The William A. Lester, Jr. Papers contain the professional and personal papers of African American theoretical chemist and chemistry educator William A. Lester, Jr (1937-). Lester is noted for his theoretical studies of the electronic structure of molecules through Quantum Monte Carlo methods. He is also an advocate for underrepresented minorities in the sciences and higher education.
In 1978, Lester joined the staff of Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory in Berkeley, California. From 1978 to 1981, he served as Director of the National Resource for Computation in Chemistry (NRCC). During his tenure as Director of the NRCC, Lester concurrently served as Associate Director and Senior Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. Lester was a longtime member of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) and served on the organization’s National Board (1984-1987).
A small selection of the collection has been digitized.
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Letter from William A. Lester, Jr. to the Ad Hoc Committee for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers, October 1972
- 1972-Oct-24
Letter from William A. Lester, Jr. (1937-) to the Ad Hoc Committee for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers, written on October 24, 1972.
The Ad Hoc Committee for the Professional…
- Author Lester, William A., Jr., 1937-
- Addressee Ad Hoc Committee for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers
- Subject Ad Hoc Committee for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers, Lester, William A., Jr., 1937-, National Organization for Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers
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4 items
Howard University Cooperative Physics Program for Developing Institutions brochure
- 1974
Brochure for Howard University's cooperative physics program for developing institutions. This brochure covers the objectives of the program, financial aid, and application procedures.
- Creator Of Work Howard University
- Subject Howard University, Physics, Physics--Study and teaching
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23 items
Proposal for a National Center for Computational Chemistry at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory of the University of California
- 1974-May-17
Proposal for the University of California to operate the Center for Computational Chemistry at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory.
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5 items
Letter from William A. Guillory, January 10, 1975
- 1975-Jan-10
William A. Guillory, announces the 2nd Annual National Meeting of the Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers, held by the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers…
- Author Guillory, William A.
- Addressee Jackson, William M., 1936-
- Subject Jackson, William M., 1936-, Guillory, William A., National Organization for Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers, National Organization for Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers. National Conference, Congresses and conventions
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Letter to William A. Lester, Jr. from William A. Guillory, January 17, 1975
- 1975-Jan-17
William A. Guillory writes to William A. Lester, Jr. (1937-) about the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE).
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Letter from William A. Lester, Jr. to William A. Guillory, February 7, 1975
- 1975-Feb-07
Letter from William A. Lester, Jr. (1937-) to William A. Guillory regarding the constitution for the National Organization for Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOCChE), which he refers to as "NBCCE."
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9 items
Preliminary Constitution of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers
- 1975-Mar-19 – 1975-Apr-11
Letter from William A. Guillory with the preliminary Constitution of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE).
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Letter from Harry L. Morrison to William A. Lester, Jr., March 25, 1975
- 1975-Mar-25
Invitation from Harry L. Morrison (1932-2002) to William A. Lester, Jr. (1937-) to speak at the upcoming Symposium of Afro-American Scientists at Howard University.
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Letter from William A. Lester, Jr. to Harry L. Morrison, April 7, 1975
- 1975-Apr-07
William A. Lester, Jr. (1937-) accepts Harry L. Morrison's (1932-2002) invitation to speak at the upcoming Symposium of Afro-American Scientists at Howard University.
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9 items
Draft of the Constitution of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers
- 1975-Apr-11
Preliminary Constitution of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) with handwritten notes by an unknown author.
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Letter to William A. Lester, Jr. from William A. Guillory, April 28, 1975
- 1975-Apr-28
William A. Guillory asks William A. Lester, Jr. (1937-) about IBM sponsoring a fellowship for students pursuing careers in science and engineering.
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3 items
Scientific Program agenda, May 1975
- 1975-May-01
Draft of the agenda for the second Award Ceremony for Outstanding Black Physicists, to be held at Howard University on May 1, 1975. This ceremony was a part of a Day of Scientific Lectures and Seminars (DOSLAS). These…
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4 items
Second Awards Ceremony for Outstanding Black Physicists
- 1975-May-01
Booklet for the second Awards Ceremony for Outstanding Black Physicists, held at Howard University on May 1, 1975. The award ceremony honored Dr. Herman Branson (1914-1995), Dr. Warren E. Henry (1909-2001), and Dr.…
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2 items
Letter from William A. Guillory, June 17, 1975
- 1975-Jun-17
Letter from William A. Guillory to the members of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) regarding their 2nd annual national conference.
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11 items
Maximizing Black Potential in Science & Technology: Toward the Year 2,000
- 1975-Nov
Proceedings of the 1975 Science Symposium of the National Consortium for Black Professional Development, edited by Jean W. Hill. Includes a piece written by Dr. Samuel P. Massie (1919-2005) and a transcript of questions…
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2 items
Letter to William A. Lester, Jr. from William A. Guillory, November 7, 1975
- 1975-Nov-07
William A. Guillory asks William A. Lester, Jr. (1937-) if he would like to run for a position in the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE).
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Letter from William A. Guillory to J. W. Stout, December 31, 1975
- 1975-Dec-31
William A. Guillory writes to J. W. Stout, nominating William M. Jackson (1936-), and William A. Lester, Jr. (1937-) to be on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Chemical Physics.
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9 items
General Organizational Guidelines for the World Black Researchers Association
- Circa 1976
General Organizational Guidelines to World Black Researchers Association (WBRA), written by Cheikh Anta Diop (1923-1986).
WBRA, which was founded around 1976, was a group that worked against racial limits in science…
- Creator Of Work Diop, Cheikh Anta
- Subject Diop, Cheikh Anta, World Black Researchers Association, Scientists, Black, African American scientists
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3 items
Letter from the National Organization for Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers, 1976
- 1976
Letter from the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) asking for support of Dr. William M. Jackson's (1936-) testimony for the Senate Subcommittee on…
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9 items
Memorandum of Understanding Between the Energy Research and Development Administration and the National Science Foundation Concerning Procedures to be Used in the Establishment of the National Resource for Computation in Chemistry.
- 1976
Memorandum regarding the establishment of the National Resource for Computation in Chemistry (NRCC) between the two entities, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Energy Research and Development Administration…
- Creator Of Work National Science Foundation (U.S.), United States. Energy Research and Development Administration, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. National Resource for Computation in Chemistry
- Subject United States. Energy Research and Development Administration, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. National Resource for Computation in Chemistry, National Science Foundation (U.S.), Kane, James S.
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6 items
Statues of the World Black Researchers Association
- Circa 1976
Statues of the World Black Researchers Association (WBRA).
WBRA, which was founded around 1976, was a group that worked against racial limits in science and technology. Its goal was to bring together black scientists…
- Creator Of Work World Black Researchers Association
- Subject World Black Researchers Association, Scientists, Black, Scientists, Statutes
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4 items
Workshop on a National Resource for Computation in Chemistry
- 1976
Overview of a workshop for a National Resource for Computation in Chemistry (NRCC) to be held at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory in November, 1976. Documents include the workshop objectives and travel information.
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6 items
National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers newsletter, February 1976
- 1976-Feb
The inaugural issue of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) newsletter, published February 1976.
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10 items
National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers newsletter, May 1976
- 1976-May
The second issue of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) newsletter, published May 1976.
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Letter to William A. Lester, Jr. from Fillmore Freeman, June 14, 1974
- 1976-Jun-14
Letter from Fillmore Freeman (1936-) to William A. Lester, Jr. (1937-) about proposals for the National Science Foundation.
