1937
Dr. Lester is born in Chicago, Illinois to William Alexander Lester and Elizabeth Frances Clark Lester.
1958
Dr. Lester receives a Bachelor of Science from The University of Chicago.
1959
Dr. Lester receives a Master of Science from The University of Chicago and studies postgraduate courses at Washington University in St. Louis.
1961
Dr. Lester becomes a Physical Chemist at the National Bureau of Standards in Washington, D.C.
1964
Dr. Lester receives a Doctor of Philosophy from The Catholic University of America.
1964
Dr. Lester becomes a Postdoctoral Associate at the Theoretical Chemistry Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
1965
Dr. Lester is appointed Assistant Director of the Theoretical Chemistry Institute.
1966
Dr. Lester becomes a Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
1968
Dr. Lester joins the Research Staff of the IBM Research Laboratory in San Jose, California.
1975
Dr. Lester joins the Technical Planning staff of the T.J. Watson Research Center at IBM in Yorktown Heights, New York.
1976
Dr. Lester is promoted to Manager at the IBM Research Laboratory in San Jose, California.
1978
Dr. Lester is appointed Director of the National Resource for Computation in Chemistry, and concurrently an Associate Director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
1979
Dr. Lester receives the Percy L. Julian Award from the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers.
1981
Dr. Lester becomes a full Professor of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley.
1981
Dr. Lester becomes a Faculty Senior Scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
1983
Dr. Lester receives the Alumni Award in Science from The Catholic University of America.
1986
Dr. Lester receives the Outstanding Teacher Award from the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers.
1991
Dr. Lester is appointed Associate Dean of the College of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley.
1996
Dr. Lester receives the Outstanding Service Award from the National Science Foundation.
2010
Dr. Lester becomes a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Chemistry of the University of California, Berkeley.