His work in spectrochemistry is generally credited to have sparked interest in the field in the United States, leading to him being dubbed the Dean of American spectroscopists.[1]
In 1965, Dr. Meggers and his wife, Edith R. Meggers, donated their coin and stamp collections to the American Institute of Physics, for the express purpose of establishing a biennial award program for the improvement of physics teaching at the high school level.[3] Awards have been presented since 1994.
The Meggers crater on the Moon is named in his honor.
His daughter and oldest child was Betty J. Meggers, who also received her doctorate and became a noted archeologist at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, specializing in South American pre-Columbian archeology. He also had two sons, William F. Meggers Jr. (1924-2000) and John C. Meggers (1928-1966).
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