Finding Aid for the William J. Dreyer Papers 1955-2006
Processed by Charlotte Erwin.
Caltech Archives
Archives
California Institute of Technology
1200 East California Blvd.
Mail Code 015A-74
Pasadena, CA 91125
Phone: (626) 395-2704
Fax: (626) 793-8756
Email: archives@caltech.edu
URL: http://archives.caltech.edu/
©2008
California Institute of Technology. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: William J. Dreyer Papers,
Date (inclusive): 1955-2006
Collection number: 10247-MS
Creator: Dreyer, William J. 1928-2004
Extent:
15.25 linear feet
Repository:
California Institute of Technology. Caltech Archives
Pasadena, California 91125
Abstract: The consulting files, patent files and correspondence, and a selection of working papers, general correspondence, and biographical
papers of the biochemist William J. Dreyer, known as the William J. Dreyer Papers in the California Institute of Technology
Archives. A specialist in molecular immunology, Dreyer was professor of biology at Caltech from 1963 until his death in 2004.
At Caltech he was involved in the creation of a series of automated instruments for high-sensitivity protein sequencing. He
held over 20 patents and was influential in the creation of the biotechnology industry.
Physical location: Archives, California Institute of Technology.
Languages represented in the collection: English
Access
The collection is open for research. Researchers must apply in writing for access. One file within general correspondence
is closed for privacy reasons.
Publication Rights
Copyright may not have been assigned to the California Institute of Technology Archives. All requests for permission to publish
or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Caltech Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf
of the California Institute of Technology Archives as the owner of the physical items and, unless explicitly stated otherwise,
is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], William J. Dreyer Papers, 10247-MS, Caltech Archives, California Institute of Technology.
Acquisition Information
The William J. Dreyer papers were donated to the Caltech Archives in 2008 by Janet Roman Dreyer, the creator's widow.
Biography
William Jakob Dreyer was born in Michigan and raised in Wisconsin and Oregon, with extended periods of visiting in Norway,
his father's homeland. He attended Reed College (BA 1952) and the University of Washington (PhD in biochemistry, 1956). Early
in his career he became interested in the molecular basis of development and heredity, and he also pioneered instruments that
automated chemical analyses. After a period at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he worked with C. Anfinsen,
G. Streisinger, and M. Nirenberg, he took a professorial appointment at Caltech in the biology division in 1963. His early
work at Caltech centered on investigations of genetic coding for protein structure using immunological techniques. He proposed
that genes could be reshuffled to provide additional information for the formation of proteins. With Leroy Hood and later
Michael Hunkapillar he worked on the design of an automated protein sequencer and was associated with the founding of the
company Applied Biosystems. Dreyer also consulted with many other biotech companies and held upwards of 20 patents on biochemical
apparatus and processes. He maintained a life-long interest in the human brain and how genes program behavior. Dreyer was
an early member of Caltech's innovative Beckman Institute and an enthusiastic promoter of computer imaging for biological
investigations.
Scope and Content
The decision was made to do minimal processing on the papers of William Dreyer in order to make the collection available for
research in a timely fashion. As a result, minimal sorting has been undertaken, and folders will often overlap or be redundant
in their contents. Many original folders have been retained, and the series order follows loosely the original order created
by Professor Dreyer. Discarding has been limited to obvious duplicate material (especially reprints) and some printed and
xerographic matter. The papers contain extensive material on Professor Dreyer's activities outside of Caltech, specifically,
his consulting work for biotechnology companies beginning in the early 1970s and continuing throughout his career. During
his consulting work, Dreyer invented and tested many instruments and methods for microchemical analysis for which he later
acquired patents. The patent files form the largest series in the papers and should be used in conjunction with the consulting
files, with which they overlap. Information on Dreyer's inventions, including the protein sequencer, may be found here. The
Caltech material in the collection is limited and incomplete but it gives some picture of his campus activities. The most
important files are those on his grants and on the Caltech Biology Division. A small set of biographical materials, a set
of reprints, and a small amount of visual material complete the collection.
The collection is organized into the following series:
- Series 1. Companies and consulting, ca 1970-2000. 9 boxes
- Series 2. Patents, ca. 1970-2006. 10 boxes
- Series 3. Professional activities miscellany, 1968-2003. 4 boxes
- Series 4. Biographical. One-half box
- Series 5. Reprints, 1955-2000. 5 boxes
- Series 6. Films and slides, 1973-1976. 1 storage box
Related Material
Oral history 1999 . This 129-page interview with Shirley K. Cohen covers Dreyer's personal life and scientific career. He recalls especially
his struggles to convince others of the validity of his ideas about image-thinking (per Roger Sperry's studies of the split
brain) and his novel approaches to the study of proteins. He also elaborates on conflicts with colleagues Hood and Hunkapiller
over invention of the protein sequencer.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
California Institute of Technology
Biochemistry
Biotechnology
Immunology
Occupations
Biochemists
Series 1.
Companies and consulting
ca 1970-2000
Physical Description: 9 boxes
Scope and Content Note
Files are roughly sorted and many are undated.
Arrangement
Files arranged in alphabetical order by company, with exception of subseries 2.
Subseries 1.
Companies
ca. 1970-2000
Physical Description: 7 boxes
Arrangement
Alphabetical order by company.
Scope and Content Note
Files are roughly sorted and many are undated.
Box 1
Companies A-Ca
ca. 1970-2000
Box 2
Companies Ca-D
ca. 1970-2000
Box 3
Companies E-G
ca. 1970-2000
Box 4
Companies H-Hy
ca. 1970-2000
Box 5
Companies Hy-I
ca. 1970-2000
Box 6
Companies I-N
ca. 1970-2000
Box 7
Companies O-Z
ca. 1970-2000
Subseries 2.
Research data, Cary Instruments
1970-1972
Physical Description: 2 boxes
Scope and Content Note
Contains unfoldered data notebooks and some files, along with data on multiple rolls of graph paper.
Box 8
Data notebooks, Cary Instruments
1970-1972
Box 9
Data sheets, Cary Instruments
ca. 1970
Physical Description: Rolls.
Series 2.
Patents
ca. 1970-2006
Physical Description: 10 boxes
Scope and Content Note
Files contain correspondence with patent lawyers and other patent specialists; general patent correspondence, including some
of Janet Roman Dreyer; and patent documents of various types.
Arrangement
Varies according to subseries.
Subseries 1.
Patent correspondence and documents
ca. 1970-2000
Physical Description: 2 boxes
Arrangement
Alphabetical order by name.
Scope and Content Note
Predominantly correspondence with lawyers and patent experts.
Box 10
Patent correspondence and documents, A- H
ca. 1970-2000
Box 11
Patents correspondence and documents, I-Z
ca. 1970-2000
Subseries 2.
Roland Hawes's files
1970s
Physical Description: 1 box
Arrangement
Labeled folders.
Scope and Content Note
Set of files apparently turned over to William Dreyer by Roland Hawes. Other material concerning Roland Hawes throughout collection.
Box 12
Roland Hawes's files
1970s
Subseries 3.
Patent documents
1972-1990s
Physical Description: 4 boxes
Arrangement
Chronological order.
Scope and Content Note
First two boxes in chronological order, 1971-1990s. Second two boxes specifically concern "Red Bombs," fluorescent beads invented
by William Dreyer for immunological reagent studies, 1972 through 1980s.
Box 13
Patent documents
1972-1976
Box 14
Patent documents
1976-1990s
Subseries 4.
Patent correspondence
1970s-2006
Physical Description: 3 boxes
Arrangement
Chronological.
Scope and Content Note
Overlaps with other patent correspondence; contains some correspondence of Janet Roman Dreyer between 2001 and 2006.
Box 17
Patent correspondence
1970s-1998
Box 18
Patent correspondence
1999-2000
Box 19
Patent correspondence
2001-2006
Note
Includes correspondence of Janet Roman Dreyer
Series 3.
Professional activities miscellany
1968-2003
Physical Description: 4 boxes
Scope and Content Note
First two boxes contain grant applications to both federal agencies and private foundations, beginning 1974. There is a small
general correspondence section in rough chronological order (one file closed for privacy reasons). The remaining files relate
to work done at Caltech and with JPL and include files on the Caltech Biology Division; the joint project on the clinical
mass spectrometer for JPL; a few student-related files; incomplete files on teaching (especially developmental biology); manuscripts
(especially the "Area Code" manuscript); miscellaneous notes; a few files on meetings and conferences.
Arrangement
Files by subject.
Box 22
General correspondence; Caltech and JPL
1968-2003
Note
The box contains a closed file.
Box 23
Teaching lectures, meetings, manuscripts notes
ca. 1970-2003
Series 4.
Biographical
Physical Description: One-half box
Scope and Content Note
Includes CVs and biographies, publications and patents lists, articles about WIlliam J. Dreyer, other personal material.
Arrangement
Files by subject.
Box 24
Biographical
ca. 1970-2003
Series 5.
Reprints
1955-2000
Physical Description: 5 boxes
Scope and Content Note
Articles authored by William J. Dreyer and by Dreyer with co-authors. A few miscellaneous reprints authored by others.
Arrangement
Original folders and labeling preserved. Multiples discarded.
Series 6.
Films and slides
1973-1976
Physical Description: 1 storage box
Scope and Content Note
3 reels of 7-inch and 24 reels of 3.5-inch film; small set of slides. Subject unknown.
Arrangement
Unsorted. Mostly boxed.
Box 30
Films and slides
1973-1976