Thomas J. Parmley
American physicist (1897-1997)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thomas Jennison Parmley (November 2, 1897 – September 15, 1997)[1][2] was an American physics professor at the University of Utah and chairman of the physics department from 1957 to 1963.[3]
Thomas J. Parmley | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 2, 1897 Scofield, Utah, U. S. |
| Died | September 15, 1997 (aged 99) Salt Lake City, Utah, U. S. |
| Education | |
| Occupations | Physicist, professor |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3, including William |
Biography
Parmley was born in Scofield, Utah to William and Mary Veal Parmley.[2][1] His father was killed in the Scofield Mine disaster in that town in 1900.[3] In 1921, he received his bachelor's degree from the University of Utah where he was a founding member of the Sigma Pi fraternity chapter.[4] While still being an undergraduate, he worked as a chemist for the U.S. Smeltering Company.[5] In 1923 he married LaVern W. Parmley[2] who served as general president of the Primary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).[3] He then earned his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1927.[6] Prior to joining the faculty of the University of Utah, Parmley was involved in cyclotron research at the University of California, Berkeley.[3] While there he was the lead author of the paper The Radioactives of some high-mass isotopes of Cobalt.[7]
Parmley was involved with the Atomic Energy Commission and the National Bureau of Standards.[8] He was a member of the American Institute of Physics.[6]
One of the main physics lecture halls at the University of Utah is named after him as is a scholarship.[9]
In 1996 he was named the university's Centennial Professor.[8]
Parmley's son William was a cardiologist and a leader in the LDS Church.[1]