Jasper Brown Jeffries
Jasper Brown Jefferies (April 15, 1912 - July 16, 1994) was an African American physicist, one of the few African Americans to work on the Manhattan Project.[1] [2]
Early life and education[edit]
Jasper Brown Jeffries was born on April 15, 1912, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.[3] Jeffries attended West Virgina State College and earned his B.S. degree in 1933.[4] After in 1937, Jeffries got engaged to his wife Marguerite Diffay.[3] Together, they have three daughters.[3] Later in 1940, Jeffries earned his master's degree in physical sciences from the University of Chicago.[4][5]
Career[edit]
After earning his degrees, Jeffries worked at the Met Lab from 1943 to 1946 as physicist on the Manhattan Project.[1] While working at the Met Lab, Jeffries signed the Szilárd petition that requested President Truman to avoid dropping atomic bombs on Japan.[1][5] After the Manhattan project, atomic bombs were developed, and World War II ended.[4] After working at the Met Lab, Jeffries served as a Professor and Chair in the Department of Physics at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical University, from 1946 to 1949.[3] Next, from 1951 to 1959, Jeffries was a Senior Engineer for the Control Instrument Company.[4] Then, from 1963 to 1971 Jeffries was an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Westchester Community College.[4] Jasper Brown Jeffries was promoted to professor and became chair of department in 1971.[3]
Later life[edit]
Jasper Brown Jeffries passed away on July 16, 1994, in White Plains, NY. When Jeffries passed away, he was eighty-two years old.[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d "Jasper B. Jeffries". Atomic Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
- ^ "The Unsung African American Scientists of the Manhattan Project".
- ^ a b c d e "Jasper Jeffries, Physicist born". African American Registry. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
- ^ a b c d e Collins, Sibrina (2011-07-27). "Jasper Brown Jeffries (1912-1994)". Black Past. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
- ^ a b Crocker, Brittany. "15 African-Americans who were hidden heroes of the Manhattan Project". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved 2024-05-07.