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Year:1946
Who: Dr. Walter McAfee
Where: Ore City, TX
What: Dr. Walter S. McAfee, a pioneering African American mathematical physicist, made groundbreaking contributions to science and technology during a career that spanned decades. Born in 1914 in Marshall, Texas, McAfee overcame the barriers of a segregated society to excel in theoretical physics, earning a Master of Science from Ohio State University in 1937 and a Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1949—accomplishments nearly unheard of for African Americans at the time.
McAfee gained national recognition for his role in Project Diana, an experiment that marked the dawn of the Space Age. On January 10, 1946, his theoretical calculations confirmed the feasibility of bouncing radar signals off the moon’s surface, enabling the first successful “moon bounce” from the Evans Signal Laboratory in New Jersey. This achievement paved the way for advancements in satellite communications and missile guidance systems, fundamentally shaping modern space and communication technologies.
Throughout his tenure at the United States Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) at Fort Monmouth, McAfee’s work on radar coverage, Earth curvature diffraction, and the effects of high-altitude nuclear explosions on communications earned him widespread acclaim. In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower awarded him one of the inaugural Secretary of the Army Research and Study Fellowships, allowing him to study radio astronomy at Harvard University. His groundbreaking studies and dedication to science were further recognized in 1961 with the first U.S. Army Research and Development Achievement Award.
A trailblazer in his field, McAfee became the first African American employee to achieve GS-16, a precursor to the Senior Executive Service, in 1971. Beyond his scientific endeavors, he was committed to education, lecturing in atomic and nuclear physics at Monmouth College for nearly two decades.
Dr. McAfee’s legacy endures in the institutions named after him, including research facilities and Fort Monmouth’s McAfee Center.
Sources:
Journal Article:
National Society of Black Physicists. (2024, February 3). Dr. Walter McAfee. National Society of Black Physicists. https://nsbp.org/blogpost/2109522/497693/February-3-2024--Dr-Walter-McAfee
Websites:
Monmouth University. (n.d.). McAfee biography. https://www.monmouth.edu/university-advancement/mcafee/
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