David S. Saxon | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 8, 1920 St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | December 8, 2005(2005-12-08) (aged 85) Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Known for | Woods-Saxon potential |
| Spouse | Shirley Saxon |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics |
| Institutions | University of California, Los Angeles,MIT |
| Thesis | Problems in Electormagnetic Theory (1944) |
| Doctoral advisor | John C. Slater |
David S. Saxon (February 8, 1920 – December 8, 2005) was an Americanphysicist andeducator who served as the President of theUniversity of California as well as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the MIT Corporation, the governing board of theMassachusetts Institute of Technology.[1]
Saxon was born inSt. Paul, Minnesota. He attended MIT where he earned a B.S. degree in 1941 and Ph.D. in 1944, both in Physics. He worked in MIT's famed wartimeRadiation Laboratory duringWorld War II.
Saxon joined theUniversity of California, Los Angeles in 1947, but was dismissed in 1950 with thirty other faculty members because of their objection to signing an oath of loyalty and declaration that they were notCommunist Party members.[2] TheCalifornia Supreme Court later invalidated this requirement and Saxon returned to UCLA in 1952. While at UCLA, Saxon was a dean, vice chancellor, and executive vice chancellor. He served as the president of University of California between 1975 and 1983.
Saxon joined the board of the MIT Corporation in 1977 and held the office of Chairman between 1983 and 1990.
Saxon was a Fellow of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of theAmerican Philosophical Society,American Physical Society, and theAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science. TheWoods-Saxon potential in nuclear physics is named partly after him.
Saxon was married to his wife, Shirley, for 65 years and had six daughters and six grandchildren.[1]
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | President of theUniversity of California 1975–1983 | Succeeded by |
