Pickering, W. H. (William Hayward), 1910-2004

William Hayward Pickering was born in Wellington, New Zealand, on December 24, 1910. After one year at the University of New Zealand, he entered California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in 1929. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering in 1932, his Master of Science degree in Physics in 1933, and his Doctorate in Physics in 1936, all from Caltech. After graduation, he joined the Caltech faculty, becoming a full professor of electrical engineering in 1946. During World War II, Pickering conducted research on the absorption properties of cosmic rays with Dr. Robert A. Millikan, and investigated Japanese balloon warfare techniques for the Army Air Corps.

Pickering was invited to join the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in 1944, on the basis of his experience in the design and use of telemetring devices. He was named chief of the Remote Control Section at JPL. Beginning in 1949, Pickering headed the Corporal and Sergeant missile programs, and in 1954 he succeeded Louis Dunn as Laboratory Director.

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