William (Bill) Willets, a native of Montclair, New Jersey, was born in 1905. He attended the State College of Forestry in Syracuse, New York, obtaining an undergraduate
degree in Chemistry in 1926. He then accepted a position with the Oxford Paper Company, in whose laboratories he began his experiments with titanium dioxide suspensions.
In 1929, he joined the Western Electric Company and worked on pulp insulation of conductors for telephone cables. He became the head of the Paper Laboratory of Titanium
Pigment Corporation in 1933, a position that gave him added flexibility for involvement with external scientific organizations such as the Society of Rheology. Additionally,
from 1942 to 1944 he served as a Consultant to the War Production Board on conservation of paper resources for World War II.
Willets’ scientific contributions were mainly concerned with pulp and paper, and he was an internationally recognized authority on coating technology as well as industry
testing procedures. His work led to theories of filler retention which has helped acquaint the paper industry with rheological concepts. This ability to bring together
different communities and individuals was a defining characteristic of Willets’ career and led to his reputation as an industry statesman involved in both the development
and advocacy of industrial testing procedures. His service to The Society of Rheology is particularly outstanding, spanning over a decade. He first served as Chairman for
Local Arrangements for Society Meetings in New York in 1949 and 1950. The next year he became the Society’s representative on the A.I.P. Committee for the Twentieth Anniversary
Joint Meeting in Chicago. He was elected to the position of Secretary-Treasurer in 1953, and he served for four consecutive two-year terms. His service to the Society over this
eight-year period was crucial to the stability and growth of the organization, particularly in cultivating a strong relationship between the Society and The American Institute of Physics.
Willets served as chairman on numerous other technical committees. He helped organize the Metropolitan District of the Empire State Section of TAPPI, becoming its chairman in 1951,
and he served as chairman of the Empire State Section in 1955. He was the first recipient of the TAPPI Testing Division Award and honored as a TAPPI Fellow. Additionally, his
involvement at ASTM extended to membership on the Board of Directors. Finally, he served as a member of the Governing Board of AIP, was honored as a Fellow of the American
Institute of Chemists, and was given the Award of Merit of the American Society of Testing and Materials. Though he remained humble, crediting his employer and the American
Institute of Physics for his leadership accomplishments, The Society of Rheology holds his service and research accomplishments in high esteem.
Sources
Note: This biography is an adaptation of the following articles previously published by the Society of Rheology.
Dillon, J.H. Presentation of the Bingham Medal to William R. Willets.
Transactions of The Society of Rheology 1962, 6(3-5).
Willets, William R. On Being Awarded the Bingham Medal of the Society of Rheology.
Transactions of The Society of Rheology 1962, 6(7).
The Bingham Medal, 1961.
Rheology Bulletin 1961, 30(2). Also,
link to AIP repository.
Obituary. Rheology Bulletin 1983, 52(2). Also,
link to AIP repository.
Photo Credit
AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives.