Theodore Rockwell Papers, 1915-2013

The Theodore Rockwell Papers document the life and career of Ted Rockwell, a member of the Manhattan Project, technical director for the U.S. Navy's nuclear propulsion initiative under Admiral H. G. Rickover, and co-founder of engineering firm MPR Associates, Inc. and nuclear advocacy group Radiation, Science, and Health, Inc. The collection includes correspondence, publications, research files, administrative documents, and memorabilia from his career. The collection also documents Rockwell's interest in parapsychology and includes extensive research materials on consciousness studies, telekinesis, dowsing, extraterrestrials, and other phenomena.

This collection contains electronic files received on hard drive and DVD that have been digitized. These files, including research papers, videos, and images, are available upon request.

Access to the Edward J. Bauser medical records in Series 7 is restricted due to the presence of confidential information. For more information about access to restricted materials, please see our Guide to the Special Collections and Archives Research Center.

The following folders in this collection have been digitized and available upon request: box-folder 6.7, 6.8, 11.3, 13.3, 14.2, 84.2, 14.6 - 14.9, 15.5 - 15.8, 16.1 - 16.8, 17.1 - 17.3, 20.7, 23.12 - 23.13, 24.1, 24.3, 36.4, 60.2, 76.8, 77.3 - 77.5, 80.1, 80.3, 80.5, 81.2, 81.4, and 82.1.

Scope and Content Notes

The Theodore Rockwell Papers are comprised of materials representing the career and personal interests of nuclear engineer, author, biographer, and parapsychology researcher Ted Rockwell. The collection includes personal and professional correspondence, extensive subject files, lecture and speech materials, engineering design documents, professional literature, biographical data, organizational administrative materials, photographs, and memorabilia documenting Rockwell's career in the field of nuclear engineering. These materials represent his work at Oak Ridge National Laboratories during and after the Manhattan Project, his role as Technical Director of the U.S. Navy's nuclear propulsion initiative, his work as co-founder and director of the engineering firm MPR Associates, Inc., and his service as Vice President of Radiation, Science, and Health, Inc.

Also included is an extensive body of material in the field of parapsychology including literature from scores of research and education organizations, articles, clippings, correspondence, and publications. Topics include psychokinesis, extrasensory perception, faith healing, and extraterrestrial life. The collection also represents significant organizations and individuals within the parapsychology community including the Parapsychological Association and the American Society of Dowsers, James Randi, Anne Gehman, and Bruce and John Klingbeil.

A record of Rockwell's extensive publishing history is also present within the collection and includes documents from his work on The Rickover Effect (a biography of Admiral Rickover), Creating the New World (an autobiographical history of early nuclear engineering), and The Virtual Librarian (a futuristic mystery novel), as well as numerous technical and popular articles in the fields of nuclear engineering, radiation health and safety, nuclear power, and parapsychology.

This collection contains electronic files received on hard drive and DVD that have been digitized. These files, including research papers, videos, and images, are available upon request.

Biographical / Historical Notes

Theodore Rockwell was an engineer deeply involved in the genesis of atomic energy through his participation in the Manhattan Project at Oak Ridge and, later, the development of the United States' nuclear-powered naval fleet. He co-founded MPR Associates, Inc., an engineering firm, and served as vice president of Radiation, Science, and Health, Inc., a not-for-profit special interest group supporting the development and adoption of nuclear energy as a power source. He was widely recognized as an authority on nuclear power, a prominent pro-nuclear activist, a respected biographer of Admiral Hyman Rickover, and an active member of the international parapsychology community.

Rockwell was born in Chicago in 1922 and raised in Winnetka, Illinois where he attended New Trier High School. In 1939, he entered the chemical engineering program at Princeton University. He received his bachelor's degree in 1943 and his master's in 1944. Beginning in 1943, Rockwell worked as a process improvement engineer in the Electromagnetic Separation Pilot Plant at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Later, he was promoted to head of Radiation Shielding Engineering. In December 1945, the Saturday Evening Post published an article by Rockwell entitled "Frontier Life Among the Atom Splitters," one of the first accounts of work on the Manhattan Project at Oak Ridge. Rockwell wedded his wife, Mary, at Oak Ridge in 1946.

In 1949, Rockwell left ORNL to begin work at the U.S. Naval Reactors Headquarters where he worked with the U.S. Navy and the Atomic Energy Commission to develop the world's first nuclear-powered fleet. In 1953, he became director of the Navy's Nuclear Technology Division where he oversaw the design of cooling and shielding systems for reactors. In 1955, he was named Technical Director of the Navy's nuclear program and reported directly to Admiral Hyman Rickover. Rockwell was instrumental in the design and construction of numerous historically significant vessels including the USS Nautilus, the USS Enterprise, and the USS Long Beach. In the course of his work with the Navy, Rockwell edited several important offerings in nuclear reactor design including The Reactor Shielding Design Manual and The Shippingport Pressurized Water Reactor, participated in nuclear submarine and aircraft carrier sea trials, and observed the detonation of a nuclear weapon at the Nevada Test Site.

In 1964, Rockwell co-founded MPR Associates, Inc. with fellow Navy Reactors alums Harry Mandil and Robert Panoff. The firm helped the U.S. Navy design a maintenance program for its nuclear submarine fleet, designed and tested components of the Loss-of-Fluid Test (LOFT) reactor facility at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, and conducted operations on post-meltdown Three Mile Island Reactor Two. During this time, Rockwell was also a research associate for the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Chairman of the Atomic Industrial Forum’s Reactors Safety Task Force, and Consultant to the Joint Congressional Committee on Atomic Energy. He retired from MPR in 1987 but continued in an active role in the company until his death. In 1996, James Muckerheide and Ted Rockwell co-founded Radiation, Science, and Health, Inc as president and vice president respectively. RSH was conceived as a direct response to the anti-nuclear movement and intended to influence regulatory reform within the nuclear power industry. Among RSH's activities was a 2000-2003 legal challenge to the Environmental Protection Agency's regulation of radionuclides in drinking water.

In addition to his long career in nuclear science and engineering, Rockwell was also a successful author. He published The Rickover Effect (a biography of Admiral Rickover), Creating the New World (an autobiographical history of early nuclear engineering), The Virtual Librarian (a futuristic mystery novel) and Vice Versa (a triology of plays), as well as numerous scientific and popular articles. Rockwell also cultivated an interest in the field of parapsychology, loosely defined as the study of paranormal phenomena including but not limited to extrasensory perception, psychokinesis, and psychic healing. Rockwell was an avid participant in the parapsychology community and maintained membership in numerous related organizations, published widely within the field, and even conducted research into psychokinesis.

Rockwell was the recipient of numerous awards and honors during his lifetime including the first American Nuclear Society Lifetime Achievement Award (1986), a Distinguished Service Medal from the U.S. Navy and the Atomic Energy Commission (1964), an honorary doctorate from Tri-State College (1960), and the Edward Teller Award (2006), and also held several patents in the field of nuclear engineering. Rockwell passed away on March 31, 2013.

Administrative Information

More Extent Information: 85 photographs, 7 microfiche, and 5 audiocassette tapes; 8 gigabytes of digital files including 615 digital images; 84 boxes, including 1 oversize box

Statement on Access: Access to the Edward J. Bauser medical records in Series 7 and is restricted due to the presence of confidential information. All other materials in this collection are open for research. For more information about access to restricted materials, please see our Guide to the Special Collections and Archives Research Center.

Acquisition Note: The Theodore Rockwell Papers were donated to the OSU Libraries Special Collections & Archives Research Center by the Rockwell estate in 2013.

Related Materials:

Other materials pertaining to nuclear science and engineering can be found in the Barton C. and Sally L. Hacker Nuclear Affairs Collection (MSS Hacker), Barton C. Hacker Papers (MSS HackerB), Charter Heslep Papers (MSS Heslep), Leonard M. Maki Nuclear Power Collection (MSS Maki), Ava Helen and Linus Pauling Papers (MSS Pauling), John C. Ringle Papers (MSS Ringle), E. Dale Trout Papers (MSS Trout), Chih H. Wang Papers (MSS Wang), Radiation Center Records (RG 202), and the History of Atomic Energy Collection (RB Energy).

In 2002, the Atomic Heritage Foundation conducted an oral history interview with Rockwell. A transcript and footage from the interview can be found on the Voices of the Manhattan Project site.

Preferred Citation: Theodore Rockwell Papers (MSS Rockwell), Oregon State University Special Collections & Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Processing Information: Electronic files received on hard drive and DVD were transferred for digital preservation. While temporary files were removed, all permanent files were maintained in their original arrangment except for the Rockwell family photos (on Rockwell 001) which were consolidated for preservation and access purposes. Files containing account credentials, health records, and financial information were removed from the access copy of the electronic records.

Theodore Rockwell Papers, 1915-2013

Collection Overview

Abstract

Scope and Content Notes

Biographical / Historical Notes

Administrative Information

Creators

People, Places, and Topics

Forms of Material

Box and Folder Listing