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Lewis (Edward B.) Papers
10225-MS
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Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
California Institute of Technology Archives and Special Collections
Title: Edward B. Lewis Papers
Creator:
Lewis, Edward B., 1918-2004 (Biologist, Geneticist)
Identifier/Call Number: 10225-MS
Physical Description:
22.5 linear feet
(53 standard archival boxes, 2 half size archival boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1917-2004
Date (bulk): 1946-1996
The collection is open for research. Researchers must make an appointment for access. Some
files are closed due to privacy and confidentiality. Consult the Caltech Archives for more
information.
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 Archives. 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.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Original accession acquired from the Edward B Lewis estate in 2004. Additional accessions
acquired from the Caltech Biology Division, E. Meyerowitz, and Stephanie Canada from 2004
through 2008.
Charlotte E. Erwin began processing the collection, through 2008-2010. Penelope Neder-Muro
completed processing the papers in November 2018. The audiovisual and digital material,
which includes VHS, reels, and compact discs of computer files are unprocessed.
Edward Butts Lewis was born on May 20, 1918 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He earned his
Bachelor's degree in Biostatistics from the University of Minnesota in 1939. Under the
guidance of Alfred S. Sturtevant, Lewis earned his PhD from Caltech in 1942. During World
War II, Lewis served as a meteorologist and oceanographer in the United States Army Air
Force. From 1946-1948, Lewis began his teaching career as Instructor, and advanced to
Assistant, Associate Professor, Professor through 1948-1966, and Thomas Hunt Morgan
Professor of Biology from 1966-1988. He became emeritus in 1988 until his passing on July
21, 2004.
In 1995, Lewis won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, and shared a third of the
prize with Christiane Nüsslein-Vollhard and Eric F. Wieschaus, "for their discoveries
concerning the genetic control of early embryonic development."
For more information on Edward Lewis, the transcript to his 1984 oral history conducted by
Rachel Prud'homme can be found at
Caltech Archives Oral
Histories
The Edward B. Lewis papers collection document his professional work as a geneticist. Some
materials of interest include Lewis's lab notebooks regarding his work in Drosophila
research, genetics, and radiation studies. The collection also has correspondence with
professional colleagues and many archival boxes of material related to his winning of the
Nobel Prize, including congratulatory notes and ceremony festivities documents. There are
also many photographic prints of scanning electron microscope images of mutant drosophila,
and also some personal family photos.
The Edward B. Lewis Papers are housed in 53 archival boxes and 2 half size archival boxes.
The papers are organized into five series, with all series containing subseries: 1.
Correspondence, 2. Scientific Notes and Writings, 3. California Institute of Technology, 4.
Biographical and Personal, 5. Photographs and Audiovisual.
Series 1: Correspondence is organized into four subseries. Subseries 1: General
correspondence, is in alphabetical order according to personal name, and according to
university or organization name. Subseries 2: Recommendations are in alphabetical order. All
correspondence in this subseries are closed to researchers. Subseries 3: Vital Statistics
Correspondence, are in chronological order, and mostly include death certificate requests
for radiation studies research. Subseries 4: Radiation Correspondence is organized into
chronological order.
Series 2: Scientific Notes and Writings is arranged into six subseries. Subseries 1:
Drosophila and Genetics – Experiments, Lab Notes, and Notebooks is in chronological order,
with the undated material found after the dated material. Subseries 2: Drosophila and
Genetics – Matings (Cross books) is arranged in chronological order and includes Lewis's lab
notebooks from 1939 to 2004. Subseries 3: Drosophila – Salivary Glands are arranged by
original order, which is by record number. Subseries 4: Radiation Studies is arranged in
original and functional order, and includes data, reviews, publications, and all Lewis's
materials related to somatic effects of radiation. Subseries 5: Conferences and Writings is
arranged in three subgroups, conferences and talks, writings, publications, and is in mostly
chronological order, with undated material after the dated material. Subseries 6: Drosophila
Stocks, Lab, and Miscellaneous is arranged in chronological order and includes an array of
material related to Lewis's Drosophila lab.
Series 3: California Institute of Technology is arranged into four subseries. Subseries 1:
Teaching is arranged in chronological order and includes Lewis's handouts and labs.
Subseries 2: Biology Division is arranged in chronological order and contains memos and
miscellaneous administrative material. Subseries 3: Grants is arranged in chronological
order and contains grant proposals and applications with accompanying documentation.
Subseries 4: Faculty contains folders of biographical material or correspondence of select
Caltech faculty, including Calvin Bridges and Alfred Sturtevant.
Series 4: Biographical and Personal is arranged in four subseries. Subseries 1: Nobel prize
is arranged in functional order and chronological order and includes ceremony programs,
congratulations, and publicity surrounding the prize. Subseries 2: Additional Awards and
Honors is arranged in alphabetical order. Subseries 3: Biographical is arranged in mostly
chronological order and includes various writings about Lewis. Subseries 4: Personal is a
small portion of ephemeral material and Lewis's charitable donations.
Series 5: Photographs and Audiovisual is arranged in four subseries. Subseries 1:
Photographs – Drosophila and Genetics includes several prints of scanning electron
microscope images of drosophila at various stages of development. Subseries 2: Photographs –
Personal includes portraits of Lewis, Nobel prize ceremony, and some family photos.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Developmental biology
Developmental genetics
Geneticists
Genetics
Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize winners