Person: Mcafee, Walter Samuel

Walter McAfee was an African-American scientist and astronomer, best known for his part in the world's first lunar radar echo experiments.

Luther McAfee had been educated at Texas College, which was run by the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church, and then became a carpenter.
Walter attended High School in Marshall graduating in 1930.
McAfee was awarded a Bachelor's Degree with distinction from Wiley College June of 1934 and began to look for jobs.
McAfee was only 19 years old so did not worry too much when he did not quickly find a teaching job.
McAfee was a hard worker and most summers when the school was on vacation, he studied high level courses at the university.
Applications asked for a photograph to be included and McAfee was rejected several times, almost certainly because he was Black.
McAfee was well qualified to be on this team for he had published papers on radar-echoing areas, radar cross sections and refraction studies in the atmosphere.
Official reports of the projects success, however, failed even to mention that McAfee was on the team.
McAfee's Ph.D. was in physics and was supervised by Hans Bethe.
It was to study radio astronomy and solar physics and was presented to McAfee by President Eisenhower.
McAfee was induced into the Science Hall of Fame at Wiley College in 1982.
On 28 July 1997 the McAfee Center was dedicated at Fort Monmouth.

Born 2 September 1914, Ore City, Upshure County, Texas, USA. Died 18 February 1995, South Belmar, New Jersey, USA.

View full biography at MacTutor

African American, Origin Usa

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O’Connor, John J; Robertson, Edmund F: MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive