William E. Gordon

Who was William E. Gordon?

William Edward Gordon was a physicist and astronomer. He is referred to as the "father of the Arecibo Observatory".

Born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey, he received a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University in 1953. He was a faculty member at Cornell University from 1953 to 1965. He joined the faculty of Rice University in 1966, serving as Dean of Science and Engineering, Dean of Natural Sciences, and Provost and Vice President.

Gordon wanted to study the properties of the Earth's upper atmosphere, the ionosphere, and thought that he could use a radar system to measure the density and temperature in this difficult-to-study atmospheric region. His calculations indicated that an antenna approximately 305 meters in diameter would do the job, but would be far too expensive to build using existing designs for radio and radar antennas. He designed the massive radar / radio telescope and oversaw its construction in the karst foothills just south of Arecibo, Puerto Rico. At its fortieth anniversary, it was named both a "Milestone in Electrical Engineering and Computing" and also a "Mechanical Engineering Landmark"