Collection context
Summary
- Abstract:
- William Hayward Pickering was the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Director from 1954-1976. He oversaw the Explorer, Ranger, Surveyor, Mariner, Mercury, Viking and Voyager missions. Following retirement he was involved in private industry including the Research Institutes of Saudi Arabia's University of Petroleum and Minerals, the Pickering Research Corporation, and Lignetics, Inc. He received the National Medal of Science among many other awards.
- Extent:
- 44 Boxes
- Language:
- English
Background
- Scope and content:
-
Documents in the collection include records related to JPL and the military, NASA/JPL photos, business affairs, India/Arabia/China interactions, speeches and publications, correspondence, professional society activities, clippings, mementos, and books. Included are the files of Victoria L. Melikan, Special Assistant to the Director, JPL and the Harold Wheelock Collection of speeches. The collection of speeches, dating from the early 1950s to the early 2000s, offers a comprehensive survey of his thoughts on scientific research, space exploration, energy production and usage, the effect of science and technology on society, and forecasts for the future in these areas. Audiovisual material includes radio and TV appearances by Pickering and extensive late life interviews of Pickering by Mudgway. Certificates, trophies, and other mementos in the collection honor Pickering as a scientist, a leader in the exploration of space, and a vital force in community and professional affairs.
- Biographical / historical:
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William H. Pickering (WHP) was born in Wellington, New Zealand, December 24, 1910. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in 1932 and his Master of Science degree, (Physics) in 1933. He was a Coffin Fellow 1933-35 and received his Doctorate degree (Physics) in 1936. He lectured at Caltech and the University of Southern California (USC) during the intervening years in the fields of physical sciences, electrical engineering, cosmic rays, microwave propagation, cosmic ray engineering, and cosmic ray sondes. Pickering became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1941.
Pickering was invited to join Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in 1944 as a result of his experience in the design and use of telemetering devices, which he subsequently developed for the Laboratory's high-velocity research vehicles. Beginning in 1949 he headed the Corporal and Sergeant missile programs, and in 1954 he succeeded Louis Dunn as Director of JPL.
In 1958, a few months after the Soviet Sputnik, JPL successfully launched Explorer I. That same year JPL, which had been under the direction of the Army, was transferred to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) with the responsibility for unmanned exploration of the moon and planets. Under Pickering's direction, the Laboratory launched the Ranger missions to the moon, the Surveyor missions to the moon, the Mariner missions to Venus and Mars, and the first gravity assist mission to Mercury via Venus. JPL also designed the Viking orbiter of Mars and designed and built the Voyagers for the outer planets mission during his tenure as Director.
Following his retirement from JPL in 1976, he directed the Research Institutes of Saudi Arabia's University of Petroleum and Minerals. He returned to California in 1978 and established the Pickering Research Corporation for space related projects, ranging from a report on nuclear safety to an image processing system in China. In 1983, responding to the energy crisis, he formed Lignetics, Inc., to manufacture wood pellet fuel from wood waste.
Pickering has been awarded many national and international awards and prizes, including the National Medal of Science, Honorary Knight Commander of the British Empire, Spirit of St. Louis Medal of Science, NASA Distinguished Service Medal, Columbus Gold Medal, the first Francois-Xavier Bagnoud International Aerospace Prize and the Japan Prize, among others. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a founding member of the National Academy of Engineering.
* Excerpted and abridged from the JPL archives - Acquisition information:
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The main body of the collection was organized and transferred to the Museum by Douglas J. Mudgway with the permission of William Pickering's widow, Inez Chapman Pickering, and his daughter, Anne Elizabeth (Beth) Pickering Mezitt. Mudgway worked with Dr. Pickering from 2002 until his death in 2004 during the preparation of his book, William H. Pickering - America's Deep Space Pioneer (NASA SP-2008-4113).
The material in the collection came mainly from Dr. Pickering's personal office in Altadena, California, from the holdings of family members, and from material collected by Douglas J. Mudgway in the course of research for his book. Mudgway's holdings were transferred to the Museum in a series of shipments in 2008. Each box in the shipments contained a separate category of records, usually arranged in chronological order. This organization has been preserved in the Museum's collection, with minor rearrangement to facilitate the location of items of interest by researchers. Anne Elizabeth (Beth) Pickering Mezitt later facilitated the transfer of other family mementos and the extensive collection of honors and awards.
- Arrangement:
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The collection is organized in 15 subgroups by subject or material.
Subgroups: Box JPL and the Military 1-3 Background Biographical Information 3 NASA/JPL Photos 4 Business Affairs 5-14 India/Arabia/China 15-16 Speeches and Papers 17-23 Honors, Citations, and Awards 24-25 Professional Society Records 26-27 Miscellaneous Projects and Correspondence 27-29 Mementos, Clippings and Remembrances 29-30 Reports, Booklets and Brochures 31-33 Awards, Trophies and Miscellaneous 34-39 Scrapbooks and Photo Albums 40-43 Audiovisual 44
Access and use
- Location of this collection:
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470 West Walnut StreetPasadena, CA 91103-3594, US
- Contact:
- 626.577.1660