R. E. G. (Ron) Davies Air Transport Collection
1847 to 2011
R. E. G. (Ron) Davies (1921 -2011) was an English airline historian, who worked in airline marketing research before joining the National Air and Space Museum in 1981. He served as a curator until his retirement in 2011. This reference collection was compiled by Davies during his career and consists of historical data and materials—including photographs, timetables, and memorabilia—from the airlines of the world.
William J. Heaslip Aviation Reference Files
bulk 1920s to 1940s
William John Heaslip (1898--1970) was a prominent artist whose aviation-themed work, especially during World War II, was known for its accuracy and detail. This collection consists of approximately 4.82 cubic feet of reference files used Heaslip in the creation of his art.
Curtiss-Wright Corporation Records
bulk 1925-1949
This collection consists of the corporate records of the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. Included in the collection are technical and engineering reports of Curtiss-Wright Airplane Division's operations in St. Louis (Robertson), MO (1935-1945) and Buffalo, NY, (1932-1945), as well as AAS Material Division and AAF Air Technical Services Command memorandum reports collected by Curtiss-Wright's St. Louis and Buffalo technical reference libraries. The collection also contains the files of Curtiss-Wright's Patent Department, which hold records of patents filed by Curtiss-Wright and patent-infringement cases involving Curtiss-Wright. Also included in the collection are specifications issued by and photos commissioned by the Keystone Aircraft Corporation (Huff-Daland Airplanes, Inc. until March 1927), which had been acquired by Wright in 1928 along with Loening Aeronautical Engineering Corp., and formed the Keystone Division of Curtiss-Wright until 1932 when Keystone's Bristol, PA factory closed its doors. The collection also contains financial records of the Curtiss-Wright Airports Corporation, which was liquidated in 1936, as well as an extensive negative collection featuring Curtiss-Wright aircraft from the 1930s and 1940s, concentrated especially on the war years.
Jerome Clarke Hunsaker Papers
The Hunsaker Papers are rich in aeronautical information relating to the 1920s and 1930s. The material furnishes a generous account of his contributions in the aeronautics field as an engineer. Interested researchers should pursue materials pertaining to Hunsaker in such repositories as MIT's Institute Archives and Special Collections Department, the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Corporation, the U.S. Navy History and Archives at the Washington Navy Yard, and the NASA History Office, Headquarters Building, Washington, DC. This archivist views the Hunsaker Papers, NASM.XXXX.0001, most relevant to research dealing with Hunsaker's professional career.
History of the Polymerase Chain Reaction Videohistory Collection
The Smithsonian Videohistory Program, funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation from 1986 until 1992, used video in historical research. Additional collections have been added since the grant project ended. Videohistory uses the video camera as a historical research tool to record moving visual information. Video works best in historical research when …
Morten S. Beyer Papers
This collection consists of 15.52 cubic feet of documents relating to the aviation career of Morten S. Beyer, both his time with various airlines and his career as an aviation consultant. The following types of material are included: speeches, cartoons, correspondence, financial reports, newsletters, conference programs, newspaper articles, and aviation market research reports.
Pete Claussen Collection of American Flag Magazine Covers
American magazines and magazine covers dating from 1941 through 1943 with illustrations of the American flag collected and donated by Pete Claussen.
Minuteman ICBM Program Research Data [Stumpf]
This collection consists of digital documents on one 256 GB SunDisk drive gathered by David Stumpf for his book, Minuteman: A Technical History of the Missile That Defined American Nuclear Warfare, a detailed history of the Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile program.
Louis Pomerantz papers
bulk 1950-1988
The papers of Chicago art conservator, Louis Pomerantz, measure 34.2 linear feet and date from 1937 to 1988, with the bulk of the material dating from the 1950s-1980s. The papers document two principal aspects of Pomerantz's professional life: his conservation work for institutions and individuals, and the development of his professional expertise as documented through his writings and teachings, his continued conservation training, and his involvement in professional organizations. Files include scattered biographical material, professional correspondence, interviews, writings, project and client files, teaching and reference files, printed material, and photographic material primarily documenting conservation treatments and techniques.
Rudy Arnold Photo Collection
bulk 1920-1940
25.37 Linear feet (38 boxes)
Rudy Arnold (1902-1966) was introduced to photography in 1918. After studying at the New York School of Photography, he worked at the New York Journal-American and the New York Graphic. During his stint at the latter he started to focus on aviation photography. In 1928, Arnold started his own aviation photography business and worked out of the following New York air fields and airports during his career: Roosevelt Field, the old Curtiss Airport, Floyd Bennett Field, and LaGuardia Airport His coverage of a wrecked airliner in upstate New York was the first photograph sent by wire to newspapers across the country. Arnold's work appeared in every aviation magazine, house organs (Douglas, Grumman), and mass circulation magazines as well as many newspapers. He also did motion-picture camera work for Universal and Paramount.
