- IEEE MTTS Microwave Career Award (1976)
- Optical Society of America Fellow (1978)
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellow (1980)
- UC Berkeley Engineering Alumni Society Distinguished Alumni Award (1980)
- IEEE Life Member (1982)
- IEEE MTTS Centennial Medal Award (1984)
- IEEE Medal of Honor (1985)
- NAE Founders Award (1986)
- American Association for the Advancement of Sciences Life Member (1988)
- National Medal of Science (1992)
- Okawa Prize (1997)
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Roy_Whinnery
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
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- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from John Roy Whinnery's archived record and the sources above.
1.Which award did John Roy Whinnery receive from the American Society for Engineering Education?
- A.Lamme Medalcorrect
- B.Microwave Career Award
- C.IEEE Education Medal
- D.Founders Award
John Roy Whinnery received the Lamme Medal of the American Society for Engineering Education.
Source: biography section
2.What was the date of John Roy Whinnery's birth?
- A.July 26, 1916correct
- B.January 26, 1916
- C.July 26, 1920
- D.February 1, 2009
John Roy Whinnery was born on July 26, 1916.
Source: biographical header
3.Where did John Roy Whinnery receive his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering?
- A.ETH Zurich
- B.Stanford University
- C.Union College
- D.University of California, Berkeleycorrect
John Roy Whinnery received his B.S. degree from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1937.
Source: biography section
4.What company employed John Roy Whinnery while he earned his doctoral degree during World War II?
- A.Science Service
- B.General Electriccorrect
- C.Hughes Aircraft Company
- D.Bell Laboratories, Inc.
John Roy Whinnery earned his doctoral degree while working 6 days a week at General Electric in Schenectady, New York.
Source: biography section
5.In what year did John Roy Whinnery become the dean of the College of Engineering at Berkeley?
- A.1959correct
- B.1946
- C.1956
- D.1952
John Roy Whinnery served as the dean of the College of Engineering at Berkeley from 1959 to 1963.
Source: biography section
6.Which prestigious award did John Roy Whinnery receive in 1992?
- A.Okawa Prize
- B.IEEE Medal of Honor
- C.National Medal of Sciencecorrect
- D.Lamme Medal
John Roy Whinnery received the National Medal of Science in 1992.
Source: biography section
7.John Roy Whinnery held a Guggenheim Fellowship at which institution in 1959?
- A.Stanford University
- B.University of California, Santa Cruz
- C.Union College
- D.ETH Zurichcorrect
In 1959, John Roy Whinnery held a Guggenheim Fellowship at the ETH Zurich in Switzerland.
Source: biography section
8.What was the subject of one of the books co-authored by John Roy Whinnery?
- A.Microwave theory and laser experimentation
- B.Fields and Waves in Communication Electronicscorrect
- C.Quantum electronics in industrial settings
- D.The history of Hughes Aircraft Company
John Roy Whinnery co-authored the book titled Fields and Waves in Communication Electronics.
Source: publications section
9.Which of these professional organizations counted John Roy Whinnery as a member?
- A.Royal Society of London
- B.Global Engineering Union
- C.National Academy of Sciencescorrect
- D.International Laser Federation
John Roy Whinnery was a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
Source: biography section
10.When did John Roy Whinnery serve on the board of trustees for Science Service?
- A.1967–1971correct
- B.1980–1985
- C.1963–1964
- D.1951–1952
John Roy Whinnery served on the board of trustees of Science Service from 1967 to 1971.
Source: biography section
11.At which institution did John Roy Whinnery hold a part-time lectureship from 1945 to 1946?
- A.ETH Zurich
- B.University of California, Berkeley
- C.Union Collegecorrect
- D.Stanford University
John Roy Whinnery held a part-time lectureship at Union College from 1945 to 1946.
Source: biography section
12.John Roy Whinnery served as the head of the Microwave Tube Research Section at which organization?
- A.General Electric
- B.Science Service
- C.Hughes Aircraft Companycorrect
- D.Bell Laboratories
On leave from the University, John Roy Whinnery acted as head of the Microwave Tube Research Section of the Hughes Aircraft Company.
Source: biography section
13.What is the primary theme for which John Roy Whinnery received the IEEE Medal of Honor in 1985?
- A.Seminal contributions to electromagnetic fields and wavescorrect
- B.Contributions to computer architecture
- C.Invention of the modern microwave oven
- D.Advancement of structural engineering
The IEEE Medal of Honor was awarded for John Roy Whinnery's seminal contributions to the understanding and application of electromagnetic fields and waves.
Source: biography section
14.In what year did John Roy Whinnery pass away?
- A.2001
- B.1992
- C.1997
- D.2009correct
John Roy Whinnery died on February 1, 2009.
Source: biographical header
15.John Roy Whinnery's research at Bell Laboratories, Inc. focused on which area?
- A.Waveguide discontinuities
- B.Quantum electronicscorrect
- C.He-Ne laser modulation
- D.Photo thermal effects
John Roy Whinnery engaged in research in quantum electronics at the Bell Laboratories, Inc. between 1963 and 1964.
Source: biography section
16.When was John Roy Whinnery appointed University Professor at the University of California?
- A.1978
- B.1972
- C.1985
- D.1980correct
John Roy Whinnery was appointed University Professor at the University of California in 1980.
Source: biography section
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