John R. Pierce (2004)

JOHN R. PIERCE was one of the greatest technologists and research directors at the Bell Labs of decades ago-an institution that he dearly loved and where he spent thirty-five years of his career from 1936 to 1971. John R. Pierce joined Bell Laboratories after study at the California Institute of Technology during a time of major evolution of telecommunications science and technology. At Bell Labs, his special genius was in generating a memorable path of new innovations by transmuting and translating conventional though sophisticated engineering of telecommunications and electromagnetic phenomena into clearly articulated scientific quantities and processes. At Bell Labs, John R. Pierce invented vacuum tubes to amplify high-frequency signals, catalyzed the team responsible for the Telstar communications satellite, stimulated a host of researchers in his research division at Bell Labs, encouraged the use of digital computers in the arts and music, and wrote many books explaining the principles of communication technology to the lay public. He was quite proud of his enduring love of telecommunication and relish|ed| the challenge of explaining its technology to as many readers as possible.' He would always point out the great wisdom of Alexander Graham Bell in realizing the superiority of human speech for communication. He culminated his career by retiring first from Bell Labs to the California Institute of Technology as a professor, next to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as its chief technologist, and finally to the electronic music department at Stanford University as visiting professor emeritus of music, to collaborate there with his colleague and friend Dr. Max V. Mathews. The research facility at Bell Labs in the 1950s and 1960s was a premier institution. A host of innovations resulted, many of which are much in use today, such as the electret microphone, adaptive echo cancelers, and linear predictive coding, to mention a few. Many of the researchers responsible for these innovations worked in John R. Pierce's division. These innovations were not happenstance, but were the direct result of the policies instituted by him, the stimulating environment that he fostered, and his enthusiastic encouragement. John R. Pierce would point out that the factors that made Bell Labs great included stable long-term funding, a clearly stated mission to advance the future uf communications, and the freedom to take risks and even fail. These factors have declined in today's climate of short-term profitability, confused and ever-changing missions, and emphasis on immediate applicability to products. Perhaps seeing the approach of these trends at his beloved Bell Labs motivated his departure in 1971. Indeed, he was responsible for parts of the intrinsic nature of Bell Labs, with a legacy that led in many different directions. After his appointment to lead research in communication principles, he participated in all the major research strategies at Bell Labs for the next sixteen years preceding his retirement in 1971. His early technical accomplishments in klystrons and high-power, high-frequency amplification were significant, and advanced the physics of the microwave radio functions of electron beams. The Shepard-Pierce klystron was essential to oscillators in World War II radar equipment. He envisioned the use of satellites for telecommunication purposes to conquer distance and cover a large area, and he catalyzed the team that designed and launched Telstar, with his close friend and Bell Labs associate Rudolph Kompfner. In a paper published in 1948, John R. Pierce, along with Claude L. Shannon and Bernard M. Oliver, described the advantages of pulse code modulation-the foundation of all things digital in today's world of electronic technology. He encouraged much diverse research at Bell Labs, including pioneering explorations of the use of digital computers in the visual arts and in music. When Howard Wise approached BeIa Julesz with the idea for a show of computer art, Pierce was delighted, and helped battle the negativism and fears of AT&T. …