| Authorised form of name | Sargent; Wallace Leslie William (1935 - 2012) |
| Dates | 1935 - 2012 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Elsham, Lincolnshire |
| Date of birth | 15/02/1935 |
| Date of death | 29/10/2012 |
| Research field | Astronomical spectroscopy |
| Activity | Education:
Scunthorpe Technical High School; Manchester University, to read physics (1953-6), Ph.D. in Astrophysics in under two years under F D Kahn.
Career;
Recruited by Caltech as a research fellow in Astronomy. Returned to Britain in 1962 as senior research fellow, Royal Greenwich Observatory (1962-4); Assistant Professor of Astronomy at Caltech, 1964-1970, full professor there in 1971, and Ira S Bowen Professor of Astronomy in 1981. Executive Officer of Astronomy or Caltech 1975-1981, and 1996-1997. Director of Palomar Observatory 1997-2000.
Fellow of American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1977. Elected to the American National Academy of Sciences in 2005. Asteroid 11758 Sargent was named in his honour in 2006.
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| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 19/03/1981 |
| Age at election | 46 |
| Relationships | Married Anneila Cassells, a Scottish born astronomer who also became a professor of astronomy at Caltech, director of the Owens Valley Radio Observatory and president of the American Astronomical Society, and vice president at Caltech for student affairs in 1964. Two daughters. |
| Source | Obituary
The Telegraph, 7 January 2013 |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/181766110 |
| Code | NA3969 |
Archives associated with this Fellow
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| EC/1981/38 | Sargent, Wallace Leslie William: certificate of election to the Royal Society | 1978 |