George E. Duvall, a pioneer of shock physics research, joined the WSU faculty in 1964 after leaving his position as director of the Standford Research Institute Poulter Lab. At WSU, Duvall established the WSU Shock Dynamics Laboratory in 1968 and supervised the doctoral dissertation of more than 25 students. His work was instrumental in furthering research efforts to seek a microscopic understanding of shock-induced changes in condensed materials. Duvall retired from WSU in 1988 and passed away in 2003 in Vancouver.