GRANITE CITY HIGH SCHOOL
CLASS OF 1957

William Q. Jeffers, Granite City Senior High School Class of 1957, has won recognition for his outstanding skills as an engineer and an entrepreneur, as Founder and President of Helios Inc., Longmont, Colorado. After completing his undergraduate work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1961, he continued his education at the University of Illinois, earning his M.S. and Ph.D. Degrees in Electrical Engineering/Physics. In 1960, the first ruby laser was discovered. His early interest in Quantum Electronics has led to a life-long career in lasers.

William stayed at the University of Illinois as a Research Associate and Assistant Professor until late 1968, when he joined the McDonnell Douglas Research Laboratories in St. Louis, Missouri. Remaining at M.D.R.L. until 1976, he became Senior Scientist and Leader of the Chemical and Molecular Laser Group. In addition to managing research contracts, he designed and built chemical lasers, electric discharge lasers, and visible lasers. From 1975 through 1977, he was a member of the Advisory Board on Surface Weapons, Naval Research Advisory Committee. In 1977-78, he chaired a Navy Advisory Panel on high-energy laser weapons.

Moving his family to Boulder, Colorado, in 1976, Dr. Jeffers founded Helios, beginning with the manufacture and sale of HF/DF chemical lasers to industrial, government, and university laboratories active in high-energy laser research. Over the years, the market has expanded to uses in medical research and to foreign research laboratories. Helios lasers are now in use in approximately 100 laboratories world-wide.

In the mid-1980’s Helios began expanding from laser manufacture into contract research in lasers and optics. Dr. Jeffers conceived and experimentally demonstrated the overtone HF chemical laser in 1984. Helios performed the early development and research on overtone HF lasers; since then the technology has evolved to large scale hardware at a major government contractor. Helios and Laser Power Optics have also been successful in producing and verifying the performance of large uncooled mirrors for weapons-scale HF lasers. Uncooled optics has significantly reduced the weight and cost of space-based lasers, making their deployment more practical.

In addition to defense research, Helios has conducted research and development in laser applications to ophthalmology. Two major projects have been supported by grants from the National Eye Institute: development of a laser trephination instrument for corneal transplantation surgery, and the discovery and development of ocular tissue welding using mid-infrared lasers. Laser tissue welding in eye surgery may replace or supplement sutures for closing incisions in the cornea or sclera, enabling people who undergo eye surgery to experience faster healing, fewer complications, and improved final vision.

William Q. Jeffers has published 28 papers covering far infrared, visible, and chemical lasers, and five patents have been issued on related work. His most gratifying honor, he says, was the University of Illinois’ Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Distinguished Alumnus Award, which he received in 1993. From a field of approximately 20,000 graduates of the ECE Department at the University of Illinois, only five are selected annually to receive this award.

Bill Jeffers and his late wife, Freelyn Arbeiter (Granite City Senior High School Class of 1960) have two sons, William F. and David F. Jeffers. His main outside interest is flying (he is a multi-engine instrument-rated pilot), and he is a serious reader of Greek, Roman, and European history and literature, as well as a student of the War Between the States and military histories of World Wars I and II. Dr. Jeffers serves on the Board of Directors of the Boulder Bach Festival and is a member of the Vocal Advisory Board for the College of Music at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is also active in the M.I.T. Alumni Club of Colorado and the Ivy+ group of Denver. Ivy+ is an alumni organization including the Ivy League Schools plus M.I.T. and Stanford. Both in terms of effort and money, Bill Jeffers has willingly contributed to his church and to charitable organizations in his community.