Collection Summary
Information for Researchers
Administrative Information
Biographical Information
Scope and Content of Collection
Collection Summary
Collection Title: Thomas H. Pigford papers
Date (inclusive): 1951-1998
Date (bulk): 1960-1990
Collection Number: BANC MSS 99/313 cz
Creator:
Pigford, Thomas H.
Extent:
8 cartons, 1 box, 1 cardfile box, 1 oversize folder (10.80 linear feet)
Repository: The Bancroft Library.
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
Abstract: The Thomas H. Pigford papers including correspondence, research files, writings, reports, presentations, notebooks and course
materials.
Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English
Physical Location: Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information
on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Information for Researchers
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head
of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 94720-6000. Consent is given on behalf of The
Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright
owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner. See:
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html.
Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research
and educational purposes.Materials in this collection may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition,
the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor
restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected
by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public
domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively
with the user.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Thomas H. Pigford papers, BANC MSS 99/313 cz, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley
Alternate Forms Available
There are no alternate forms of this collection.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog
Pigford, Thomas H.
Nuclear engineering
Berkeley (Calif.)
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
Donated by Thomas H. Pigford in 1999.
Accruals
No additions are expected.
Processing Information
Processed by Mario H. Ramirez.
Biographical Information
Founding chair of the Department of Nuclear Engineering at U.C. Berkeley, Thomas H. Pigford’s five-decade career included
the areas of nuclear reactor design, nuclear safety, nuclear fuel cycles and radioactive waste management. A pioneer in the
development of nuclear engineering as a field of study, Pigford led a research program at U.C. Berkeley that developed a theoretical
means for predicting the long-term behavior of radioactive and chemical waste disposed of underground. A strong proponent
of nuclear power, Pigford was, equally, a vocal advocate for the application of strict safety standards for its use. As a
result, he was appointed to a number of advisory commissions on nuclear reactor safety, including those charged with evaluating
the accidents in Chernobyl, Ukraine and Three Mile Island in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.
A graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology (BS, Chemical Engineering, 1943) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(Sc.D, Chemical Engineering, 1952), Pigford was appointed Associate Professor of Nuclear and Chemical Engineering at MIT in
1955, directed its Graduate School of Engineering Practice in Oak Ridge, Tennessee for a period of two years and, upon his
return to MIT, helped found their new graduate program in nuclear engineering. From 1957-1959, he was a founding member of
the nuclear technology research and development firm General Atomic (now known as General Atomics) in La Jolla, California.
Pigford began his teaching career at U.C. Berkeley in 1959, where he was the first permanent chair of the Nuclear Engineering
Department, ultimately serving three non-consecutive terms. He also held the post of Senior Scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory. Pigford remained at U.C. Berkeley for the rest of his career, retiring in 1991, at which time he became
Professor Emeritus.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Thomas H. Pigford papers contain correspondence, research files, writings, reports, presentations, notebooks and course
materials that document the breadth of his dynamic career. Highlights of the collection include his reports and assessments
of the accidents in Chernobyl and Three Mile Island, as well as his participation in such groups as the Nuclear Safety Advisory
Committee, the National Research Council’s Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics and Resources and the Board on Nuclear
Waste Management, among others. Researchers will also benefit from Pigford’s research files and writings, and their in-depth
exploration of such topics as fuel cycles in nuclear reactors, the geologic disposal of nuclear waste and the design of nuclear
reactors.