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Feher (George) Papers
MSS 0805
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Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla 92093-0175
Title: George Feher Papers
Creator:
Feher, George, 1924-2017
Identifier/Call Number: MSS 0805
Physical Description:
35.2 Linear feet
(88 archives boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1945-2017
Abstract: Papers of George Feher (1924-2017), biophysicist and professor of physics at UC San Diego. Feher founded the biophysics program
at UC San Diego. This collection contains correspondence, early coursework, research materials, writings, teaching materials,
and materials related to the physics department at UC San Diego.
Languages:
English
.
Scope and Content of Collection
Papers of George Feher (1924-2017), distinguished biophysicist and professor of physics at the University of California, San
Diego, where he founded the Biophysics program in 1964. The collection documents Feher's scientific career and includes: notes
and materials from Feher's studies at UC Berkeley; research notes, data, and subject summaries; an assortment of Feher's writings
and collaborations; correspondence; and a small selection of materials on the Department of Physics.
Materials range in date from 1945 to 2017. There are gaps in documentation and parts of the collection are not comprehensive;
for example, there is relatively little correspondence, and only a few boxes of material directly relating to UC San Diego
(including Feher's teaching, administrative duties, and the Department of Physics).
Arranged in 9 series: 1) BIOGRAPHICAL, 2) CORRESPONDENCE, 3) EARLY COURSEWORK AND WRITINGS, 4) RESEARCH, 5) WRITINGS, 6) TALKS,
CONFERENCES, AND SYMPOSIUMS, 7) TEACHING MATERIALS, 8) UC SAN DIEGO, and 9) WORKS BY OTHERS.
George Feher (1924-2017) was born on May 29, 1924 into a Jewish family in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. In 1941 Feher escaped
Nazi occupation settling in Haifa, where he took courses at the Technion and worked as a lab assistant for Franz Ollendorff.
During this time Feher also worked for the Hagana, a Jewish unground organization as an electronics expert. In 1944 Feher
applied to study at the Technion but failed the entrance examination. Feher left Palestine to continue his education in the
United States in 1946.
George Feher attended the University of California, Berkeley and graduated with a B.S. in engineering physics in 1950, followed
by an M.S. in electrical physics in 1951 and a Ph.D. in physics in 1954. Feher was a research physicist at Bell Telephone
Laboratories from 1954-1960 and visiting associate professor at Columbia University from 1959-1960. During his time at Columbia
University, Feher met Elsa Rosenvasser, who became his wife and partner for nearly 60 years. In 1960, Feher became a professor
of physics at UC San Diego. Feher founded the Biophysics program at UC San Diego in 1964.
Feher is best known for his work in EPR spectrometry, pioneering ENDOR techniques, and his research in bacterial photosynthesis.
Feher wrote and published
Thoughts on the Holocaust in the later years of his life, after his interview for the Shoah Foundation encouraged him to talk about his experiences.
George Feher was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Physical
Society, and the Biophysical Society. In 1982, Feher was the recipient of the American Physical Society Biophysics Prize for
his contributions to the understanding of photosynthesis. He received the Bruker Prize in 1992, the Rumford Medal of the American
Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1992, and the Zavoisky Award in 1996. He also received the Wolf Prize in Chemistry in 2007
for his research on reaction centers and light driven processes in photosynthesis. Feher passed away on November 28, 2017.
For more information on George Feher, please see:
Three decades of research in bacterial photosynthesis and the road leading to it: A personal account
George Feher Papers. MSS 805. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego.
Acquired 2018, 2019.
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. ALLOW ONE WEEK FOR RETRIEVAL OF MATERIALS.
Publication rights are held by the creator of the collection.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Biophysics -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- History
Feher, George, 1924-2017 -- Archives
University of California, San Diego. Department of Physics