Robert J. Van de Graaff invented a particle accelerator named for him that tremendously advanced research in nuclear physics. He devoted his life to the improvement and commercial construction of his Van de Graaff accelerator, which has found widespread application in nuclear research, medicine, and industry around the world. At the time of his death, he was immersed in an effort to further extend the capabilities of his accelerator. Robert Jemison Van de Graaff was born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. His mother was Minnie Cherokee Hargrove, and his father was Adrian Sebastian Van de Graaff, a jurist. He was educated in Tuscaloosa's public schools, and then attended the University of Alabama, from which he received his B.S. degree in 1922 and his M.S. degree in 1923, both in mechanical engineering. After graduation, Van de Graaff worked for the Alabama Power Company for a year as a research...