From Dror Warschawski (NMR web database):
Some of the people who use NOESY or DNP on a daily basis know about the Overhauser effect without necessarily knowing that it bears the name of the person who discovered it.
It was first mentionned in 1953: Overhauser A.W., Phys.Rev. 91, 476 (1953), immediately confirmed by Carver and Slichter in Phys.Rev. 92, 212-213 (1953) and better described in Overhauser A.W., Polarization of Nuclei in Materials, Phys.Rev. 92, 411-415 (1953), that was cited over 600 times.
http://www.physics.purdue.edu/about_us/history/Albert_W_Overhauser.shtml
Well, this giant of the magnetic resonance community is no longer with us, Albert Overhauser passed away quietly on Saturday, at age 86. You can find his obituary and leave condolence messages here:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/jconline/obituary.aspx?n=albert-overhauser&pid=155008617