Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Marble (Frank E.) Papers
10281.MS
No online items
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
California Institute of Technology Archives and Special Collections
Title: Frank E. Marble Papers
Creator:
Marble, Frank E. (Frank Earl)
Identifier/Call Number: 10281.MS
Physical Description:
15.4 linear feet
37 boxes
Date (inclusive): 1928-2007, bulk
1946-1995
Abstract: Frank Earl Marble (1918-2014) earned
his PhD from Caltech in 1948, and remained as GALCIT faculty and active in his research at
Caltech for over fifty years. The Frank E. Marble papers illustrate Marble's contributions
to the field of aeronautics and mechanical engineering, and consist of correspondence,
research notes, notebooks, and writings.
Language of Material:
English .
This collection is open for research. Some files are confidential and will remain closed
for an indefinite period. Researchers may request information about closed files. Contact
the archives for more information.
Copyright may not have been assigned to the California Institute of Technology Archives.
All requests for permission to publish 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
The Frank E. Marble papers were transferred to the archives from Marble's office in the
Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory (GALCIT) in 2015.
This collection was processed by Penelope Neder-Muro and Mariella Soprano from May to
August 2016. Materials were removed from file folders and manila envelopes and were replaced
with acid-free folders. The original order of materials was kept when available. Some
correspondence were placed in chronological or alphabetical order, depending on the record
creator's order. Photographs and slides were sleeved in appropriate preservation enclosures.
Various metal fasteners were removed and replaced with archival plastic clips.
In 2022, the H.S. Tsien papers were separated into its own collection, located in this
repository as the Qian Xuesen Papers.
Frank Earl Marble was born in Cleveland, Ohio on July 21, 1918. He earned both his B.S. in
Mechanical Engineering (1940), and M.S. in Applied Mathematics (1942) from the Case School
of Applied Science. In 1946, after earning a pre-doctoral fellowship from the National
Research Council, he and his wife Ora Lee moved to Pasadena to pursue his PhD in Aeronautics
and Mathematics at Caltech. Despite his original intention of staying at Caltech for two
years, Marble remained as faculty until his retirement in 1989. After his retirement, his
research continued while holding the status of Richard L. and Dorothy M. Hayman Professor,
Emeritus until his passing in 2014.
Marble's career in mechanical engineering and jet propulsion spanned for over fifty years.
During WWII, he worked with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), where he
managed projects to address engine cooling issues for the Martin Marauder B-26 bomber and
the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. After earning his PhD in 1948, Marble joined the GALCIT
faculty, where he made pioneering contributions to his field in the areas of combustion in
jet propulsion systems and propagation of acoustic flames. During his time at Caltech,
Marble worked with Caltech notables Theodore von Karman, William Duncan Rannie, and
Hsue-Shen Tsien (Qian Xuesen). He also served as an elected member in the National Academy
of Engineering, and in 1989 was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
The Caltech Archives was able to interview Frank Marble twice, one of those interviews
included his wife Ora Lee. For access to the transcripts available through the Caltech Oral
Histories see:
1995 oral history
interview with Frank Marble
and
1997 oral history
interview including Ora Lee.
The Frank E. Marble papers illustrate Marble's contributions to the field of aeronautics
and mechanical engineering, and consist of correspondence, research notes, notebooks, and
writings. The papers begin at his early career at the Case School for Applied Science and
National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, but mostly comprise of his work at Caltech.
The Frank E. Marble Papers are housed in 37 archival boxes. The papers are divided into
five series, with four series containing subseries: 1. Correspondence and
Personal/Biographical; 2. Research Notes and Calculations; 3. Writings and Talks; 4.
California Institute of Technology; 5. Photographs and Slides
Series 1: Correspondence and Personal/Biographical has been divided into four subseries.
Subseries 1: People and Institutions contains correspondence files with various individuals
and institutions, according to original/alphabetical order. Marble's files were either
separated by last name or university/institution name. Subseries 2: Subject/Topical are also
in alphabetical order and include various files organized by subject or topic including
journals, committees, recommendations, and general unsorted correspondence. Subseries 3:
Miscellaneous Chronological contains portions that were labeled Frank Marble correspondence
and are in original and chronological order. Subseries 4: Personal/Biographical contains
news clippings and other personal materials.
Series 2: Research Notes and Calculations has been divided into two subseries. Subseries 1:
Case School for Applied Science and National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA)
contains notes from his undergraduate and graduate thesis, and also technical notes from
NACA, organized into chronological order. Subseries 2: California Institute of Technology
(Caltech) contains PhD drafts, notebooks, and various notes and calculations organized in
chronological order.
Series 3: Writings and Talks is divided into two subseries. Subseries 1: Writings and
Publications contains mathematical reviews, journal article drafts, reports, and
publications, arranged in chronological order. Subseries 2: Talks contains notes from
conferences and lectures arranged in chronological order.
Series 4: Caltech is divided into two subseries. Subseries 1: Teaching Lecture Notes and
Resources contains teaching materials such as lecture notes and class outlines in
chronological order. It also contains various published resources. Subseries 2:
Administrative and Associate Files contains Marble's assorted administrative files and files
that belonged to or are associated with his Caltech associates, such as Theodore von Karman,
William Duncan Rannie, and Dorothy Eckerman.
Series 5: Photographs and Slides contain photographs of Frank Marble, GALCIT students and
faculty, and photographic slides from lectures, and are arranged in chronological order.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Aeronautics
Engineering
Aeronautical engineers
Manuscript Collection
California Institute of Technology -- Alumni and alumnae
California Institute of Technology