Institute for Telecommunication Sciences / July 1907

July 1907: John Howard Dellinger Begins His NBS Career

On July 3, 1907, John Howard Dellinger was officially appointed to the National Bureau of Standards. Bureau director S.W. Stratton had met with Dellinger and, in a letter to the Secretary of Commerce and Labor, recommended him to the post of Laboratory Assistant. Dellinger began his duties on his 21st birthday. After a few years of service, he took a sabbatical to obtain a Ph.D. degree at Princeton University, and on its completion he returned to the Bureau. Dellinger rose quickly through the Bureau ranks, becoming Chief of the Radio Section in 1919 and gaining the nickname Dr. D from his staff. Until 1948, when he retired, he remained head of the laboratory, which would grow into the Central Radio Propagation Laboratory. During his tenure, he published in his own name more than140 papers, primarily about radio propagation and interference, but also on subjects ranging from electrical impedance to Planck’s constant. Dellinger directed the work of the Radio Section during its rapid growth period in the 1920s through World War II, when the Bureau was immersed in inventing and testing military technology. Dellinger is known for his leadership role in such international organizations as the IRE, the IEEE, USRI, and CCIR (the precursor of ITU-R). The Dellinger Effect, which he described, and the Dellinger crater on the moon (Crater 293) are named in his honor. ITS leadership continues to follow in Dellinger’s footsteps, by publishing independently, mentoring other researchers, supporting international cooperation, and widely disseminating the results of Institute research to the public.