William Owen Williamson-January 30, 1911-January 3, 2008

William Owen Williamson was born in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. 1911. His early education was taken at the Hitching Grammar School. He received a B.Sc. and B.Sc. Hon. (Chemistry and Geology) in 1931 and 1932, respectively, and a PhD (Geology) in 1933 all from Queen Mary College of the University of London. Following graduation, he served as Chief Assistant, Department of Ceramics, at North Staffordshire Technical College from 1934-42. He joined the British Ministry of Supply as a physical chemist for work related to the Manhattan Project from 1942-45. Near the end of World War II, Bill emigrated to the Republic of South Africa and held the post of Professional Officer, Government Metallurgical Laboratory, from 1945-47. Later in 1947, he moved to Melbourne, Australia where from 1947-59, he held the positions of Senior, later Principal Research Officer, at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization [CSIRO]. In 1958, Bill married the former Olive Zoe Burns. He was awarded the distinguished D. Sc. Degree in Geology and Industrial Chemistry from The University of London. His research work covered the broad spectrum of topics from: petrology, microstructure and rheology of explosives, surface phenomena and various aspects of ceramic sciences. In 1959, Bill joined Penn State University as Associate Professor of Ceramic Technology. He was made Full Professor in this program in 1964. In addition to his primary interests, he also pursued as a hobby a study of the material and literary heritage of ancient cultures. The fruits of this endeavor found their way into his creation of a social-humanistic course at Penn State called Materials in Ancient and Modern Cultures [MatSc 50]. The positive feedback he received for this course led to Bill being given the Wilson Distinguished Teaching Award from the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences in 1975. He traveled widely throughout the world.  Upon retirement in 1976, he was made Professor Emeritus of Ceramic Science and Engineering.  During retirement, Bill Williamson remained active professionally with occasional consulting work, the editing of technical manuscripts, participation at seminars and attendance at classes in art history. He read broadly, especially in his favorite field of the ancient world. At social gatherings, he was known to sing and recite passages from his favorite operas, especially those of Handel. In the 1990’s, he was the key person involved in establishing a strong research relationship between the departments of Art History and Geological Sciences at Penn State. One accomplishment of which he was particularly proud, and to which he referred frequently, was his role in launching the scientific career of Professor Richard E. Tressler. Bill was a mentor and co-author on Dick’s first technical paper while still an undergraduate. To close this article on a light note, Bill was known to have a quick and dry sense of humor. On one occasion, a group of parents were walking through the hallways of Steidle Building and, when they came upon Bill, they asked him where the famous collection of shrunken heads was located. Without missing a beat, Bill replied, “Why my sophomores are wearing them!”