The Mark Zemansky Lecture, April 9, 2014

Mark W. Zemansky, (1900-1981) Professor of Physics, The City College of New York

Mark Waldo Zemansky (May 5, 1900 – December 29, 1981) was an American physicist and  for decades was Professor of Physics at the City College of New York.  He is best known for co-authoring University Physics, a highly regarded introductory physics textbook, with Francis Sears (thus, this book is often referred to as "Sears and Zemansky").

Mark Zemansky graduated from City College of New York in 1921, and went on to receive his Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1927.  In 1925, he joined the faculty of City College of New York.  Dr. Zemansky taught for over four decades at the City College of New York until 1967, retiring as Professor Emeritus of Physics. As chairman of the Physics Department from 1956 to 1959, he brought it into the modern era. From 1963 to 1966 he was the first executive officer of the City University's new doctoral program in Physics.  In 1956 he was awarded the Oersted Medal by the American Association of Physics Teachers.

Biography thanks to Wikipedia.