Professor Robert Thornton Demonstrating Electronic Equipment to Students, San Francisco State College

Robert Thornton was a physicist and educator at San Francisco State College and became the university’s first Black dean of science. Known for his contributions to science education, he maintained a correspondence with Albert Einstein. Photographs such as this document his role in teaching and guiding students in laboratory settings. SF State's first Black dean of science, a physicist, educator and pen pals with Albert Einstein.

Devices in the image:

The main device on the table appears to be a vintage electronic testing instrument, likely from the 1950s or early 1960s. Based on the layout of:

• Multiple large rotary knobs

• Rows of toggle switches

• Banana plug jacks

• Carrying handles on the case

This is very likely a Wheatstone bridge unit or a precision resistance/capacitance measurement device, possibly used for:

• Calibrating components

• Teaching circuit theory

• Demonstrating impedance or resistance balancing

These instruments were common in electrical engineering departments for measuring extremely precise changes in resistance, often related to strain gauges, thermistors, or analog signal inputs.

The wall behind them is a patch panel or control matrix, used for re-routing electrical signals.

Credits: Robert Thornton's bio was provided by Meredith Eliassen and some technical descriptions and historical interpretations were developed with the assistance of ChatGPT, an AI language model by OpenAI.