Robert Dale Hall Papers, 1900-1983

Title: Robert Dale Hall Papers, 1900-1983

Predominant Dates: 1911-1936

ID: MSS HallRobert

Primary Creator: Hall, Robert Dale (1947-)

Extent: 0.35 cubic feet. More info below.

Languages of Materials: English [eng], French [fre], German [ger]

The Robert Dale Hall Papers consist of materials created and assembled by Hall in the course of his doctoral research at Oregon State University on the education of American research astronomers.  The bulk of the materials are photocopies of archival materials pertaining to astronomers at the Lick Observatory.  Correspondence and writings of the following astronomers and scientists are included:  W.W. Campbell; H.D. Curtis; Albert Einstein; E.F. Freundlich; George Ellery Hale; C.L. Poor; T.J. See; and R.J. Trumpler.  The collection also includes reproductions of papers by Henri Poincaré, Jean Perrin, Ejnar Hartzsprung, and Karl Schwarzschild as well as selected papers from L’Astronomie,  Bulletin Astronomique, and Astronomische Nachrichten.  The collection includes materials written in French and German in addition to English.

Of special note are documents referring to the 1919 solar eclipse.

The collection also includes materials (1982-1983) documenting a graduate student travel award to Hall  from the OSU chapter of Sigma Xi to present a paper on his dissertation research at the American Astronomical Society meeting in January 1983.

Robert Dale Hall earned a Ph.D. in History of Science from Oregon State University in 1999 with the dissertation, Education of American Research Astronomers, 1876-1941.  Hall enrolled at Oregon State as a doctoral student in 1976 and was in residence on the Corvallis campus until about 1984.  He completed his dissertation in August 1998.   He was awarded a travel award from the OSU Chapter of Sigma Xi to present a paper on his dissertation research at the American Astronomical Society meeting in January 1983.  Hall led the OSU Solar Eclipse Expedition to observe the 1979 total solar eclipse over Oregon in Madras, Oregon.

Hall earned a BA degree from Oregon State University in 1969.  He studied astrophysics at Rice University before returning to Oregon State as a doctoral student.

More Extent Information: 1 box

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.

Acquisition Note: These materials were acquired by the Special Collections and Archives Research Center in 2016 from General Science Department records that had been stored with Oregon State University Libraries.

Related Materials: The Special Collections and Archives Research Center includes numerous and extensive collections on the history of science, including the papers of two History of Science faculty:  Paul Lawrence Farber, Mary Jo Nye, and J. Brookes Spencer.  Hall's dissertation, Education of American Research Astronomers, 1876-1941, is available online.

Preferred Citation: Robert Dale Hall Papers (MSS HallRobert), Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries, Corvallis, Oregon.

Hall, Robert Dale (1947-)

Astronomers--United States.
Astronomy--Study and teaching--United States.
History of Science
Oregon State University--Graduate work.
Society of the Sigma Xi. Oregon State University Chapter
Solar eclipses.
University History