Early family life and early education in Toronto during the Depression. Interest in radio engineering; math-physics scholarship to University of Toronto 1937. During World War II (from 1941) teaching Army, Air Force, Navy students in basic physics. Masters degree with Arnold Pitt during that period. Work with G. Byers on microwave guide antennas. Poor graduate education at Toronto. Interest in nuclear physics; constructs atomic beam light source; 'his definition of a diatomic molecule. Receives Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Corporation post-doc fellowship (Rabi); work with C. Townes at Columbia University on application of microwave spectroscopy to organic chemistry; comments on faculty and co-workers at Columbia. To Bell Labs to work on superconductivity in Stan Morgan's group in early 1950's. Work with Lewis and Matthias on the intermediate state nuclear quadrupole resonance. The Clad Rob Laser; work atmosphere at Bell Labs; decision to leave Bell for Stanford. Works with graduate students; Emmett, Holzrichter on flashlamps; solid state spectroscopy. Role in Optical Society of America and American Physical Society.
In this interview, William R. Bennett discusses his work with lasers. Topics discussed include: helium neon laser; Ali Javan; Donald Herriott; Columbia University; Yale University; Air Reduction Company (Airco); Linde Air Products Company; Hugh Robinson; Lewis B. Headrick; Ora S. Duffendack; Bell Labs; Harrie Stewart Wilson Massey; Eric Henry Stoneley Burhop; Allan C. G. Mitchell; Mark W. Zemansky; Rudolf Walter Ladenburg; Sidney Millman; Technical Measurement Corporation; Ted Geballe; Conyers Herring; A. L. Schawlow; Henry Scovil; Harry Nyquist; Jim Gordon; Gardner Fox; Tingye Li; E. I. Gordon; G. D. Boyd; A. F. Turner; Bausch & Lomb Laboratories; Technical Research Group (TRG); Gordon Gould; Charlie Townes; Theodore Maiman; Deming Lewis; A. T. Forrester; George Dacey; C. Geoffrey B. Garrett; Ross McFarlane; Bruce Bogert; Willis Lamb; Paul Rabinowitz; V. P. Chebotaev; John. W. Knutson; Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR); Army Research Office, Durham (AROD); Vernon Hughes; Lloyd Wood; Marshall Harrington; Alfred P. Sloane Foundation; Institute for Defense Analyses; Bob Collins; Kurt Shuler; Walter Faust; argon laser; Spectra Physics; Bill Bridges; Grant Fowles; William Silfvast; Bill Walter; Marty Pilch.
