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Collection Guide

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Albert R. Hibbs Papers, 1884-2009

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Table of contents

CONTAINER LIST

Series 1: Audio Visual Materials 1963, 1965-1968, 1970, 1976, ca. 1977, 1979-1989, 1991-1993, 1996-1997, 2001-2002, n.d.

Physical Description: 13 boxes

Scope and Content Note

Arranged by format, then by subject or producer within, the series contains audio tapes and cassettes, videos, and films that document Hibbs‟ personal life and career at JPL. Walford and Biosphere 2 are a well represented topic in the video tapes subseries. The Voyager Program is well documented in the audio tapes and cassettes, as well as in the videos and films subseries. The series contains oral histories of Hibbs, A.M.O. Smith, Thomas V. Jones, and Dr. Lew Allen. Researchers should be aware that this material was not reviewed for content or quality; as such, the titles may not exactly reflect the contents of the materials.

Series 2: Consulting Files 1950, 1952, 1960-1967, 1969-1975, 1980-1981, 1983-2000, 2002-2003, n.d.

Physical Description: 5 boxes

Scope and Content Note

Arranged alphabetically by subject, the series contains brochures, correspondence, research materials, notes, publications, photographs, scripts, and clippings that document Hibbs‟ involvement in television and media projects, the Arms Control Study Group (ACSG) of the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA), Eyes on Earth and the Geosphere Project, the Urban Mass Transportation Administration‟s (UMTA) Morgantown Area Rapid Transit System (MARTS), and the World Space Foundation‟s (WSF) Shuttle Sail Deployment Experiment (SSDE). The Biosphere 2 subseries is especially rich as Hibbs served on the Project Review Committee and exchanged experiment data and correspondence with crew member Roy L. Walford during its two year operation.

Series 3: Jet Propulsion Laboratory 1955, 1957-1997, 1999-2000, 2007-2009, n.d.

Physical Description: 15 boxes

Scope and Content Note

Arranged alphabetically by subject or format, the series contains correspondence, brochures, employee newsletters, oral histories, reports, press releases, scrapbooks, lithographs, clippings and publications related to Hibbs‟ work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). As JPL is managed by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), some materials relate specifically to these institutions. The largest subseries contains materials related to the Solar System Exploration Programs and consists primarily of brochures, press releases, photographs, lithographs and clippings meant for public consumption; documentation of the internal technical processes and decisions made during the design and development stages of the programs are lacking. Several subseries pertain to individuals, including Eleanor Helin, astronomer and discoverer of comets and asteroids; Raymond Lyttleton, colleague of Hibbs in comet research and investigator in the mass of Mercury; and William H. Pickering, director of JPL from 1954 to 1976. Correspondence, primarily outgoing, is arranged chronologically and by subject and was likely maintained by an assistant to Hibbs. A small number of separate files for incoming correspondence have been combined with the chronological series to avoid duplication and facilitate research. Topics include the Planetary Grand Tour and formation of a Data Section within the Space Science Division, as well as miscellaneous daily activities, inter-office communications, institution-wide memorandums and correspondence regarding Hibbs‟ numerous speaking and writing engagements.

Series 4: Notebooks 1956-1958, 1960-1996, n.d.

Physical Description: 7 boxes

Scope and Content Note

The series consists of notes and is divided into three subseries, Appointment Books, Miscellaneous, and Technical Notes. Within the subseries, materials are arranged by format and chronologically or alphabetically.

The Appointment Books, maintained by Hibbs, contain brief personal and work related schedule notes. The Notebooks and Steno Books constitute the bulk of the Miscellaneous subseries. The Notebooks contain diverse notes on a variety of topics ranging from the space program to finding an apartment. An early Steno book was labeled “phone notes” and the entries throughout the books are detailed, personal, handwritten notes taken during phone conversations, meetings, or conferences. Each entry is typically prefaced with the date, participants, and the subject of discussion. The Steno Books are full of notes on a wide range of topics, including Morgantown, space studies and exploration, microscopes, and the development of medical technologies such as tissue cultures, hearing implants, and neurobiology. Other topics include the space shuttle, solar system exploration and solar sailing, lunar programs, the deep space network, asteroids, “Why Explore Space,” Earth sciences and applications, analytical instrumentation, the space lab and space station, LESS Workshop, EEIS (End to End Information System), global habitization, atmospheric research, materials processing, and oceanography. In addition, JEA (Joint Endeavor Agreement), ESA (European Space Agency), Venus balloons, CRAF (Comet Rendezvous Asteroid Flyby), Explorer proposals, SCORE, TSPD (Technology and Space Program Development), OAST (Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology), and Mars are topics during the 1980s.

Technical notebooks contain notes of a technical, mathematic, and/or scientific nature. Notebooks labeled “Deal 1” and “Deal 2” reference the Explorer 1 and 2 launches attended by Hibbs. Explorer program material is also located in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Series, however it is primarily published and promotional records. Hibbs‟ attempts at designing microcomputers for various functions are also documented in the Technical Notes subseries.

Series 5: Personal Files 1884-1885, 1910, 1931-1933, 1940, 1942-1953, 1955, 1957-2001, 2003-2007, n.d.

Physical Description: 9 boxes

Scope and Content Note

Arranged alphabetically by subject, the series contains correspondence, awards, clippings, research materials and notes, presentation transcripts, and ephemera that document Hibbs‟ personal interests and research, family, education, and activities outside the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Of particular interest is his Scientist as Astronaut application. Hibbs and Walford‟s travels to Reno and Las Vegas to play roulette and their subsequent trip aboard the Adonde are documented in the Adonde Trip and Roulette subseries. The Earthwatch subseries contains transcripts of presentations Hibbs gave following his adventures with the organization. Hibbs‟ performances in Theater Arts of California Institute of Technology (TACIT) productions and his work as a member of the Board of Directors for the Volunteer Professionals for Medical Advancement (VPMA) are documented in the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) subseries. The Aging Research and Writings subseries documents his studies in the area and Hibbs‟ creation of metal sculptures is documented in the Kinetic Art subseries. Correspondence is dispersed throughout the series; of particular interest are Hibbs‟ and his sister, Agnes‟, correspondence with their father located in the Family History Materials subseries, and Walford‟s incoming and outgoing correspondence with Hibbs in the Correspondence subseries.

Series 6: Photographs And Negatives ca. 1870s-1890s, 1906, ca. 1900s, 1912-1915, ca. 1910s, 1922, 1924-1926, ca. 1927, 1928-1936, ca. 1930s, 1938-1952, ca. 1950s, 1955-1987, 1989-1992, 1996, 2000-2001, ca. early 2000s, 2005, n.d.

Physical Description: 17 boxes

Scope and Content Note

Arranged by subject and alphabetically within, the series contains photographs, negatives, and photographic slides that document the personal life and family of Hibbs, the development of JPL and early satellite programs, and Hibbs‟ involvement in the broadcasting of satellite programs at the Space Flight Operations Facility (SFOF) and as host of the children‟s television program, “Exploring.” The Broadcasting, JPL, and Personal subseries represent the bulk of images. Within the Personal subseries, which contains an extensive collection of early family photographs, arrangement is both chronological and by subject. The chronologically arranged materials originally arrived in two boxes, one primarily negatives and labeled by month of year and the other box of photographs only, grouped in three or six month increments; these have been combined into one chronological sequence with the original description maintained. Scrapbooks and photographic slides are organized by material type and are therefore located at the end of the series; four slide show carousels contain images taken by Hibbs between 1946 and 1951, including his trip aboard Adonde with Roy L. Walford.

Series 7: Presentations And Speeches 1958-1962, 1964-1968, 1970, 1974-1975, ca. 1970s, 1977-1990, 1992-1993, 1995-1997, 2000, n.d.

Physical Description: 5 boxes

Scope and Content Note

Arranged chronologically, the series contains correspondence, drafts, outlines, notes, and ephemera that document Hibbs‟ extensive public speaking engagements. Hibbs spoke on a wide range of topics to varied audiences, including professional organizations, educators and students, JPL and Caltech employees, and community groups. Topics include exploring the solar system and Earth, the future of technology and space exploration, JPL projects and history, as well as personal travel.

Hibbs maintained a folder of correspondence with his agent, Bill Cooper Associated, Inc., which is located in this series. In addition to general discussions regarding speeches and presentations, the miscellaneous correspondence includes potential television and film consulting requests.

Hibbs frequently gave slide show presentations, many along with his speeches. Therefore, the drafts are often of the technical direction of the slide programs or the dialog to accompany the images.

Series 8: Publications And Writings 1943, 1951-1970, 1972-1975, 1977, 1979, 1982-1983, 1985-1987, ca. 1998, n.d.

Physical Description: 5 boxes

Scope and Content Note

Arranged alphabetically by format and chronologically within, the series contains memoranda, clippings, book reviews, notes, drafts, correspondence, photographs, papers, reports, publications and Hibbs‟ doctoral thesis. Topics include space exploration programs, JPL industry projects and internal progress reports, arms control, global space and military endeavors, science and mathematics education, as well as predictions of an extraterrestrial presence in the universe. Writings were published in domestic and international journals, local and national newspapers, and books.

Series 9: Teaching Files 1972-1976, n.d.

Physical Description: 2 boxes

Scope and Content Note

Arranged by course and chronologically within, the series documents Hibbs‟ teaching at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) during the 1970s. Lecture notebooks from Physics 1 and 2 represent the bulk of the materials.

Series 10: Oversize 1890-1935, 1938, 1945, 1955, 1957, ca. 1958, 1959, 1962-1963, ca. 1964, 1965, ca. 1966, ca. 1971, 1980-1981, 1984, 1986, ca. early 2000s, n.d.

Physical Description: 2 boxes

Scope and Content Note

Arranged by material type and by subject within, the series contains award certificates, correspondence, photographs, and publications. The Family Scrapbook is of particular interest as it contains name and date information not provided elsewhere in the collection.

CONTAINER LIST

Series 1: Audio Visual Materials 1963, 1965-1968, 1970, 1976, ca. 1977, 1979-1989, 1991-1993, 1996-1997, 2001-2002, n.d.

Series 2: Consulting Files 1950, 1952, 1960-1967, 1969-1975, 1980-1981, 1983-2000, 2002-2003, n.d.

Series 3: Jet Propulsion Laboratory 1955, 1957-1997, 1999-2000, 2007-2009, n.d.

Series 4: Notebooks 1956-1958, 1960-1996, n.d.

Series 5: Personal Files 1884-1885, 1910, 1931-1933, 1940, 1942-1953, 1955, 1957-2001, 2003-2007, n.d.

Series 7: Presentations And Speeches 1958-1962, 1964-1968, 1970, 1974-1975, ca. 1970s, 1977-1990, 1992-1993, 1995-1997, 2000, n.d.

Series 8: Publications And Writings 1943, 1951-1970, 1972-1975, 1977, 1979, 1982-1983, 1985-1987, ca. 1998, n.d.

Series 9: Teaching Files 1972-1976, n.d.

Series 10: Oversize 1890-1935, 1938, 1945, 1955, 1957, ca. 1958, 1959, 1962-1963, ca. 1964, 1965, ca. 1966, ca. 1971, 1980-1981, 1984, 1986, ca. early 2000s, n.d.

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