Memorable Things Happening to a University and College Teacher of Organic Chemistry in the Course of a Lifetime

uabigelow Inventory of the Lucius A. Bigelow Papers, 1915-1973 Processed by: Sarah G. Carr; machine-readable finding aid created by: Joshua McKim University ArchivesDuke University

Durham, N.C., U.S.A.

Aleph Number: 003205739

Machine-readable finding aid derived from automated markup system. Date of source: April, 2000 Processed by Sarah G. Carr April, 2000; Finding Aid encoded by Joshua McKim, University Archives, Duke University, December, 2002 Description is in English. 05-01-2006 PUBLIC "-//University Archives//TEXT (US::NDD::::Lucius A. Bigelow Papers)//EN" uabigelow.xml converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02.xsl (sy2003-10-15).Also, the top level of the finding aid (above the dsc) was changed to conform to the NC EAD Best Practice Guidelines. Within the dsc, dates for series were normalized. Inventory of the Lucius A. Bigelow Papers, 1915-1973 University Archives Duke University Durham, North Carolina 27708-0202 USA

Descriptive Summary Lucius A. Bigelow Papers, 1915-1973. Bigelow, Lucius A., b. 1892. 2 Linear Feet, 1,200 Items University Archives, Duke University For current information on the location of these materials, please consult University Archives, Duke University. Lucius A. Bigelow (1892-1973) served as a professor in the Department of Chemistry at Duke University from 1929 to 1961. Papers of Lucius A. Bigelow include correspondence, class examinations and procedures, research papers, research status reports, and photographs during his career as a professor of chemistry at Brown University and Duke University. Major subjects within the papers are fluorine chemistry, organic chemistry, chemistry education, and research conducted for the Manhattan Project, the Office of Naval Research, and the Army Research Office. Professional correspondents include H. S. Booth, Henry Gilman, and William A. Noyes. English. Administrative Information Access Restrictions

Patrons must sign the Acknowledgement of Legal Responsibility and Privacy Rights form before using this collection.

For a period of twenty-five years from the origin of the material, permission in writing from the office of origin and the University Archivist is required for use. After twenty-five years, records that have been processed may be consulted with the permission of the University Archivist.

In accordance with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 as amended, Duke University permits students to inspect their education records and limits the disclosure of personally identifiable information from education records.

Use Restrictions

Copyright for Official University records is held by Duke University; all other copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Lucius A. Bigelow Papers, University Archives, Duke University.

Provenance

This collection consists of material acquired in accession number 74-197 on January 18, 1974.

Processing Information

Processed by Sarah G. Carr

Completed April, 2000

Encoded by Joshua McKim, December 2002

This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.

Biographical Note

Lucius Aurelius Bigelow was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 31, 1892 to Lucius Aurelius and Mary Elizabeth Bigelow. He graduated from Boston English High and from there went to Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he received his S.B. in 1915. He attended Harvard from 1916 to 1917 and then went to Yale as a Howard Fellow from 1918 to 1919, leaving with a Ph.D. in organic chemistry. He began his teaching career at St. Lawrence University but only stayed a short time until moving to Brown University, where he taught for nine years. In 1929 Bigelow came to Duke University where he served as a member of the chemistry department faculty until 1961. Bigelow's primary field of research was fluorine chemistry and the direct fluorination of organic compounds. His research provided the foundations for the preparation of fluorocarbons by direct fluorination carried out during World War II as part of the Manhattan Project. After retiring from active teaching at Duke, he continued his research work at Hynes Chemical Research, a firm started by several of his former graduate students. In 1958 he was the recipient of the Herty Medal by the Georgia Section of the American Chemical Society, recognizing him as an outstanding Southern chemist. Lucius A. Bigelow died in 1973, survived by his wife Mary Cummings Bigelow and two children.

Collection Overview

Records produced by Lucius A. Bigelow throughout his career as a professor of chemistry both at Brown University and Duke University. Materials are present from 1915 to 1973. The bulk of the records consist of correspondence, class examinations and procedures, research papers, research status reports, and photographs. The majority of the material pertains to Bigelow's time at Duke University however, there is some material stemming from his tenure at Brown University.

Subject Headings Bigelow, Lucius Aurelius, b. 1892. Booth, Harold Simmons, b. 1891. Gilman, Henry, 1893- Noyes, William A. (William Albert), 1857-1941. Brown University--Faculty. Duke University. Dept. of Chemistry. Duke University--Faculty. United States. Army Research Office. United States. Office of Naval Research. Chemistry--Study and teaching. Chemistry, Organic. Fluorine. Fluorine--Analysis. Manhattan Project (U.S.)--History. Contents of Collection Personal Material, 1919-1973.

Arrangement: alphabetical

This series consists of material relating to the personal life of Lucius A. Bigelow and includes biographical information, correspondence, and photographs. The correspondence contains letters to both Lucius and his wife Mary, discussing family and health matters. These include an interesting letter to Mary from her sister, regarding missionary work in South Africa as well as a Woman's Christian Temperance Union speaking tour through local schools extolling the "Value of Raisins". The photograph album in this series is of particular interest. It contains photos of chemistry faculty from both Brown and Duke universities during the 1920's, including Paul Gross, J. H. Saylor, and C. H. Hauser. It also has several interesting photos of the campus and Durham, including the construction of the chemistry building. The photographs folder contains photographic portraits of Dr. Bigelow. This series also includes a short memoir by Bigelow entitled Memorable Things Happening to a University and College Teacher of Organic Chemistry in the Course of a Lifetime. The memoir is professional in nature, relating lessons both taught and learned during his over forty years as a teacher.

1 Biographical Information, 1950-1973 Correspondence, 1923-1972 Memoir, Memorable Things Happen, undated Photograph Album, 1928-1930 Photographs, 1919-1970s Correspondence, undated, 1921-1971.

Arrangment: chronological

The correspondence consists chiefly of letters relating to students and about their research work, letters of recommendation, letters to colleagues in academe and industry, and letters regarding the publishing of scholarly papers. Bigelow's role as mentor and teacher and his relationships with his graduate students are particularly well revealed throughout the course of this correspondence. He was tireless in his work to secure good jobs for his graduates. Of particular note are letters describing two explosions that happened in the chemistry laboratories, one in 1931 and another in 1954. Another interesting series of letters describes Bigelow's attempts to aid one of his graduate students, who happened to be Japanese, right on the eve and in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor. Names of his professional correspondents include chemists such as Henry Gilman, William A. Noyes, H. S. Booth, and Arthur Lamb. These letters are chiefly regarding research questions relating to his work with fluorine.

Correspondence, undated Correspondence, 1921-1923 Correspondence, 1924-1929 Correspondence, 1930-1931 Correspondence, 1932-1933 Correspondence, 1934 Correspondence, 1935 2 Correspondence, 1936 Correspondence, 1937 Correspondence, 1938 Correspondence, 1939 Correspondence, 1940 Correspondence, 1941 Correspondence, 1942 Correspondence, 1943 Correspondence, 1944 Correspondence, 1945 Correspondence, 1946 3 Correspondence, 1947 Correspondence, 1948 Correspondence, 1949 Correspondence, 1950 Correspondence, 1951 Correspondence, 1952 Correspondence, 1953-1954 Correspondence, 1955-1956 Correspondence, 1957-1959 Correspondence, 1960-1971 Department of Chemistry Material, 1929-1971.

Arrangement: alphabetical

This series contains material related to the Department of Chemistry at Duke. It includes student papers, quizzes and examinations, some syllabi, and lab procedures for classes taught by Bigelow. The bulk of the course material relates to Chemistry 151 and 152. The research council material details grants given to Bigelow for research and assistants. Finally, this series contains an article written for the Journal of Chemical Education by Bigelow, Warren Vosburgh, and John Saylor entitled "Chemical Education in American Institutions-Duke University." It is an excellent source for the early history of the department.

4 American Chemical Society-North Carolina Section, 1928-1940 Article, Chemical Education in American Institutions-Duke University, 1948 Chemistry 151-Organic Chemistry, undated, 1946-1971 Chemistry 152-Organic Chemistry, undated, 1957-1970 Chemistry 156--Organic Chemistry, 1942-1943 Chemistry 252--Advanced Organic, undated Chemistry 253--Advanced Organic, 1936-1940 Chemistry 271-Introduction to Research, c.1940 Chemistry C4(Navy V-12 Course)-Organic Chemistry, 1943-1944 Chemistry C5 (Navy V-12 Course)-Organic Chemistry, 1944-1945 Graduate Student Records, 1929-1960 Research Council, 1934-1961 Student Papers, 1933-1961 Research Material, 1915-1971.

Arrangement: alphabetical

This series and subseries contain papers and reports regarding Dr. Bigelow's research in organic chemistry. The earliest work is his thesis from MIT, whereas the majority of the articles and papers document his continuing series of papers on "The Action of Elementary Fluorine Upon Organic Compounds." Most of the papers are co-written with his doctoral students. The series also contains his entry on fluorine for the Encyclopedia Britannica.

5 Articles and Papers, 1915-1958 Articles and Papers, 1960-1971 Miscellaneous, undated Military Research, 1946-1958.

Arrangement: alphabetical

The subseries contains correspondence and status reports to the Office of Naval Research and Army Research Office (Office of Ordnance Research) where Bigelow was under contract to conduct fundamental research in organic fluorine chemistry. The status reports detail the lab experiments and results of research conducted by Bigelow and his doctoral students.

Office of Naval Research Correspondence, 1946-1951 Correspondence, 1953-1958 Status Reports, 1946-1948 Status Reports, 1949-1951 Status Reports, 1953-1961 Army Research Office Status Reports, 1951-1954