J. William Buchta was born near Osceola, Nebraska in 1894. He graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1920, received a masters degree in electrical engineering the following year, and a Ph.D. degree in physics from the University of Minnesota in 1925. He was a professor of physics a the University from 1925 through 1962, serving as chairman of the Department of Physics from 1938-1953 and Assistant Dean of the Senior College of Science, Literature and the Arts from 1941-1962. Buchta was editor of the journals The Physical Review and Review of Modern Physics from 1931-1957 and in 1963 established the journal The American Physics Teacher . He wrote numerous articles for these and other journals on the topics of modern physics and physics education in secondary schools and colleges. He was a member of the Minnesota Academy of Science, serving as president from 1940-1941. He was also a member of the American Association of Science, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Sigma XI. He was recognized by the Physics Teacher's Association of America for Notable Contributions to the Teaching of Physics. in 1962. He died in 1966.
From the guide to the J. William Buchta papers, 1923-1966, (University of Minnesota Libraries. University of Minnesota Archives [uarc])
