Skip to main content

G. King Walters academic service at Rice University papers

 Collection
Identifier: UA 0295
Finding aid note: Stored off-site at the Library Service Center. Please request this material via woodson@rice.edu or call 713-348-2586.

Scope and Contents

The G. King Walters academic service papers represent Walters' participation on committees and task forces at Rice University. Walters graduated from Rice Institute in 1953 with a degree in physics. He was hired by Rice as a Physics professor in 1963. Walters remained at Rice through retirement in 1999 and beyond, advancing through the professorial ranks to chairman of the physics department, assistant dean of natural sciences, and dean of natural sciences.

Dates

  • 1954 - 2006

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This material is restricted and requires permission of the Head of the Woodson Research Center for access.

Conditions Governing Access

Stored off-site at the Library Service Center. Please request this material via woodson@rice.edu or call 713-348-2586.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish from this material must be facilitated through the Woodson Research Center.

Biographical / Historical

Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1931, G. King Walters moved to Houston at the age of 5, attended public schools, graduating from San Jacinto High School in 1949. Matriculating at Rice University in 1949, he majored in physics and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi in 1952. After graduating with honors in 1953, he went to Duke University, where he earned his doctorate in physics in 1956. He remained at Duke until 1957 as a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow. Between 1957 and 1963, when he was hired by Rice, he distinguished himself as a research scientist with Texas Instruments in Dallas. Walters remained at Rice through retirement in 1999 and beyond, advancing through the professorial ranks to chairman of the physics department, assistant dean of natural sciences, and dean of natural sciences.

Walters’ areas of specialization were atomic, molecular, and condensed matter physics. In the 70’s he conducted pioneering work on excimer lasers that came to be widely used to print semiconductor chips. Experiments he designed and conducted using an atomic accelerator in the now gone Bonner Nuclear Laboratory at Rice formed the basis for very sensitive devices called magnetic anomaly detectors. This technology was used by the U.S. military to detect Soviet nuclear submarines. The devices were also used in space exploration vehicles. In the 80’s some of Walters’ research, sponsored by the Department of Energy and the Houston-based Robert A. Welch Foundation, included studies of the physics of high-power lasers for possible application in power generation by laser fusion, and investigations of solid surfaces important in industrial catalysis. Subsequent research of his has found practical application as an improved MRI device, which can image the lungs when a patient breathes in polarized helium or xenon gas.

In 1977-78 Walters was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, which was followed soon after by his election to Fellowship in the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In addition to authoring a wide range of publications, he has provided editorial leadership for the Journal of Geophysical Research, Case Studies in Atomic Physics, and Reviews of Modern Physics. He served as an elected member of the governing council of the American Physical Society as well as in other positions in national scientific organizations.

In addition to serving as a highly regarded teacher and directing 29 doctoral students, King Walters participated very actively in the structural operations of Rice. His committee work included the Athletic Review Committee and the Faculty Advisory Committee on Retirement. He was a member of three important search committees, for university president in 1984-85, for provost in 1993-94, and for librarian in 1995-96.

A distinctive honor Walters received at the end of his career was the establishment of a one million dollar endowed fund in his name. He directed that awards made from the fund annually are to be used for research innovation in the Rice department of physics.

Extent

1 Linear Feet ( (1 box))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Overview

The G. King Walters academic service papers represent Walters' participation on committees and task forces at Rice University. Walters graduated from Rice Institute in 1953 with a degree in physics. He was hired by Rice as a Physics professor in 1963. Walters remained at Rice through retirement in 1999 and beyond, advancing through the professorial ranks to chairman of the physics department, assistant dean of natural sciences, and dean of natural sciences.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This material was transferred from the office of Walters in 2011.

Subjects

Record Groups

Related Names

Creator

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Guide to the G. King Walters academic service papers, 1954-2006
Status
Completed
Date
2012
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Woodson Research Center, Rice University, Houston, Texas Repository

https://library.rice.edu/woodson
Contact:
Fondren Library MS-44, Rice University
6100 Main St.
Houston Texas 77005 USA

Broaden your search:
Texas Archival Resources Online - statewide search of archival finding aids
ArchiveGrid - international search of archival finding aids
Scholarship.rice.edu - Rice University digital content

Harmful Content Statement
© 2023 Woodson Research Center
Fondren Library, Rice University
Physical Address: 6100 Main, Houston, Texas 77005-1827
Mailing Address: MS-44, P.O. Box 1892, Houston, Texas 77251-1892