Collection Guide
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Beyster (J. Robert) Collection
MSS 0658
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla 92093-0175
Title: J. Robert Beyster Collection
Identifier/Call Number: MSS 0658
Physical Description:
121 Linear feet
(292 archives boxes, 2 cartons, 1 card file box, 4 art bin items, 2 flat boxes)
Physical Description:
379 GB
of digital files
Date (inclusive): approximately 1940-2016
Abstract: The J. Robert Beyster Collection documents the career and business records of Dr. J. Robert Beyster (1924-2014), the founder,
former chairman and chief executive officer of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), the San Diego based
employee-owned research and development firm launched in 1969.
Languages:
English
.
Scope and Content of Collection
The J. Robert Beyster Collection documents the career and business records of Dr. J. Robert Beyster (1924-2014), the founder,
former chairman and chief executive officer of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), the San Diego based
employee-owned research and development firm launched in 1969. The first part of the collection includes photographs, recognition
and achievements, writings, transcripts of speeches, and other materials from Dr. Beyster's life, including his early days
prior to the founding of SAIC, his business career, and post-retirement period. The second, more voluminous part of the collection
consists of the business records of SAIC. The records document the company's development and growth, its management structure,
major contracts and awards, technological innovations, Dr. Beyster's memoranda and notebooks, and SAIC's culture and commitment
to the values of employee ownership over three decades of operations.
Dr. Beyster's Papers are arranged in six series: 1) BIOGRAPHICAL, 2) HONORS AND RECOGNITION, 3) EARLY YEARS, 4) WRITINGS,
5) SPEECHES AND PRESENTATIONS, and 6) PHOTOGRAPHS AND PORTRAITS.
The SAIC Records are arranged in fourteen series: 7) BOARD OF DIRECTORS, 8) COUNCILS AND COMMITTEES, 9) MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION,
10) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (IR AND D), 11) DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, 12) GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS, 13) INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS,
14) SUBSIDIARIES AND ACQUISITIONS, 15) NOTEBOOKS, 16) EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP, 17) SAIC PUBLICATIONS, 18) PRESS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS,
19) AMERICA'S CUP, and 20) AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS.
John Robert Beyster (1924-2014) was born in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from high school in 1942, and immediately enlisted
in the U.S. Navy. Following an aptitude assessment, Beyster was selected to continue his education in math and physics at
the University of Michigan. After a brief period in the service, Beyster returned to the University of Michigan for his MS
and PhD in nuclear physics.
Dr. Beyster initially worked at Westinghouse's Atomic Power Division, but soon moved to the Los Alamos National Laboratory
in New Mexico to work as a research physicist. In 1955 he married Betty Beyster in Austin, Texas, and in 1957 they moved to
San Diego, where Dr. Beyster led the Accelerator Physics Department at General Atomics. He remained at General Atomics for
nearly twelve years, engineering a linear accelerator.
Seeking new opportunities to further his technical interests and entrepreneurial ambition, Beyster launched Science Applications,
Inc. in 1969 (later renamed Science Applications International Corporation, or SAIC). The firm's initial emphasis was on nuclear
power, research, and weapons effects study programs, primarily under government contracts. Diversifying rapidly under his
leadership, SAIC grew to provide high-technology services and products to government and commercial customers in areas of
national and international security, systems integration, information technology, transportation, telecommunications, health
systems, energy, and environmental systems and engineering. From its earliest days, the privately-held SAIC was designed on
model of employee ownership, whereby employees of the company shared profits, were the sole owners of stock, and had responsibility
for business development. SAIC focused on recruiting and retaining high-level technical staff and entrepreneurs to expand
into new business areas and push innovation. Dr. Beyster remained at the helm of SAIC as the chairman and chief executive
officer until his retirement on July 16, 2004.
Dr. Beyster's belief in employee-ownership business models inspired him to found the Foundation for Enterprise Development
(FED) in 1986. Through research fellowships, educational opportunities, business literature, conferences, and other means,
the FED sought to promote the "sustainability and growth of U.S.- based science and technology companies through research,
education, and services that advance innovation, entrepreneurship and broad-based ownership." In 2002, the FED founded the
Beyster Institute to further promote the visionary ideas of Dr. Beyster and his commitment to innovation in business management,
entrepreneurship, and employee ownership. In 2004, the Beyster Institute joined the Rady School of Management at UC San Diego,
where it continues to promote the understanding and practice of employee ownership as an effective and responsible business
model through education initiatives and consulting.
Dr. Beyster produced over 60 publications and technical reports, many of which are included in the collection, and authored
The SAIC Solution: How We Built an $8 Billion Employee-Owned Technology Company (2007). Dr. Beyster was a noted expert on national security issues and reactor physics, and served as a member of the Scientific
Advisory Group to the Director, Strategic Target Planning Staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in addition to other consulting
roles. Dr. Beyster was a fellow of the American Nuclear and American Physical Societies, a member of the National Academy
of Engineering, and Chairman Emeritus of the UC San Diego Foundation's Board of Directors. He was recognized throughout his
career, particularly later in his life, with numerous awards and distinctions of honor bestowed by both the business and government
communities.
J. Robert Beyster passed away at his home in La Jolla, California in December 2014.
J. Robert Beyster Collection. MSS 658. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego.
Acquired 2016
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. ALLOW ONE WEEK FOR RETRIEVAL OF MATERIALS.
Publication rights are held by the creator of the collection.
A selection of reformatted photographs and texts, and exclusively digital content, is available through the UC San Diego Library
Digital Collections website and linked in the finding aid, below.
Foundation for Enterprise Development Records. MSS 796. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego.
https://library.ucsd.edu/speccoll/findingaids/mss0796.html