Jean M. Bennett (1930–2008) was the first woman president of The Optical Society in 1986.
[1] She died on July 18, 2008, in Ridgecrest, CA after a long illness.
Bennett received her PhD in physics from Pennsylvania State University in 1955, and spent most of her career at the Naval Weapons Center (now the Naval Air Warfare Center) at China Lake, CA.
Bennett was an editor for Applied Optics and Optics Express.
[2] In recognition for her contributions to the studies of optical surfaces OSA established the Jean Bennett Memorial Student Travel Grant.