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INVENTORY OF THE A. DINSMOOR WEBB PAPERS, 1929-2002
D-388  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Descriptive Summary
  • Administrative Information
  • Biography
  • Scope and Content of Collection
  • Indexing Terms

  • Descriptive Summary

    Title: A. Dinsmoor Webb Papers,
    Date (inclusive): 1929-2002
    Collection number: D-388
    Creator: Webb, A. Dinsmoor (Albert Dinsmoor), 1917-
    Extent: 2 linear feet
    Repository: University of California, Davis. General Library. Dept. of Special Collections.
    100 North West Quad
    Davis, California, 95616-5292
    Abstract: The A. Dinsmoor Webb Papers document primarily the professional life and work of Webb, a professor in the Chemistry and Viticulture and Enology Departments from 1948-1981. His research centered on the isolation and identification of trace aroma and pigment materials in grapes and wines. The collection, which is two linear feet, spans the years 1929-2002. It contains correspondence, manuscripts of talks, research notes, reprints of articles, and wine labels. There are also materials that relate to Webb's work as a consultant to the wine industry.
    Physical location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Special Collections Department.
    Language: English.

    Administrative Information

    Access

    Collection is open for research.

    Publication Rights

    Copyright is protected by the copyright law, chapter 17 of the U.S. Code. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections, General Library, University of California, Davis as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item], A. Dinsmoor Webb Papers, D388, Department of Special Collections, University of California Library, Davis, California.

    Acquisition Information

    Acquired from Mrs. Webb in 2003.

    Processing Information

    This collection was processed by Student Assistant Jenny Hodge under the direction of Sara Gunasekara.

    Biography

    Biographical Narrative

    A. Dinsmoor Webb (October 10, 1917 - August 8, 2003) received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley in 1939. Upon graduation, he was employed at both E&J Gallo Winery and Petri Wine Company as a chemist, and from 1941-1943 he served as a technician in enology at the University of California, Davis. His interest in winemaking led him to enroll in the chemistry Ph.D. program at UC Berkeley. World War II intervened, however, and he postponed his studies in 1943 to work for the US Army at the Oak Ridge, Tennessee, National Laboratory. He resumed his studies in 1945 at both UC Berkeley and UC Davis, earning a PhD in Chemistry in 1949.
    Dr. Webb joined the UCD chemistry faculty in 1948, beginning research on the flavor and aroma of wines. He was an assistant and associate professor of enology and chemistry from 1948-1960. In 1960 he became a professor of enology and chemistry, and served as the viticulture and enology department chair from 1973-81. In 1982 he became an emeritus professor.
    His research centered on the isolation and identification of trace aroma and pigment materials in grapes and wines. Much of his work was done in collaboration with Professor Richard E. Kepner of the UC Davis Department of Chemistry. Together, they built the first gas chromatograph on the UC Davis campus in the 1950's.
    Webb published over 150 technical research papers and numerous articles. Author of Vinegar, published by Kirk-Othmer Concise Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, he was also an enology editor and contributor to the Oxford Companion to Wine and co-author of Technology of Winemaking.

    Scope and Content of Collection

    These papers cover A. Dinsmoor Webb's life from 1929-2002. Correspondence, manuscripts of talks, research notes, reprints of articles, and wine labels are found in the collection along with files which relate to his work as a consultant to the wine industry.
    Webb's file titles have been retained. The collection is arranged alphabetically.

    Indexing Terms

    The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

    Subjects

    Wine and wine making--Research