Reference Request
Record Unit 9597, Shropshire, Walter. interviewee, Walter Shropshire Interviews,
Collection Overview
General Information About This Collection | |
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Repository: | Smithsonian Institution Archives, Washington, D.C. Contact us at osiaref@si.edu. |
Creator: | Shropshire, Walter. interviewee |
Title: | Walter Shropshire Interviews |
Dates: | |
Quantity: | 18 audiotapes (Reference copies). |
Collection: | Record Unit 9597 |
Language of Materials: | English |
Summary: | These interviews of Shropshire, conducted by Pamela M. Henson, covers his education and research with Max Delbruck and other biophysicists, career at DRO/RBL/SERC working for Robert B. Withrow and William H. Klein, work on such special projects as the 1981 volume, The Joys of Research, and his career as a Methodist minister. |
Historical Note
Scientific research has always been essential to the Smithsonian Institution's mission. These interviews focus on the history of the Smithsonian's Division of Radiation and Organisms, which became the Radiation Biology Laboratory and later the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, focusing on the effects of sunlight on living organisms. The interviewee, Walter A. Shropshire, a research scientist with RBL, worked at the Institution for thirty-two years. His reminiscences span from his early childhood in Washington, D.C., to his second career as a pastor. The topics covered include background information about his education and personal life; studies at The George Washington University; early work in the basement laboratories of the Smithsonian Institution Castle; scientific research for RBL; participation in Smithsonian symposia; collaboration with other scientists of his era; conducting research abroad; his administrative duties at RBL; working as a Methodist pastor; and an in-depth conversation about photographs from the early years of the Smithsonian's Division of Radiation and Organisms and RBL.
Introduction
The Smithsonian Institution Archives began its Oral History Program in 1973. The purpose of the program is to supplement the written documentation of the Archives' record and manuscript collections with an Oral History Collection, focusing on the history of the Institution, research by its scholars, and contributions of its staff. Program staff conduct interviews with current and retired Smithsonian staff and others who have made significant contributions to the Institution. There are also reminiscences and interviews recorded by researchers or students on topics related to the history of the Smithsonian or the holdings of the Smithsonian Institution Archives.
The Walter A. Shropshire, Jr., Oral History Interviews were recorded to document the history of the Smithsonian Institution's Division of Radiation and Organisms (DRO) of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO), which then became the Radiation Biology Laboratory (RBL) and later the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC).
Descriptive Entry
Pamela M. Henson, Historian, from the Smithsonian Institution Archives, conducted these interviews as a part of the Smithsonian Institution Archives' Oral History Collection. These interviews cover the history of the Smithsonian's Radiation Biology Laboratory; the research conducted by its staff; the challenges faced by administrators; changes in the scientific field of biophysics; and Shropshire's personal life and pastoral career. Interviews of Shropshire include audiotape sessions and photographs.
The Walter A. Shropshire, Jr., Oral History Interviews consist of 16 interview sessions, totaling approximately 15 hours of audiotape recordings and 684 pages of transcript. There are two generations of recordings: original tapes and reference tapes. In total this collection is comprised of 30 original 7" reel-to-reel tapes and 17 reference copy cassette tapes. The reel-to-reel audiotapes have been transferred to digital .wav files. The original tapes and digital files are reserved in preservation storage.
Restrictions
Use Restriction
Restricted.
Index Terms
This collection is indexed under the following access terms. These are links to collections with related topics, persons or places.
Name
- Delbruck, Max
- Division of Radiation and Organisms. Radiation Biology Laboratory
- Joys of Research, The (Symposium)
- Klein, William H. (William Harvey)
- Shropshire, Walter
- Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.
- Smithsonian Radiation Biology Laboratory
- Withrow, Robert B. (Robert Bruce), 1904-1958.
Subject
Co-Creator
Physical Characteristics of Materials in the Collection
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 9597, Shropshire, Walter. interviewee, Walter Shropshire Interviews
Container List
Box 1
Transcripts of Interviews
Interview 1: 2 November 1998
Box 1 of 1
Interview 2: 29 February 2000
Box 1 of 1
Interview 3: 20 March 2000
Box 1 of 1
Interview 4: 3 April 2000
Box 1 of 1
Interview 5: 24 April 2000
Box 1 of 1
Interview 6: 22 May 2000
Box 1 of 1
Interview 7: 8 June 2000
Box 1 of 1
Interview 8: 24 July 2000
Box 1 of 1
Interview 9: 7 August 2000
Box 1 of 1
Interview 10: 15 August 2000
Box 1 of 1
Interview 11: 28 August 2000
Box 1 of 1
Interview 12: 11 September 2000
Box 1 of 1
Interview 13: 25 September 2000
Box 1 of 1
Interview 14: 23 October 2000
Box 1 of 1
Interview 15: 20 November 2000
Box 1 of 1
Interview 16: 15 December 2000
Box 1 of 1
Audio Recordings of Interviews
Interview 1: 2 November 1998
Box 1 of 1
Interview 2: 29 February 2000
Box 1 of 1
Interview 3: 20 March 2000
Box 1 of 1
Interview 4: 3 April 2000
Box 1 of 1
Interview 5: 24 April 2000
Box 1 of 1
Interview 6: 22 May 2000
Box 1 of 1
Interview 7: 8 June 2000
Box 1 of 1
Interview 8: 24 July 2000
Box 1 of 1
Interview 9: 7 August 2000
Box 1 of 1
Interview 10: 15 August 2000
Box 1 of 1
Interview 11: 28 August 2000
Box 1 of 1
Interview 12: 11 September 2000
Box 1 of 1
Interview 13: 25 September 2000
Box 1 of 1
Interview 14: 23 October 2000
Box 1 of 1
Interview 15: 20 November 2000
Box 1 of 1
Interview 16: 15 December 2000
Box 1 of 1
- Finding Aid encoded on: 9-19-2014
- Contact us at osiaref@si.edu