Conditions Governing Access
Conditions Governing Use
Biographical / Historical
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Processing Information
Content Description
Arrangement
General
Contributing Institution:
California Institute of Technology Archives and Special Collections
Title: Fredric (Fred) Raichlen Papers
Creator:
Raichlen, Fredric (Fred),
1932-2014
Identifier/Call Number: 10290-MS
Physical Description:
45.77 linear feet
82 archival boxes, 37 film reels, 4 cartons of VHS
Date (inclusive): 1932-2014
Abstract: Fredric Raichlen, Professor Emeritus of
Civil and Mechanical Engineering in Caltech's Division of Engineering and Applied Science
taught at Caltech for forty years. Raichlen formally retired from teaching in 2002 but
remained active with Caltech colleagues, students and consultants until he passed away in
2014. The Fredric (Fred) Raichlen papers illustrate Raichlen's contributions to the field of
coastal engineering research and practice, particularly in the areas of tsunamis, harbor
oscillations, ship dynamics, breaking waves, and wave defense of submarine pipelines. The
papers consist of reports, research, consultantancy documentation, slides, audiovisual
material and photographs.
Language of Material:
English .
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research. Researchers must apply in writing for access. Some
files are confidential and are currently closed. Researchers may request information about
closed files from the Caltech Archives.
Conditions Governing Use
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.
Biographical / Historical
Fredric (Fred) Raichlen was born in Baltimore, Maryland on October 12, 1932. He attended
Johns Hopkins University where he earned a Bachelor of Engineering in 1953 and earned his
Master's and Doctoral degrees in 1955 and 1962 from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology. Raichlen also served in the United States Air Force as an Environmental Health
Officer from 1956 to 1959. Raichlen came to the California Institute of Technology as an
Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering in 1962, promoted to Associate Professor in 1967
and to Professor in 1972. He became one of the founding faculty members of Caltech's
doctoral program in Environmental Engineering Science in 1969. He was appointed Professor
Emeritus in 2001 however he remained active and worked with colleagues, students and
consultants until his last few weeks. Raichlen's research provided major contributions to
coastal engineering research and practice, particularly in the areas of tsunamis, harbor
oscillations, ship dynamics, breaking waves, and wave defense of submarine pipelines. He was
a pioneer in the studies of harbor excitation from long waves and tsunamis. The National
Academy of Engineering inducted Fredric Raichlen as a member in 1993. He was a member of
numerous other professional organizations including the American Society of Civil Engineers.
The American Society of Civil Engineers honored Raichlen with the John G. Moffatt-Frank E.
Nichol Harbor and Coastal Engineering Award in 1994 and the International Coastal
Engineering Award in 2003.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Fredric (Fred) Raichlen papers, slides and audiovisual materials were transferred to
the archives from the Keck Laboratory, and donated to the Caltech Archives by the family of
Fredric Raichlen in 2014.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Clarisse Alvarez under the supervision of Mariella Soprano
in 2018-2021. Materials were removed from binders, 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, slides and film reels were sleeved in
appropriate preservation enclosures. Various metal fasteners were removed and replaced with
archival plastic clips. Duplicate copies were removed and recycled.
Content Description
The collection covers papers from Fred Raichlen's studies preceding his Bachelor's degree
to the end of his career. It is a great source for the history of coastal engineering in
Southern California. This is especially found in the papers covering his extensive
consulting work.
Arrangement
The Fredric (Fred) Raichlen Papers are divided into four series containing subseries:
Series 1. Biographical Documents and Correspondence is divided into five subseries.
Subseries 1: Correspondence, consists of correspondence arranged in alphabetical order and
in chronological order. Subseries 2: Professional Organizations, Academies and Award
Nominations, consists of papers and correspondence related to the organizations and
academies that Fredric (Fred) Raichlen belonged to and award nominations that he and his
colleagues received. Subseries 3: Education, consists of papers and reference materials
collected while Fredric (Fred) Raichlen completed his education. Subseries 4: Biographical,
includes biographical documents.
Series 2. California Institute of Technology is divided into two subseries. Subseries 1:
California Institute of Technology Campus and Administration. Subseries 2: Teaching and
Student Coursework.
Series 3. Technical Papers, Research and Consultancy Work is divided into five subseries.
Subseries 1: Consultancy Work. Subseries 2: Depositions and Cases. Subseries 3: Technical
Papers and Research. Subseries 4: Publications and Talks. Subseries 5: Research Proposals.
Series 4. Photographs, Film Reels and Video, Zip Disks is divided into three subseries.
Subseries 1: Photographs. Subseries 2: Film Reels and Videos. Subseries 3: Zip Disks.
General
Metadata and detailed information related to audiovisual material is stored in the Raichlen
collection electronic file and available upon request. Contact the California Institute of
Technology Archives to request additional information.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Coastal engineering
Environmental engineering
Mechanical engineering
Civil Engineering
Hydrodynamics
Manuscript Collection
Tsunamis
Southern California
California Institute of Technology