Feature
Science Journal -- Spring 1997 -- Vol 14, No. 1
First Penn State Ph.D. Turns 100
First Penn State Ph.D. Turns 100
Marsh White, '26 Phys, who earned the first Ph.D. ever conferred at
Penn State, has celebrated his 100th birthday. He is shown at left
as a volunteer fundraiser for Penn State
in the 1980's. Born in 1896, he got his Ph.D. on June 15, 1926, and
then served as a professor of physics
at Penn State for more than 40 years. He wrote a highly popular college
physics textbook in 1947 that has been updated numerous times, translated
into at least two languages, and continues in use today. In the 1920's,
White founded the Penn State chapter of the national physics honor society,
Sigma Pi Sigma, and a social fraternity, Delta chi. He was honored
by the Univeted States for his service as a consultant during the Second
World War and received many other honors throughout his career. His
graduation diploma is displayed in the board room of the Kern Graduate
Building on the University
Park Campus.