Frankin F.Y. Wang (1928–1993)

Obituary Franklin F.Y. Wang (1928-1993) The founding co-editor of Materials Letters, Franklin F.Y. Wang, recently died after a brief illness. Frank was born in Nanjing, China, in 1928. He came to the United States to attend Pomona College in 1948, and graduated with a B.A. degree in chemistry in 195 1. Frank received his MS. degree from the University of Toledo in 1953 and a Ph.D. in ceramics from the University of Illinois-Urbana in 1956. He was employed in numerous engineering and research positions before joining the faculty of the State University of New York in 1966, where he played a key role in the development of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He served as chairman of the Department from 197 1 to 1974. Frank published widely on the magnetic and dielectric properties of solids. At Stony Brook, Frank taught courses in various aspects of materials science, with a special emphasis on electronic materials, for which he wrote the textbook, An Introduction to Solid State Electronics. Frank was known and respected by both the “old guard” and the many new-comers to the field of materials science. He recognized a need in the materials science literature for rapid communication of brief, timely reports without waiting the frequently many months for traditional publication. Thus, in 1982 Elsevier launched Materials Letters with a format that was visually appealing and employing an editorial procedure that was efficient and in some ways ahead of its time. The various editors, widely distributed geographically and according to scientific speciality, were charged with handling of the manuscripts, thus reducing the publication cycle. Frank was an active member of the Materials Research Society and the American Ceramics Society, of which he was a Fellow. During 199 l-l 993 he served with distinction as Program Director of Metals, Ceramics and Electronic Materials for the Division of Materials Research of the National Science Foundation. Frank is survived by his wife Kay and children Jennifer and Alex. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends. Herb Herman Stony Brook

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