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Miscellaneous Material

 Series
Identifier: XV

Scope and Contents

From the Collection: The Henry Eyring papers (1915-1982) have been arranged into fifteen sections. The first, and by far the largest of these sections, contains materials deemed to be personal in nature. Family correspondence, financial material, and information regarding the numerous awards and honors Eyring received during his career are among the materials that can be located in this section. In addition, this section contains an extensive biography of Henry Eyring compiled and written by Steven H. Heath in 1980; a newsclipping file centered around Eyring's annual foot race; autobiographical writings; and material relating to Henry Eyring's last illness and subsequent death.

The second section in this collection contains materials relating to Eyring's religious activities. A prominent member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Henry Eyring served in a number of positions of leadership including branch president, district president, and as a member of the Deseret Sunday School General Board. Regretably, the material relating to Eyring's service in these positions is scant. Overall, the materials in this section include articles and speeches Eyring prepared on a variety of religious topics; correspondence with L.D.S. church presidents and general authorities; and material pertaining to Eyring's book, The Faith of A Scientist, which was written in response to L.D.S. church President Joseph Fielding Smith's Man, His Origin and Destiny. Also, of particular interest in this section is the material pertaining to the "I Believe" series that ran in the L.D.S. church owned magazine, The Instructor, from 1965-1967. This controversial series featured articles written by prominent L.D.S. scholars on topics related to the similarities and apparent conflicts of modern scientific research and the theology of the Mormon church.

Boxes 23-24 make up the third section of the Eyring collection and contain items related to the fifteen years Eyring spent as a member of the faculty at Princeton University. Among the materials contained in these two boxes are histories of the Princeton chemistry department, a class record book (1939-1940), graduate student dissertations, and typescripts of addresses given at the testimonial banquet held at the time of Eyring's departure from Princeton. Additionally, a small portion of material pertains to the Textile Research Institute of which Eyring was director from 1944-1946.

The fourth section of the Eyring collection is comprised of administrative materials reflecting the thirty-five years Eyring was affiliated with the University of Utah. Box 25 consists of materials directly related to Eyring's work as Dean of the Graduate School. For the most part, these records consist of lists of degrees conferred by the various departments at the university. Additional materials located in this section include memos and bulletins; graduate student files (1965-1981); financial summary sheets for research projects Eyring was involved in and supervised (1971-1974); and a miscellaneous array of other less significant materials.

In addition to his administrative responsibilities and research, Eyring taught both upper and lower division chemistry courses at the University of Utah. Boxes 30-31 contain materials pertaining to Eyring's activities as an instructor, and include such items as lecture notes, exams, record books, and student course evaluations (1969-1980).

The sixth section of the Eyring collection contains materials relating to conferences and symposiums that Eyring participated in throughout his career. Materials range from lecture notes, schedules, and programs to correspondence regarding arrangements for the various scientific gatherings. This particular section serves well to illustrate the diverse areas of study in which Eyring was involved.

A much sought after speaker, Henry Eyring traveled extensively addressing numerous groups from varied backgrounds. Box 34 contains handwritten and typed copies of Eyring's addresses. Many of the speeches represented here were presented at the commencement activities of various colleges and universities across the country. Box 35 contains materials regarding advance arrangements and publicity for Eyring's speaking engagements. The last five folders in box 35 contain materials concerning the George Oliver Curme Lectures. Eyring was highly involved with the Curme lectures as both a member of the advisory committee and a lecturer.

Section eight of the Eyring collection is comprised of materials relating to Eyring's affiliations with numerous professional organizations. While Eyring served as president of both the American Chemical Society (1963) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1965), little of the material in this section is directly related to his activities as such. Rather, materials in this section consist of membership directories, annual reports, newsletters, and correspondence.

Eyring's association with various research institutes across the country is reflected in the materials of the ninth section of the collection. These materials do not pertain to Eyring's personal research, but instead correlate to his work as a board member and consultant. Some of the research institutes with which Eyring was involved are the Welch Foundation, Union Carbide Corporation, National Science Foundation, and Thiokol Chemical Corporation. For the most part, materials in this section are in the form of consultation agreements, administrative reports, and correspondence.

The correspondence section of the Henry Eyring collection consists of general correspondence (1925-1982); letters of recommendation Eyring wrote on behalf of his students, acquaintances, and colleagues; and letters of cancellation and regret Eyring sent to individuals and organizations that had requested his attendance and participation at various functions (1967-1975). With the exception of the letters of recommendation which have been arranged alphabetically, the materials in this section have been placed in chronological order.

As evidenced by his membership in the United Airlines 100,000 Mile Club, Henry Eyring traveled extensively throughout his career. The materials in boxes 55 through 58 consist of hotel bills, airline tickets, and travel itineraries reflecting Eyring's activities as he traveled around the world as a consultant, board member, conference participant, and lecturer.

Section twelve of the Eyring collection contains materials directly related to the research Eyring was involved in while a member of the faculty at the the University of Utah. The major portion of this section is comprised of research proposals, correspondence, contracts, and progress and final reports.

Materials relating to the publication of Eyring's research articles and textbooks have been arranged in sections thirteen and fourteen respectively. The types of materials found in these sections include correspondence with professional journals and publishing companies, rough draft articles and manuscripts, publication contracts, and royalty statements. Also included are twelve bound volumes containing reprints of Eyring's research articles. Of the 623 articles he published, 606 of them can be located in these volumes.

The final section in the Henry Eyring collection is an assortment of materials. Box 82 contains correspondence relating to Eyring's work as an editor for a number of chemistry series publications. Boxes 83 and 84 contain files on a number of Eyring's colleagues including Farrington Daniels, Douglas Henderson, Joseph Hirschfelder, Gilbert N. Lewis, Hugh S. Taylor, and Michael Polanyi. These files, for the most part, consist of correspondence. Additionally, this section contains correspondence between Eyring and various publishing companies concerning reviews he agreed to do on numerous articles and books, and a newsclipping file detailing Eyring's professional activities from 1925-1982.

Dates

  • 1915-2010

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Some original items have been removed and placed in Reserve. Access must be given by the Manuscripts Curator and by appointment. An archivist must remain with the items if being used. Photocopies are available in the collection for research use.

Box 27 is restricted.

Extent

From the Collection: 46.25 Linear Feet (89 boxes, 3 oversize boxes, and 1 microfilm reel)

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Creator

Repository Details

Part of the J. Willard Marriott Library Special Collections Repository

Contact:
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City Utah 84112 United States
801-581-8863