Rear Admiral William Sterling "Deak" Parsons (November 26, 1901 - December 5, 1953) is best known for being the weaponeer on the Enola Gay (at the time, had the rank of Captain).

He bridged the gap between pure science and engineering, between laboratory research and military application of that research. He played a key role in the design and deployment of the proximity fuse, and helped to research, develop, assemble, and finally drop the atomic bomb. Parsons crawled into the Arctic-cold bomb bay of the Enola Gay to arm the bomb. After World War II he became the US Navy's leading figure on nuclear issues.

The "Rear Admiral William S. Parsons Award for Scientific and Technical Progress" is established by the US Navy in his name.

He died of a heart attack at age 52 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Books

• Target Hiroshima: Deak Parsons and the Creation of the Atomic Bomb, Albert B. Christman, ISBN 1557501203