Charles Hard Townes (1915 - 2015)

Born 28 Jul 1915 in Greenville, South Carolina

Ancestors

Died 27 Jan 2015 at age 99 in Oakland, California [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Mags Gaulden [send private message]

Biography

Charles Townes has Appalachian roots, in South Carolina.

Charles Townes is Notable.

Charles Hard Townes was born in Greenville, South Carolina, on July 28, 1915, the son of Henry Keith Townes, and Ellen (Hard) Townes.^[1] From his Wikipedia Profile, "Townes had German, Scottish, English, Welsh, Huguenot French, and Scotch Irish ancestry..."^[2]

In the 1920 census Charles (age 4)^[3] and 1930 census^[4]Charles (age 14) appears in the household of his father, Henry K Townes, on Sumner Street in Greenville, South Carolina.

He began his college education close to him at Furman University^[5] where he earned a B.S. in Physics and B.A. in Modern Languages graduating in 1935. Townes completed work for the Master of Arts degree in physics at Duke University in 1937, and then earned, from the graduate school at the California Institute of Technology, a Ph.D. degree in 1939.

He joined the military on 26 October 1940. This is a full year before the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.^[6]

Charles (age 25) married Frances Hildreth Brown on 4 May 1941 in Berlin, New Hampshire, United States.^[7]

In the 1950 census Charles (age 34), Professor of Physics, was the married head of household in New York City, New York, United States.^[8]

Awards

The inventor of the Laser and discoverer of the black hole at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy, he made many momentous discoveries in science and physics.

• 1956 – Elected Full Member of the National Academy of Sciences.
• 1957 – Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Sciences.
• 1958 – The Comstock Prize in Physics.
• 1961 – The David Sarnoff Electronics Award.
• 1961 - The Rumford Prize.
• 1962 – The John J. Carty Award for the advancement of Science.
• 1962 – Stuart Ballantine Medal.
• 1963 – Young Medal and Prize.
• 1964 – Nobel Prize in Physics with Nikolay Basoy and Alexander Prokhorov for contributions to fundamental work in quantum electronics; development of the maser and laser.
• 1979 – He was awarded the Niels Bohr International Medal.
• 1980 – Townes was inducted by his home state into the South Carolina Hall of Science and Technology
• 1980 - The South Carolina Hall of Science and Technology Citation.
• 1982 – The National Medal of Science.
• 1983 - Appointed to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
• 1994 – Elected Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
• 1996 – The Frederic Ives Medal.
• 2000 – The Lomonosov Medal.
• 2003 – The Telluride Tech Festival Award of Technology.
• 2005 – The Temple Prize.
• 2005 - The Leconte Medallion.
• 2006 – The Vannevar Bush Award, with Raj Reddy.
• 2008 – Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the University of Redlands.
• 2010 – SPIE Gold Medal.
• 2012 - The Golden Goose Award.
• 2012 - The Nancy DeLove Fitsroy and Roland V. Fitzroy Medal

Resources

Visit the Nopleprize.org to see his Biography.

Visit Wikipedia to see another biography for Charles Hard Townes.

Sources

1. ↑ "South Carolina, U.S., Births, 1915-1920", South Carolina Department of Archives and History; Columbia, SC; Birth Certificates; Record Group Number: S169123; Series Number: 169; Year Range: 1915; Certificate Number: 1915-046416, Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 61762 #4845 (accessed 10 February 2024), Charles Hard Townes born on 28 Jul 1915, son of Henry Keith Townes & Ellen Hard, in Greenville, South Carolina, USA.
2. ↑ Aaserud, Finn (May 20, 1987). Charles Townes interview Archived December 22, 2019, at the Wayback Machine. American Institute of Physics
3. ↑ "1920 United States Federal Census", Year: 1920; Census Place: Greenville, Greenville, South Carolina; Roll: T625_1698; Page: 48B; Enumeration District: 19, Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 6061 #92644076 (accessed 10 February 2024), Charles Townes (4), single son, in household of Henry K Townes (43) in Greenville, Greenville, South Carolina. Born in South Carolina.
4. ↑ "1930 United States Federal Census", Year: 1930; Census Place: Greenville, Greenville, South Carolina; Page: 13A; Enumeration District: 0057; FHL microfilm: 2341933, Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 6224 #96217561 (accessed 10 February 2024), Charles H Townes (14), single son, in household of Henry K Townes (53) at 500 Sumnes St., Greenville, Greenville, South Carolina, USA. Born in South Carolina.
5. ↑ "U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-2016", "U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012"; School Name: Furman University; Year: 1934, Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 1265 #237780777 (accessed 10 February 2024), Name: Charles Hard Townes; Estimated Age: 20; Birth Year: abt 1914; Yearbook Date: 1934; School: Furman University; School Location: Greenville, South Carolina, USA.
6. ↑ "U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947", National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For New York City, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147, Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2238 #194543263 (accessed 10 February 2024), Name: Charles Hard Townes; Race: White; Age: 25; Birth Date: 28 Jul 1915; Birth Place: Greenville, South Carolina; Registration Date: 26 Oct 1940; Registration Place: New York City, New York, New York; Employer: Bell Telephone Lab Inc; Height: 6 1; Weight: 160; Complexion: Light; Hair Color: Brown; Eye Color: Blue; Next of Kin: Henry Keith Townes; Household Members (Name) Relationship: Charles Hard Townes, Henry Keith Townes Father.
7. ↑ "New Hampshire, U.S., Marriage and Divorce Records, 1659-1947", New England Historical Genealogical Society; New Hampshire Bureau of Vital Records, Concord, New Hampshire, Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 5241 #14579 (accessed 10 February 2024), Charles Hard Townes (25) marriage to Frances Hildreth Brown on 4 May 1941 in Berlin, New Hampshire, USA.
8. ↑ "United States 1950 Census", citing Page: 20; Line: 5; Digital film/folder number: 108845184; Image number: 21, FamilySearch Record: 6XY3-SXGV (accessed 10 February 2024) FamilySearch Image: 3QHN-PQHW-9PXQ, Charles H Townes (34), married, Professor of Physics, head of household in New York City, New York, United States. Born in So Carolina.