Thomas Parmley

Thomas Parmley was a pioneering figure in the Physics Department at the University of Utah, earning the institution's first B.S. degree in physics in 1921. Born on November 2, 1897, in Scofield, Utah, he graduated from the first senior class of Jordan High School in 1915 before joining the university. While serving as an instructor there, he obtained his Ph.D. in physics from Cornell University in 1927. Parmley advanced to Professor of Physics and contributed to the department's official founding in 1927 as one of its inaugural professors under Chair Orin Tugman. He served as department chairman from 1957 to 1963, retired formally in 1967, but taught select courses until age 82. Throughout his seven-decade tenure, he instructed more than 50,000 students, famed for his captivating, humorous lecture demonstrations that clarified intricate physical concepts.

Parmley's research focused on nuclear physics, including work at the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory cyclotron in Berkeley, California, and projects with the Atomic Energy Commission and National Bureau of Standards. Notable publications include "The Radioactivities of Some High Mass Isotopes of Cobalt" in Physical Review (1949, co-authored with B. J. Moyer and R. C. Lilly) and "Apparatus for Teaching Physics: Lecture Demonstrations for the High School Science Teacher" in The Physics Teacher (1956). He founded the Academic Year Institute to prepare Utah high school science teachers and held the role of Radiological Chief for Utah Civil Defense for over a decade. Awards include an honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Utah (1982) and designation as Centennial Professor (1996). His influence persists via the Thomas J. Parmley Scholarship Fund for physics undergraduates. Parmley exemplified dedication to physics education and research at the University of Utah.