Conditions Governing Access
Conditions Governing Use
Preferred Citation
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Biographical / Historical
Scope and Contents
Processing Information
Existence and Location of Copies
Arrangement
General
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Albert R. Hibbs papers
Creator:
Hibbs, Albert R.
Identifier/Call Number: mssHibbs
Physical Description:
39.52 Linear Feet
(80 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1884-2009, bulk 1931-1999
Abstract: This collection contains the papers of
Albert R. Hibbs (1924-2003), a manager and scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The
collection documents his personal life and career at JPL, the relationships between JPL, the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the California Institute of
Technology (Caltech), and the development of the solar system exploration programs. Hibbs'
consulting work for television and radio programs, Biosphere 2, and Morgantown Area Rapid
Transit System (MARTS) are also documented.
Language of Material: English.
Conditions Governing Access
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information
Conditions Governing Use
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The
responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining
necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item]. Albert R. Hibbs Papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino,
California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Victoria Hibbs, March 1, 2010.
Biographical / Historical
Albert Roach Hibbs (1924-2003) was born in Akron, Ohio, on 19 October 1924. Raised nearby
in Chillicothe, Ohio, Al was the second child of Albert Samuel Hibbs, manager of the
Chillicothe Water Department, and Alberta Roach Hibbs, a chemist, and brother to older
sister, Agnes, born two years earlier in 1922.
Al Hibbs moved to southern California in 1942 to attend the California Institute of
Technology (Caltech) as an undergraduate student under the Navy's V-12 program, where he met
his lifelong friend and collaborator, Roy L. Walford, later a Professor of Pathology at UCLA
School of Medicine and a crew member of Biosphere 2. Hibbs earned his Bachelor of Science in
Physics from Caltech in 1945 and after a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy following World War
II, was awarded a Master of Science in Mathematics from the University of Chicago in 1947.
Prior to returning to California in 1950, he and Walford spent over a year traveling the
Caribbean aboard a 40-foot sailboat,
Adonde, after earning the
money to support the trip by exploiting the mechanical quirks of roulette wheels to beat the
odds in Reno in 1947 and in Las Vegas in 1948. In 1950 Hibbs began work as a research
engineer in the Research and Analysis Section at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), then a
rocket research laboratory operated by Caltech for the U.S. Army and transferred to the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) later that year. The following year he
returned to Caltech in pursuit of a Ph.D. in Physics, which he was awarded in 1955. As a
doctoral student, his advisor was Nobel physicist Richard Feynman; the two became close
friends and collaborators, coauthoring the textbook
Quantum Mechanics
and Path Integrals
, published in 1965.
Hibbs' theoretical work at JPL laid the foundation for the successful launching of the
country's first satellites and lunar probes. As the head of the Research and Analysis
Section, he was the systems designer for the first successful U.S. satellite, Explorer 1, in
1958. He helped create and served as Chief of the Space Sciences Division from 1960 to 1962,
designing instruments and carrying out scientific studies on the Moon and planets. He held
several other research and managerial positions during his tenure at JPL, including Senior
Staff Scientist of the Office of Plans and Programs (1967-1969), assigned to long-range
planning of Laboratory activities; Manager of Transportation Technology Office (1969-1970),
responsible for directing the application of space technology to the solution of problems in
transportation; Manager of Program Planning and Coordination (1976-1980), establishing new
space development programs and projects; Manager of Strategic Planning, developing concepts
for future space activities; and Manager of Space Science and Applications Program,
involving research in Earth and space sciences, instrument development, and preliminary
design studies of future space flights. He retired from JPL as the Director of Space Science
in November 1986.
Hibbs left JPL from 1962 to 1967 on special assignment as staff scientist for the Arms
Control Study Group (ACSG) of the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) to study
how arms-control treaties could be monitored from space.
Working independently, with Caltech, JPL, and NASA, and with local and national
broadcasting outlets, Hibbs hosted and produced a number of radio and television programs
for both adults and children during his career. Hibbs emerged as the "Voice of JPL" and
became the spokesperson for the unmanned spacecraft missions during the 1960s, 1970s, and
1980s. With an aptitude for making difficult science understandable, he chronicled for the
world, via television and radio, the Ranger and Surveyor missions to the Moon; the Mariner
missions to Venus, Mars, and Mercury; the Viking missions to Mars; and the Voyager missions
to the outer planets. He received numerous awards and honors for his television and radio
work, including the George Foster Peabody Broadcasting Award in 1963 for hosting the NBC
weekly children's television program "Exploring" which ran from 1962 to 1966. Additionally,
he received the Thomas Alva Edison Foundation National Media Award for "Exploring" in 1962
and 1965, and for his work on "World of Science" as the best science radio program for youth
in 1965. In 1984 he was awarded the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, "especially for his
outstanding achievements in explaining the complexities and significance of space
exploration to the general public via radio and television."
Hibbs maintained close ties to Caltech throughout his career and into retirement. From
1965 to 1974 he taught courses at Caltech in physics, government, national security, and
transportation issues. He performed with Men's Glee Club and in several theatrical
productions with Theater Arts at California Institute of Technology (TACIT) during the 1980s
and 1990s. In retirement, he was on the Board of Directors for both the Caltech Y and the
Volunteer Professionals for Medical Advancement (VPMA), a group of retired JPL engineers and
scientists working with local doctors and hospitals to develop new medical technologies.
He was active in a number of projects outside of JPL, including Biosphere 2 as a member of
the Project Review Committee from 1987 to 1992 and the Geosphere Project as a member of the
Eyes on Earth Board of Directors from 1989 to 1995. He was also involved in the development
of the Morgantown Area Rapid Transit System (MARTS), funded by the Urban Mass Transportation
Administration (UMTA), which he continued work on after JPL abandoned the system management
role.
Hibbs authored numerous articles on diverse subjects in a variety of publications, both
popular and technical. In addition to published works, he composed poetry, stories, and
script ideas that never reached publication. He also gave speeches on a variety of subjects
to diverse audiences ranging from professional organizations to neighborhood churches.
As a hobby he enjoyed making kinetic sculpture. He was also a member of the Southern
California Skeptics, a group affiliated with the Committee for the Scientific Investigation
of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) that aimed to promote and disseminate the fair and
accurate investigation of alleged claims of paranormal occurrences.
He married Florence Pavin in 1950; they had two children, Victoria Pavin Hibbs (b. 1954)
and Bart Dean Hibbs (b. 1955). Widowed in 1970, Hibbs remarried Marka Oliver in 1971; she
had two children from a previous marriage, Alicia Cortrite and Lawrence (Larry) Wilson.
Hibbs died on 24 February 2003 of complications following heart surgery at Huntington
Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, California, at the age of 78.
Scope and Contents
This collection documents the personal life and career of Albert R. Hibbs (1924-2003) as a
manager and scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the relationships between JPL,
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the California Institute of
Technology (Caltech), and the development of the solar system exploration programs. Hibbs'
consulting work for television and radio programs, Biosphere 2, and Morgantown Area Rapid
Transit System (MARTS) are also documented.
Although the collection arrived at The Huntington in disarray, original order of the
materials was maintained when possible and the arrangement reflects Hibbs' general
organization by correspondent, subject, or format of materials.
The collection is divided into ten series: Audio Visual Materials, Consulting Files, Jet
Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Notebooks, Personal Files, Photographs and Negatives,
Presentations and Speeches, Publications and Writings, Teaching Files, and Oversize. The
bulk of collection materials date from 1931 to 1999 and consists of audio and video tapes,
clippings, correspondence, memoranda, notes, photographs, publications, speeches, and
writings.
As the collection is arranged by both subject and format of the materials, researchers
should be aware that materials are often dispersed through the series. For example,
materials related to specific subjects are frequently represented in the JPL and Notebooks
Series; similarly, Hibbs' friendship and collaboration with Roy L. Walford is documented in
the Correspondence and Aging Research and Writings subseries of the Personal Series, in the
Space Biospheres Ventures subseries of the Consulting series, as well as in the Audio Visual
Materials Series. Correspondence is also dispersed throughout the series.
Related Acronyms
- AAAS: American Association for the Advancement of Science
- ABMA: Army Ballistic Missile Agency
- ACDA: Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (United States)
- ACSG: Arms Control Study Group
- AIA: Aircraft Industries Association
- AIAA: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
- ARC: Associated Retirees of Caltech/JPL
- CAB: Civil Aeronautics Board
- COSPAR: Committee on Space Research (ICSU)
- CRAF: Comet Rendezvous Asteroid Flyby
- CSIOP: Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal
- DSN: Deep Space Network
- DTMF: Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency
- ESA: European Space Agency
- FWHA: Federal Highway Administration
- GALCIT: Graduate Aerospace Laboratories at the California Institute of
Technology
- HAC: Hughes Aircraft
- ICSU: International Council of Scientific Unions
- IDRC: Industrial Development Research Council, Inc.
- IEEE: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
- IGY: International Geophysical Year
- IRAS: Infra-Red Astronomical Satellite
- JBIS: Journal of the British Interplanetary Society
- JEA: Joint Endeavor Agreement
- JPL: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- LDASE: Large Deployable Antenna Shuttle Experiment
- MARTS: Morgantown Area Rapid Transit System (UMTA)
- MWOA: Mount Wilson Observatory Association
- NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- NGC: New General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars
- NSTA: National Science Teachers Association
- OAST: Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology (NASA)
- ODAP: Orbital Data Acquisition Program (USAF)
- OSF: Office of Space Flight (NASA)
- PCC: Pasadena City College
- SAR: Synthetic Aperture Radar
- SEP: Solar Electric Propulsion
- SFOF Space Flight Operations Facility (JPL)
- SPFPAD: Spacecraft Performance and Flight Path Analysis Directorate
- SSDE: Shuttle Sail Deployment Experiment
- SSPS: Space Solar Power System
- STM: Scanning Tunneling Microscopy
- STS: Space Transportation System
- SURF: Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (Caltech/JPL)
- TIROS: Television Infrared Observational Satellite
- TACIT: Theater Arts at California Institute of Technology
- TSPD: Technology and Space Program Development
- UCLA: University of California-Los Angeles
- UMTA: Urban Mass Transportation Administration
- USAF: United States Air Force
- USC: University of Southern California
- USNR: United States Naval Reserve VOIR: Venus Orbiting Imaging Radar
- VPMA: Volunteer Professionals for Medical Advancement (Caltech)
- WAC: Without Attitude Control
- WESCON: Western Electronic Show and Convention
- WSF: World Space Foundation
Processing Information
Finding aid prepared by Brook Engebretson and Emily Wittenberg, November 29, 2011.
Existence and Location of Copies
Selected audiovisual items from this collection have been digitized and are noted in the
contents list. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for access.
Arrangement
Arranged in 10 series:
- Series 1: Audio Visual Materials (13 boxes, Boxes 1-13)
- Series 2: Consulting Files (5 boxes, Boxes 14-18)
- Series 3: Jet Propulsion Laboratory (15 boxes, Boxes 19-33)
- Series 4: Notebooks (7 boxes, Boxes 34-39)
- Series 5: Personal Files (9 boxes, Boxes 41-49)
- Series 6: Photographs And Negatives (17 boxes, 50-66)
- Series 7: Presentations And Speeches (5 boxes, Boxes 67-71)
- Series 8: Publications And Writings (5 boxes, Boxes 72-76)
- Series 9: Teaching Files (2 boxes, Boxes 77-78)
- Series 10: Oversize (2 boxes, Boxes 79-80)
General
Former call number: mssHibbs papers.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Asteroids.
Astronautical laboratories.
Biosphere 2 (Project)
Comets.
Explorer 1 (Artificial satellite)
Explorer 1 (Artificial satellite) -- Orbit.
Kinetic art.
Satellite image maps.
Satellites.
Solar system.
Space flight.
Space flight to asteroids.
Space flight to Jupiter.
Space flight to Mars.
Space flight to Mercury.
Space flight to the moon.
Space flight to the moon on television.
Space flight to Saturn.
Space flight to Venus.
Space industrialization.
Outer space -- Civilian use.
Outer space -- Exploration.
Science -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- United States
Science -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- United States
Science television programs.
Surveyor Program (U.S.)
Viking Mars Program (U.S.)
Voyager Project. Chillicothe (Ross County, Ohio)
Pasadena (Calif.)
Audiocassettes.
Audiotapes.
Astrophotographs.
Awards.
Cellulose nitrate film.
Clippings.
Documents.
DVDs.
Ephemera.
Letters (correspondence)
Lithographs.
Negatives (photographic).
Photocopies.
Photographic prints.
Scrapbooks.
Space photographs.
VHS.
Hibbs, Albert R. -- Archives
Feynman, Richard P. (Richard Phillips),
1918-1988
Walford, Roy L.
California Institute of Technology.
California Institute of Technology. Division of
Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy.
Earthwatch (Organization)
GeoSphere Project.
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (U.S.)
United States. Arms Control and Disarmament
Agency.
United States. National Aeronautics and Space
Administration.