William Howell Pegram

Notes:

[Nola Pegram Duffy]

The home of W. H. Pegram in Durham, North Carolina was listed on North Carolina Registry of Historical places on November 29, 1979.

Pegram Hall was named after the family of William Howell Pegram who was the first professor of chemistry at old Trinity College which became Duke University. He was married to Annie Craven whose father was the founder of Trinity College when it was located near present day High Point, NC. William Howell Pegram had 3 sons and 3 daughters. The daughters all went on to become professors of chemistry and or math at Woman's College of UNC at Greensboro. None of the daughters married and after retirement they moved back to their father's home, which was located on the present site of Pegram Hall and they devoted the rest of their lives to working on various projects at Duke and left their estates to Duke University.

One son, George Braxton Pegram, went on to become a noted physicist and head of the physics department at Columbia. He also became head of the Atomic Energy Commission under Dwight Eisenhower.

There is a special collection of the papers of the Craven-Pegram family located in the library at Duke.

William married Emma Lenora Craven about 1869. Emma was born on 4 Dec 1845; died on 4 Jan 1904. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

[Nola Pegram Duffie]

George Pegram received his Ph.D. from Columbia in 1903. Except for a year spent studying in Europe (as a Tyndall Fellow in 1907-1908), he remained at the University and was a pillar of the Columbia scientific community throughout his entire academic life. He was an Assistant in Physics in 1900, and later Chairman of the Department. He became Dean of the School of Mines, Engineering and Chemistry in 1918, Treasurer of the American Physical Society from 1927-1937, Dean of the Graduate School in 1930, Vice President of the University in 1949 and Vice Chairman of the Central Advisory Committee to the Manhattan Engineering District during World War II.

Dr. Pegram was appointed Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Uranium in 1939 by President Roosevelt, immediately following the historical letter from Einstein about the importance of nuclear energy.

George married Florence Bement on 3 Jun 1909 in West Newton, Middlesex Co., Massachuttes. Florence was born on 10 Apr 1884 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; died after 1924. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

[Social Security Death Index]

Individual: Pegram, William
Social Security #: 163-05-4081
Issued in: Pennsylvania
Birth date: Oct 1, 1910
Death date: Nov 11, 1997
ZIP Code of last known residence: 19073
Primary location associated with this ZIP Code:
Newtown Square, Pennsylvania