John H. DeWitt, Jr.

John H. DeWitt, Jr. (February 20, 1906 – January 25, 1999) was an American pioneer in radio broadcasting, radar astronomy and photometry. He observed the first successful reception of radio echoes off the moon on January 10, 1946 as part of Project Diana. [cite news |title=Diana |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,776645,00.html |work=TIME |date=1946-02-04 |accessdate=2007-11-27 ] [cite news |first=Jack |last=Gould |title=Moon Is Late for Demonstration Of How It Is Reached by Radar |url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60717F93D5B127A93CAAB178AD85F428485F9|work=New York Times |page=21 |date=1946-01-28 |accessdate=2007-11-27 ]

Biography

Early life

John Hibbett DeWitt, Jr. was born February 20, 1906 in Nashville, Tennessee, the son of judge John Hibbett DeWitt. He displayed an early interest in electrical engineering, specifically radio technology. He became an amateur radio operator in 1921 [cite news |first=Anthony R. |last=Curtis |title=Space&Beyond: Moonbounce Advances the State of the Radio Art |url=http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2002/01/21/1/ |publisher=American Radio Relay League, Inc. |date=2002-02-21 |accessdate=2007-11-27 ] and used call sign N4CBC. [ [http://users.tellurian.com/gjurrens/famous_hams.html Famous Hams and ex-Hams] ] In 1924, he helped direct the design and installation of a 100-watt radio transmitter at First Baptist Church in Nashville, which would become the area's first commercial radio station. [cite news |first=Stephen F. |last=Sparks |title=Nashville's first licensed radio station at First Baptist Nashville |url=http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070511/SPECIAL0903/705110559 |work=The Tennessean |date=2007-05-11 |accessdate=2007-11-27 ]

Career

DeWitt earned a bachelor's degree in engineering degree at Vanderbilt University in 1928, then began work at Bell Laboratories in Washington, DC the next year. He returned to Nashville in 1932 to become chief engineer for WSM.

After the outbreak of the Second World War, he returned to Washington as a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army to work at the United States Army Signal Corps' Evans Signal Laboratories on radar. He was appointed director of the Evans Laboratories in late 1943, where he headed Project Diana. [cite news |first=John |last=Kraus |authorlink= |author= |coauthors= |title=Diana Waves Back: The First Moon Bounce |url=http://www.bigear.org/CSMO/HTML/CS07/cs07p27.htm |work=Cosmic Search|page=27 |date=Summer 1980 |accessdate=2007-11-27 ]

He retired from the Army in 1946 and worked for a year as a consultant to Clear Channel Communications, which was seeking approval for greater transmitter power. He became president of WSM in 1947, retiring in 1968.

Marriage and children

John H. DeWitt, Jr. was married twice and had two children. With first wife Ann Elise Martin DeWitt, he had a son, John Hibbett DeWitt III; with second wife Sykes Barbour Hewitt Neas, he had a daughter, Cary Claiborne DeWitt. [ [http://www.cumberland.org/hfcpc/minister/DeWitt.htm DeWitt Family Information] ]

Death and afterward

John H. DeWitt died January 25, 1999, 53 years to the day after making radio history. [cite news |title=Moonbounce Pioneer John DeWitt Jr, N4CBC, SK |url=http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/1999/02/02/3/ |publisher=American Radio Relay League, Inc |date=1999-02-02 |accessdate=2007-11-27 ]

Awards

*Institute of Radio Engineers Fellow
*1946: Legion of Merit [cite news |title=Army Awards DeWitt Legion of Merit Medal - Conceived, Prepared First Drawing of Radar Set to Locate Enemy Mortars by Fire |work=The Tennessean |date=1946-01-26 |accessdate=2007-11-27 ]
*1964: Radio Engineering Achievement Award, National Association of Broadcasters [ [http://www.nab.org/AM/TemplateRedirect.cfm?template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&section=Technical&ContentID=11028 NAB Engineering Achievement Award Winners] ]
*1974: Vanderbilt Academy of Distinguished Alumni [ [http://frontweb.vuse.vanderbilt.edu/vuse_web/alumni/distinguished.htm Engineering Alumni - Vanderbilt University] ]
*1995 Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame inductee [cite news |title=1995 Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame |work=Broadcasting & Cable |date=1995-11-06 |accessdate=2007-11-27 |quote=The 1995 Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame inductees include radio and television industry members who have made significant contributions, from early contributors to present day personalities. Earle C. Anthony, Martin Block, Sid Caesar and Merlin Hall Aylesworth are among those honored, as well as Imogene Coca, John H. DeWitt Jr., Geraldine Laybourne, Peter Jennings, Dinah Shore and Don Cornelius. ]

References

Further reading

*Craig Havighurst, "Air Castle of the South: WSM and the Making of Music City" (2007, ISBN 9780252032578)

External links

* [http://www.wsmonline.com/about/ WSM History]
* [http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1988IAPPP..31...10S John H. Dewitt, Jr. Pioneer of Radar Astronomy and Photoelectric Photometry]
* [http://www.ieee-virtual-museum.org/collection/event.php?id=3456980&lid=1 IEEEVM: Project Diana]
* [http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2007/08/30/lets-claim-the-moon-now/ Let's Claim The Moon -- Now!] , 1957 "Mechanix Illustrated" article

Persondata
NAME = Dewitt, John H. Jr.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Dewitt, Jack
SHORT DESCRIPTION = American radio astronomy pioneer. Observed first moonbounce (EME) transmission in 1946.
DATE OF BIRTH = February 20, 1906
PLACE OF BIRTH = Nashville, Tennessee, United States
DATE OF DEATH = January 25, 1999
PLACE OF DEATH = Nashville, Tennessee, United States