Chemical Engineering Department Records, 1930-1966

Collection Overview

Title: Chemical Engineering Department Records, 1930-1966

Predominant Dates: 1947-1965

ID: RG 153

Primary Creator: Oregon State University. Department of Chemical Engineering

Extent: 0.1 cubic feet. More info below.

Arrangement: The records are arranged in two series: 1. General Reference File, 1930-1966 and 2. Chemical Engineering Building Construction Records, 1949-1954.

Languages of Materials: English [eng]

Abstract

The Chemical Engineering Department Records document the teaching and research activities of the department, primarily during the time that J.S. Walton was department head. The Chemical Engineering Department was established at Oregon State in 1917 and became a unit of the School of Engineering in 1932.

Scope and Content Notes

The Chemical Engineering Department Records document the teaching and research activities of the department, primarily during the period that J.S. Walton was department head in the 1940s and 1950s. The records include general reference files and records documenting the construction of the Chemical Engineering Building. The reference files consist primarily of correspondence, reports, publications, clippings, and related materials. They provide information about department faculty and graduate students, professional societies, honors, and awards. The reference files include materials pertaining to various research topics including atomic energy, electrostatic separation, mining and ores, raw materials, radioactive dating, polymerization, pollution, and stream improvement. The reference files are available only on microfilm. The materials pertaining to the Chemical Engineering Building are in paper form.

Biographical / Historical Notes

Chemical Engineering was established in 1917 as an independent department reporting directly to the President's Office; it was incorporated into the School of Engineering in 1932. The academic program in chemical engineering, also known as industrial chemistry, prepared undergraduate and graduate students for work in the chemical industry. Chemical engineering faculty are also involved in research to develop new technologies critical to Northwest industries such as electronics materials processing, forest products, and food science. During the 1950s, the department offered courses in nuclear engineering.

The Chemical Engineering Building was completed in 1955 with specialized teaching and research laboratories. It was later renamed in honor of George Gleeson. Gleeson joined the Oregon State faculty in chemical engineering in 1928; he was Chemical Engineering Department Head from 1937 until 1944, when he became the Dean of Engineering. J.S. Walton became the department head in 1945.

Administrative Information

More Extent Information: 1 box; 7 microfilm reels; 1 box

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.

Acquisition Note: The records were transferred to the Archives in at least two accessions in 1980 and earlier.

Related Materials: Additional materials pertaining to chemical engineering instruction and research are part of the College of Engineering Records (RG 062). The Facilities Services Records (RG 193) include materials documenting the construction of Gleeson Hall. The OSU Memorabilia Collection (MSS MC) includes clippings and other ephemeral items pertaining to the department.

Preferred Citation: Chemical Engineering Department Records (RG 153), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Creators

People, Places, and Topics

Chemical engineering--Study and teaching (Higher)--Oregon--Corvallis.
History of Science
Oregon State College--Faculty.
Oregon State College--Graduate students.
Oregon State College. Department of Chemical Engineering
Oregon State University--Faculty.
Oregon State University--Graduate students.
Oregon State University. Department of Chemical Engineering
University History

Box and Folder Listing

Series 1: General Reference File, 1930-1966

Series 1 consists of correspondence, reports, and related materials primarily created or assembled by department chair J.S. Walton during the 1940s and 1950s. The records document the teaching, research, and outreach activities of the department and include materials pertaining to professional societies; graduate students and faculty; and topics such as atomic energy, electrostatic separation, mining and ores, raw materials, radioactive dating, pollution and stream improvement,

Reel-Folder 1.1: Robert Adamson, 1947
Reel-Folder 1.2: American Chemical Society, 1957-1966
Reel-Folder 1.3: American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 1949-1961
Reel-Folder 2.3: American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 1961-1962
Reel-Folder 2.4: American Society of Electrical Engineers, 1950-1955
Reel-Folder 3.4: American Society of Electrical Engineers, 1955-1965
Reel-Folder 3.5: American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 1950
Reel-Folder 3.6: American Institute of Mining Engineers, 1951-1953
Reel-Folder 3.7: Applications - Staff Positions, 1954-1961
Reel-Folder 3.8: Atomic Energy, 1957-1966
Reel-Folder 3.9: Awards, 1955-1965
Reel-Folder 3.10: Bechtel Scholarships, 1955
Reel-Folder 3.11: T.D. Bhaskar, 1947-1949
Reel-Folder 3.12: General Correspondence and Department Reports of Monthly Activities, 1953-1954
Reel-Folder 3.13: Budget, 1948-1965
Reel-Folder 3.14: Building, 1964-1966
Reel-Folder 3.15: Bureau of Mines, 1951-1963
Reel-Folder 3.16: Bureau of Mines, Fellowship, 1963
Reel-Folder 3.17: Business Office, 1959-1961
Reel-Folder 3.18: John P. Chan, 1952-1954
Reel-Folder 3.19: John Clapp, 1951
Reel-Folder 4.19: John Clapp, 1951
Reel-Folder 4.20: General Correspondence, 1955-1965
Reel-Folder 4.21: Crown Zellerbach Company, 1952-1953
Reel-Folder 4.22: Dean, 1955-1965
Reel-Folder 4.23: Dow Fellowship, 1955-1966
Reel-Folder 4.24: Electrostatic Separation, 1950-1952
Reel-Folder 4.25: Equipment, 1950-1962
Reel-Folder 4.26: Experiment Station, 1953
Reel-Folder 4.27: Experiment Station and Extension, 1950-1955
Reel-Folder 4.28: Extension, 1961-1962
Reel-Folder 4.29: Field Trips, 1948-1955
Reel-Folder 5.29: Field Trips, 1955-1965
Reel-Folder 5.30: Food Technology Research, 1955
Reel-Folder 5.31: General Electric Research, 1950
Reel-Folder 5.32: Honor Societies, 1952
Reel-Folder 5.33: Honors - D.F. Rynning Award, 1954
Reel-Folder 5.34: Interviews, 1953-1964
Reel-Folder 5.35: James G. Knudsen, 1950-1951
Reel-Folder 5.36: Student Applications and Recommendations, 1951-1954
Reel-Folder 5.37: Mining and Ores, 1955-1958
Reel-Folder 5.38: Miscellaneous, 1950-1953
Reel-Folder 5.39: NASA, 1963
Reel-Folder 5.40: National Council for Stream Improvement, 1949-1951
Reel-Folder 5.41: National Science Foundation, 1959-1960
Reel-Folder 6.41: National Science Foundation, 1959-1960
Reel-Folder 6.42: News, 1949-1951
Reel-Folder 6.43: OSEA, 1961-1965
Reel-Folder 6.44: Pollution, 1948-1961
Reel-Folder 6.45: Polymerization, 1930-1946
Reel-Folder 6.46: Public Service, 1955-1962
Reel-Folder 6.47: Radioactive Dating Program, 1950-1955
Reel-Folder 6.48: Raw Material Survey, 1947-1959
Reel-Folder 6.49: Research, 1951-1966
Reel-Folder 6.50: William Schultz, 1964
Reel-Folder 6.51: Service Reports, 1957-1963
Reel-Folder 6.52: Kamal Kumar Sharma, 1963-1964
Reel-Folder 7.53: Staff, 1955-1963
Reel-Folder 7.54: Standard Oil Scholarship, 1956-1965
Reel-Folder 7.55: Subscriptions to News, 1950-1962
Reel-Folder 7.56: Walton's Correspondence, 1951-1953

Series 2: Chemical Engineering Building Construction Records, 1949-1954

Series 2 documents the planning and construction of the Chemical Engineering Building (Gleeson Hall). It includes correspondence and proposed specifications prepared in 1949 for a Chemical and Mining Engineering Building and the 1954 specifications for general construction and mechanical and electrical work on the Chemical Engineering Building.

Box-Folder 1.1