Description
Professional papers regarding inventions and patents, with some personal papers. Of particular interest are Aiken's original
research journals. The collection contains photographs, photographic negatives, and a biography of Kurt von Tauchendorf, Aiken's
patent attorney, written jointly by Aiken and von Tauchendorf.
Background
William Ross Aiken was born February 19, 1919, in Maui, Hawaii. He attended Los Angeles City College for two years, but his
education was interrupted by war work. From 1941-1947, he worked in the Kaiser Shipyards in Richmond, California, as an electrical
and mechanical draughtsman and supervisor of communications. In 1946, he founded Ross Radio Corporation, wich produced high
quality radio-phonographs. Aiken graduated in 1947 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of California
at Berkeley, and subsequently joined the University of California Radiation Laboratory (now Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory),
where he developed instrumentation and controls for nuclear accelerators.
Restrictions
Property rights reside with History San Jose. For permissions to reproduce or to publish, please contact History San Jose
Research Library.
Availability
The Records are available to the public for research by appointment.