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Finding Aids to Personal Papers and Special Collections in the Smithsonian Institution Archives

Accession 07-137

DeVorkin, David H., 1944-

David H. DeVorkin Papers, circa 1979-2002
Repository: Smithsonian Institution Archives, Washington, D.C. Contact us at osiaref@si.edu.
Creator: DeVorkin, David H., 1944-
Title: David H. DeVorkin Papers
Dates: circa 1979-2002
Quantity: 3 cu. ft. (3 record storage boxes)
Collection: Accession 07-137
Language of Materials: English
Summary:

This accession consists of materials documenting the professional activities of David H. DeVorkin, Curator of Astronomy, National Air and Space Museum. Materials primarily document DeVorkin's editing of a book for the National Geographic Society titled "Beyond Earth: Mapping the Universe," preparation of his own books and manuscripts such as the "Race to the Stratosphere: Manned Scientific Ballooning in the Stratosphere," and his involvement in the American Astronomical Society (AAS), especially the Historical Astronomy Division. Materials include correspondence and memoranda; research materials such as photocopied news articles, chronologies, biographies, logs, and artifact information sheets; manuscripts by DeVorkin as well as manuscripts for the book he edited; images; permissions; notes; exhibition proposals; and AAS newsletters, meeting agendas, correspondence, and notes.

Descriptive Entry

This accession consists of materials documenting the professional activities of David H. DeVorkin, Curator of Astronomy, National Air and Space Museum. Materials primarily document DeVorkin's editing of a book for the National Geographic Society titled Beyond Earth: Mapping the Universe, preparation of his own books and manuscripts such as the Race to the Stratosphere: Manned Scientific Ballooning in the Stratosphere, and his involvement in the American Astronomical Society (AAS), especially the Historical Astronomy Division (HAD). Materials include correspondence and memoranda; research materials such as photocopied news articles, chronologies, biographies, logs, and artifact information sheets; manuscripts by DeVorkin as well as manuscripts for the book he edited; images; permissions; notes; exhibition proposals; and AAS newsletters, meeting agendas, correspondence, and notes.

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Access Restriction

Until the death of the Donor, SIA will notify the Donor prior to, or within 7 days after, the materials have been accessed for reseach. Contact reference staff for details.

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Preferred Citation

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 07-137, David H. DeVorkin Papers

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Container List

Box 1

Balloon Book, Research Notes, Edited Drafts, Piccard Papers

Century of Progress - Letters and handwritten notes, many dealing with Piccard

Box 1 of 3

Kepner bio - Two biographical documents

Box 1 of 3

National Geographic Society (NGS) Notes - Handwritten notes and photocopied letters

Box 1 of 3

Collage - Photocopied clippings about balloons

Box 1 of 3

Stratosphere Balloon Clippings - All photocopied

Box 1 of 3

Salt Lake Tribune - Photocopied article about Balloonist's account

Box 1 of 3

New York Times - Short photocopied article about launching rockets from balloons

Box 1 of 3

Photos for Collage Miscellaneous Selections - Short photocopied article from the Butler County Newspaper

Box 1 of 3

Washington Post - Short photocopied article on Army Balloon

Box 1 of 3

Chicago Daily News - Short article with pictures

Box 1 of 3

Balloon Sources, Resources - Newsletter

Box 1 of 3

Balloon Correspondence 1993 - Letters and newsletter

Box 1 of 3

Winker- Ballooning - Letters

Box 1 of 3

John Irwin photos - Letters

Box 1 of 3

Print Requests Completed - Lists of materials to be photographed and photocopied materials

Box 1 of 3

Greenstein-Concept for Spectrograph - Reproduction of information on the V-2 rocket (equations, diagrams, notes)

Box 1 of 3

Regener Pfotzer max TBX - Photocopied material in German and English

Box 1 of 3

Regener Balloon Spectra-TBC - Articles in German and English

Box 1 of 3

Meisinger-Balloons and Meteorology - Parts 1 and 2 of Meisinger Biographical Tribute with an Assessment of His Contributions to Meteorology by John M. Lewis

Box 1 of 3

Rapid City Paper - Photocopied clippings

Box 1 of 3

Project Helios ONR Files - Chronology of project Helios file, photocopied letters, and index cards

Box 1 of 3

Balloons vs. Rockets Helios - Photocopied letters and documents about stratolab

Box 1 of 3

Source for Photographing Woodcut of Croce-Spinelli making Spectroscopic observations of the Sun - Page of 1978 Frankfurt newspaper with pictures of balloons and a few articles

Box 1 of 3

Piccard Article 2/13/1990 - Drafts of Piccard manuscript for Air and Space and letters to and from Air and Space

Box 1 of 3

Miscellaneous Folder - Notes for conclusion Why We Went to the Moon and notes taken in LA and Explorer Notes March 1988 and beyond

Box 1 of 3

Jeannette Piccard - Detroit Log - Copy of original log of Jeannette Piccard

Box 1 of 3

Piccard Notes P-47

Box 1 of 3

Xerox of Complete Poppenhusen File in Piccard Archives (1933-late 1934)

Box 1 of 3

Chicago Museum letter - Piccard Family Papers 1920s-1937 - Many photocopied letters

Box 1 of 3

Library of Congress (LC) Manuscripts Division - Piccard Family Papers 1945 - On "Helios" lots of photocopied material (mainly letters)

Box 1 of 3

For Translation - Letters in French to A. Piccard

Box 1 of 3

Library Work Pending - News clipping about the book New Lands, New Men, notes, and copy of The Physical Review, Vol. 50, No. 4 about Cloud chamber observations of cosmic rays, other articles about spectrophotometry

Box 1 of 3

University of Minnesota Archives - 5 letters

Box 1 of 3

Minnesota Physics People (Ney, etc) - Letters

Box 1 of 3

Van Allen - Letters

Box 1 of 3

Bettmann News photos (UPI) - Correspondence about photographs (no photographs)

Box 1 of 3

Photo Permission to be sent to Springer-Vertag - Letters, forms signed for the use of photographs

Box 1 of 3

SI General Counsel - Letters including requests for advice on copyright and liability when publishing, manuscript copyright and permission to quote document from the Library of Congress

Box 1 of 3

Wide World/ Keystone - Letters about purchasing photographs for publication

Box 1 of 3

Requisition for Photographic Services - Requisition for photographic services along with photocopies of photographs

Box 1 of 3

Box 2

Beyond Earth

CORBIS Images/National Portrait Gallery (NPG) - Printed info from National Portrait Gallery with Herschel pictures, printed info on Herschel Museum, and printed photos of observatories (Mount Wilson?)

Box 2 of 3

Universe Video "Curatorial Road show" - Printed pictures and artifact information sheets

Box 2 of 3

Road show Questions - Artifact information sheets and information on Dicke Differential Microwave Radiometer

Box 2 of 3

Detector Section Video - Artifact info sheets

Box 2 of 3

Birthday Star Data - Lists of nearest stars, list of brightest stars, and birthday star list

Box 2 of 3

Noah's Ark - Photograph of Noah's Ark, article on Planispheric Astrolabes from the National Museum of American History published in Smithsonian Studies in History and Technology No. 45

Box 2 of 3

Mayan or Aztec Thing - Photograph

Box 2 of 3

King Lab - Photograph, negative, Xerox, and letter to Ron Brashear

Box 2 of 3

Geographic book 10/01/2001 - Photograph, negative, and miscellaneous printouts

Box 2 of 3

Kneamen - Images to get (printed pictures)

Box 2 of 3

Hubble Heritage Image File - Printed pictures and information

Box 2 of 3

World's Largest Optical Telescope - List of the largest optical telescopes

Box 2 of 3

Istanbul Observatory - Letters and emails, copies of photo of Islamic observatory used in ETU

Box 2 of 3

Malin, David - Memos and emails, proposal for guest curation of a temporary exhibit on astronomical photography, and proposal for mini-exhibit Origins of Space Science

Box 2 of 3

Eric Long - Photographs of telescopes, Spectrographs, etc.

Box 2 of 3

Ronsaville and Wood - Letter and mounted pictures of geocentric system

Box 2 of 3

Eli Dwek Stuff - Miscellaneous information for ETU including drawings, emails, and spending plan

Box 2 of 3

Laurie Hatch - Lick Refractor Photo License Agreement with 2 photos

Box 2 of 3

Stoke-ST SCI - Email

Box 2 of 3

Women in Astronomy - Copy of STATUS June 2000

Box 2 of 3

ETU Image Checklists

Box 2 of 3

Images (Status) - ETU image checklists and list of ETU illustrations

Box 2 of 3

Dave R. - Photo Captions for ETU

Box 2 of 3

Joan Mathys Contract 2002

Box 2 of 3

Letter to Authors 5/1/2002 - Letter and list of authors' addresses

Box 2 of 3

Book Contract - Contract and publishing agreement

Box 2 of 3

Exhibition Book (Universe) - Proposal for book, thoughts for gallery book, and letters

Box 2 of 3

Geographic Book Contract

Box 2 of 3

Mapping the Universe - Rough drafts for historical attributes, letters, list of chapter authors, copy of Serendipitous discoveries in radio astronomy, information on David T. Wilkinson, and copies of chapters from book

Box 2 of 3

National Geographic Books Catalogue Spring 2002

Box 2 of 3

NGS/SI Celestial Cartography - List of chapter authors, draft proposal on Celestial Cartography, and exhibition book write up for New Telescopes, New Universes

Box 2 of 3

Celestial Cartography - Emails and draft proposal for Celestial Cartography

Box 2 of 3

ETU Book Images - List of images of artifacts in exhibition E or Collection C as Chapter frontispieces

Box 2 of 3

Dibner Photo Order (Xeroxes taken from dump files return) - Information on Tycho Brahe, Galileo, and Herschel and ETU image checklist

Box 2 of 3

Dibner Holdings on Brahe, Kepler, etc. - Emails and printouts from SI research info system

Box 2 of 3

Stuff to do for Sidebars

Box 2 of 3

Sidebars - List of sidebars, photocopied photos, production and manufacturing schedule, and sidebars

Box 2 of 3

How Big is Big? Sidebar - Astronomy picture of the day September 4, 2001 and "A Question of Scale" from www.wordwizz.com

Box 2 of 3

NGS Book Chapter 5 - Warner essay 1st draft and Dibner Images

Box 2 of 3

NGS Book Chapter 1

Box 2 of 3

Kreamer - Emails, Performing the Moral Universe: African Arts and Cosmologies by Christine Mullen Kreamer

Box 2 of 3

Major - East Asian Cosmologies by John Major

Box 2 of 3

Chamberlain - Images to Set

Box 2 of 3

Native American Cosmos - Photographs and negatives

Box 2 of 3

Chamberlain - Cosmologies of the America by Von Del Chamberlain and Historical Archaeoastronomy: The Hopi Example by Stephen C. McCluaskey

Box 2 of 3

NGS Book Chapter 6 "Copernicus Chaser" (The Most Brilliant PhD Thesis Ever Written in Astronomy by Owen Gingerich) - Copy of chapter and emails

Box 2 of 3

NGS Book Chapter 7 - Hoskin 2nd Draft and Performing the Moral Universe: African Arts and Cosmologies by Christine Mullen Kreamer

Box 2 of 3

DeVorkin - Chemistry of Cosmos - What is the Universe Made of? by David DeVorkin and The Chemistry of the Cosmos by David DeVorkin

Box 2 of 3

NGS Book Chapter 8 "From Hubble to Hubble" - David DeVorkin Correspondence with R. Smith

Box 2 of 3

Stephenson - Lessons from the Past: Historical Supernovae by F. Richard Stephenson and photograph

Box 2 of 3

NGS Book Chapter 9 "Why does Astronomer She Cannot See?" by Vera Rubin - Photograph, letter, email, and normal copy of chapter

Box 2 of 3

Smith - Hubble to Hubble by Robert W. Smith

Box 2 of 3

NGS Book Chapter 10 "Gravitational Lenses" - Tony Tyson

Box 2 of 3

Tyson - Draft 3-D Tomography of the Dark Universe

Box 2 of 3

Geller - Rough draft of Exploring Space and Time and emails

Box 2 of 3

NGS Book Chapter 12 "Detecting Cosmic Microwave Background" by Robert Wilson

Box 2 of 3

Wilkinson

Box 2 of 3

NGS Book Chapter 13 "From Pigeon Traps to Boomerangs" by Dave Wilkinson - Emails and photocopied photos (no copy of chapter)

Box 2 of 3

Box 3

Historical Astronomy Division, American Astronomical Society, Russell Grant

HAD check problems done 7/1/1996 - HAD letters

Box 3 of 3

HAD - Adler - Abstract forms for AAS meeting

Box 3 of 3

New IRC - Emails including IRCHAD action list

Box 3 of 3

1999 note logs - Many emails (July 13, 1998-AAS 1999 Note Log)

Box 3 of 3

HAD - Yerkes 1999 - Newsletter and letter to AAS Centennial Committee Members

Box 3 of 3

Russians - "The Early Post-War History of Soviet Radio Astronomy" by Vladimir S. Strelnitski JHA, xxvi (1995); "Political Repression and Personality: The History of Political Repression Against Soviet Astronomers" A. I. Eremeeva JHA, xxvi (1995); "Science Feasts Whilst the Public Starves: A Note on the Reconstruction of the Pulkovo Observatory After World War II" Alexander Gurshtein and Constantin Ivanov JHA, xxvi (1995); "V.T. Ter-Oganezov, Ideologist of Soviet Astronomy" Vitalii Bronshten and Robert McCutcheon JHA, xxvi (1995); Documents about Russian/American conference

Box 3 of 3

Russian Members IRC HAD International Relations Committee - Photocopies of photos, emails, and other documents (many in Russian)

Box 3 of 3

Astronomy and State - Draft of The Early Post-War History of Soviet Radio Astronomy

Box 3 of 3

HAD newsletters - HAD and AAS newsletters

Box 3 of 3

HAD 1994-1995 Tucson - Letters and agenda for business meeting

Box 3 of 3

National Science Foundation (NSF)/ SAO Micro Prop - July 11, 1996 microhao note log and letters

Box 3 of 3

HAD finding aid

Box 3 of 3

HAD files deposited at AIP - Letter

Box 3 of 3

Deadline Dates - AAS calendar of important dates 1988, AAS newsletter November 1987, AAS calendar of important dates 1987, and AAS executive office calendar 1986, 1985, 1992

Box 3 of 3

AAS Graduate Education in Astronomy

Box 3 of 3

Draft of AAS's "An Examination of Graduate Education in Astronomy May 1997"

Box 3 of 3

HAD Newsletters, 1995-1996

Box 3 of 3

HAD newsletters - August 1993-January 1998

Box 3 of 3

AAS Washington 1/1998 - Press advisory for AAS meeting January 6-10, 1998, agenda, HADDC note log October 9, 1997, and HADDC note log July 9, 1997

Box 3 of 3

AAS January 1998 - Information for meeting

Box 3 of 3

HAD Business Meeting - Letters and draft secretary-treasurer's report, 1997

Box 3 of 3

HAD Toronto-Business - AAS 1997 membership renewal information, handwritten notes, Jan 1997 HADPAL note log, September 1996 note log, and AAS newsletter August 1996, December 1996, October 1996

Box 3 of 3

HAD Palomar June 1998 - Information on trip and emails

Box 3 of 3

"The Great Spherical Aberration Fiasco of 1902 and its Aftermath" by D. E. Osterbrock - Abstract

Box 3 of 3

HAS - Austin 1999 - Emails

Box 3 of 3

HAD 1997 Report - Report, emails, and letters

Box 3 of 3

HAD Budget 1997 - Letters, emails, account transactions, income vs. spending, monthly cash flow, where the money goes, account balance history, and account balances

Box 3 of 3

AAS January 2002 - Agenda LOC meeting January 2002, emails, and proposed schedule for invited talks and special sessions January 2002

Box 3 of 3

Ralph Kenat - Short letters

Box 3 of 3

Russell Grant 1980 NSF - Final report for Russell NSF Grant, unsigned independent contractor agreements, letters and memos, summary of work on NSF Grant July 1980-July 1981, and proposal to NSF

Box 3 of 3

AIP 1981 - Robert D'Escourt Atkinson Correspondence, letters, list of chapters in Menzel bio

Box 3 of 3

AIP Correspondence 1980 - Letters and notes from phone call

Box 3 of 3

NSF-HNR - Summary of work on NSF grant July 1980-July 1981, posting for a free-lance research assistant, revised budget proposal for NSF grant, letters, revised budget, and request for continuation of NSF-supported research on Russell

Box 3 of 3

Applicants - Applications for Russell research assistant

Box 3 of 3

Donna Houck - Bills and acceptance of research assistant position

Box 3 of 3

Format for reading Micro

Box 3 of 3

Chapter 16 (Old) - Letters and working copy

Box 3 of 3

Final Program, AAS, Atlanta, Georgia, January 1992

Box 3 of 3

Russell chapter revision - Letters with comments about chapters

Box 3 of 3

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