Arthur Nathaniel "Pete" Thorpe (26 April 1933-30 June 2015) was a physicist and professor at

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...

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He was the second student to receive a PhD in physics from Howard, and helped to establish a cooperative degree program between

and other

historically Black colleges and universities Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. M ...

to increase access to physics education. Throughout his career, his research centered around

condensed matter Condensed matter physics is the field of physics that deals with the macroscopic and microscopic physical properties of matter, especially the solid and liquid phases which arise from electromagnetic forces between atoms. More generally, the sub ...

;

solid state physics Solid-state physics is the study of rigid matter, or solids, through methods such as quantum mechanics, crystallography, electromagnetism, and metallurgy. It is the largest branch of condensed matter physics. Solid-state physics studies how the l ...

; the evaluation of superconducting materials for space application; and enhancing high-temperature superconductors.

Early life and education

Arthur Thorpe was born to Chester Thorpe and Maggie Beasley on 26 April 1933 in Durham, North Carolina. He was raised in the Durham area and attended Hillside High School, where he graduated in 1950. He received his bachelor's degree in 1954 from

The same year as he received his degree, he joined the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army S ...

, where he served as a fighter pilot until 1958. In 1959 he received his master's degree, and in 1964 he received his PhD in physics, both from

. At Howard, he studied under Dr. Herman R. Branson, who had created the graduate physics program at the university. His thesis was titled "Magnetic Properties of Pd,Pd-H, and Pd-D from 300K to 4.2K." Thorpe was Branson's second student to complete the PhD program, making him the second student to receive a physics PhD at Howard, following

Titus Pankey Titus Pankey (November 20, 1925 – September 20, 2003) was an American physicist and professor whose research specialties were magnetic susceptibility and cosmology, especially supernovas. He was the first recipient of a PhD in physics from Howa ...

in 1962.

Career

After completing his graduate studies and receiving his PhD, Thorpe was appointed an assistant professor at

. From 1969 to 1971, he served as the assistant dean of the graduate school, and in 1971, he was promoted to full professor of physics. He also served as chairman of the physics department from 1971 until 1979. Between 1964 and 1975 he also worked closely with the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

, publishing frequently with geophysicist Frank E. Senftle. As a professor, Thorpe helped establish the Cooperative Education Physics (CEP) program at

, which aimed to bring advanced physics instruction to other

. Along with Dr. Leslie Speller and Anne Cooke, Thorpe gained funding through Title III to establish the program, and he served as its director for the duration of the program's run between 1974 and 1980. At the time, Dr. Willa Player was the Director of the Division of College Support in the

United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is " ...

, and helped the program secure funding along with program officers Audrey Dickerson and Anita Ford Allen. The program allowed students at

that did not offer a physics degree to take introductory physics courses at their home institution. Partner schools received funds for physics laboratories and to fund professors to teach the introductory physics courses. The students would then spend two summers at

to take advanced physics courses, and eventually receive an undergraduate degree in physics from their home university. The program started with 12 partner universities and eventually reached about 40, and over 100 students participated over the course of the program, with their tuition at Howard, travel, and room and board paid for. Thorpe and Speller would visit the partner institutions multiple times a year, sometimes transporting physics equipment on Thorpe's private plane. In 1993, Thorpe became the director of Howard University's Center for the Study of Terrestrial and Extraterrestrial Atmospheres (CSTEA), which was funded by

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeedi ...

and had a major focus on student training. Along with Thorpe as its director, Dr. Vernon R. Morris served as the center's deputy director. Over his career, Thorpe published over 93 articles in journals such as the

Journal of Geophysical Research The ''Journal of Geophysical Research'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal. It is the flagship journal of the American Geophysical Union. It contains original research on the physical, chemical, and biological processes that contribute to the un ...

, the

Physical Review ''Physical Review'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal established in 1893 by Edward Nichols. It publishes original research as well as scientific and literature reviews on all aspects of physics. It is published by the American Physical Soc ...

, the Journal of Radiation Effects, and

Science Science is a systematic endeavor that Scientific method, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of Testability, testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earli ...

. He continued to teach at

until his death in 2015.

Personal life

Thorpe was married to Wanda Thorpe, and they had five children. Thorpe was an accomplished pilot and air mechanic, and continued to fly and work on planes after his service in the Air Force. During part of his career at Howard, he would commute from

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...

to campus via his personal plane. He was also involved in

Wheeler Airlines Wheeler Airlines was the operating name of Wheeler Flying Service (WHAA), the first black-owned airline certificated in the US by the FAA, which also helped integrate the pilots at major US air carriers by qualifying a large number of black pilots ...

, the first Black-owned airline certificated in the US by the

FAA The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

References

External links

Video: The History of Physics at Howard by Arthur ThorpeOral history interview transcript with Demetrius Venable (one of Thorpe's students) on 12 May 2021, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thorpe, Arthur 1933 births 2015 deaths African-American physicists 21st-century African-American scientists 20th-century African-American scientists