urn:taro:utexas.cah.00500 A Guide to the Athelstan Spilhaus Papers, 1912-2003 (bulk 1930-1990) 07/06/2006Encoded in XMetal 2 by Edward Sevcik according to instructions in TARO 2 EAD 2002 Editing Instructions. February 2010 Revised by Laurel Rozema with addition 2010-029. July 2010 Revised by Laurel Rozema with addition 2010-168. Descriptive Summary Spilhaus, Athelstan Athelstan Spilhaus Papers 1912-2003 (bulk 1930-1990) Materials are written in English. 2004-191; 2005-183; 2009-031; 2010-029; 2010-168 128174282 50 ft., 3 in. Dolph Briscoe Center for American History,The University of Texas at Austin Scientific and popular writings, research reports, autobiographies, diaries, correspondence and transcripts concerning 20th century oceanography, meteorology, cartography, science education, environmentalism and resource management. Biographical Note

Scientist, administrator and educator, Athelstan Spilhaus (1911-1998) contributed to oceanography, meteorology, and cartography; served as a dean at the University of Minnesota; and promoted science education and science-based management of the earth’s resources. Born in Rondebosch, South Africa, he held degrees in mechanical engineering (University of Cape Town, 1931) and in aeronautical engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1933).

In 1936 Spilhaus joined the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. Here he developed the bathythermograph, a device that made possible the measurement of ocean depths and temperatures from a moving vessel. This invention established his international reputation. From 1941 through 1945 he served in the United States Army, teaching meteorology and traveling in Europe and China, where he supervised a network of weather stations and met Chairman Mao Zedong.

In 1948 Spilhaus became dean of science and technology at the University of Minnesota, a position he held until 1967. While there, he promoted the establishment of a Sea Grant Universities program for oceanographic education and research. The U.S. Congress formally established this program in 1966. In 1955 Spilhaus started writing scripts for Our New Age, a science-based newspaper comic strip, which ran until the early 1970s.

President John F. Kennedy in 1961 appointed Spilhaus U.S. Commissioner to the Seattle World’s Fair, also known as the Century 21 Exposition. In 1967 he became president of the Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia, but left two years later after difficulties with the museum directors. During the 1970s, he served as president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, as a fellow of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, as consultant to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, and in other scientific and cultural roles. An advocate for improvements in environmental science and urban development, Spilhaus promoted the Minnesota Experimental City, a project envisioned as a venue to test new urban designs in real-world conditions.

From 1977 to 1978 Spilhaus was a distinguished visiting professor of marine sciences at the University of Texas. During the 1980s and 1990s Spilhaus designed new map projections highlighting the earth’s oceans, as well as map-themed puzzles. During his last years Spilhaus and his third wife Kathleen became known as authorities on antique mechanical toys.

 Scope and Contents

The Athelstan Spilhaus Papers, 1912-2003 (bulk 1930-1990), document the scientific, educational and cultural activities of Spilhaus, and illuminate the evolution of American meteorology, oceanography, cartography and environmental science during the 20th century. Reports and scientific journal articles from the 1930s concern topics in mechanical engineering, notably the evolution of air-powered instruments in aircraft. An early photograph album (1929-1930) depicts Spilhaus’s life in South Africa during his college days, and travel journals, a memoir and photographs from 1936 record his road journeys through Africa. Correspondence, publications and research reports (1937-1955) document the development of the bathythermograph and other advances in oceanography. Military orders, journals, reports, annotated maps, news clippings, and photographs (1941-1946) record Spilhaus’s activities in northern Europe and in China, and document conditions in those regions.

News clippings, magazine articles, correspondence, research reports and transcripts cover Spilhaus’s time at the University of Minnesota and his support of the Sea Grant Universities program, the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, the Experimental Cities project, public health, urban renewal, environmentalism and other topics of public concern during the 1960s and 1970s. Drafts and annotated drafts of his unpublished autobiography and other writings, oral history interviews, and materials assembled for a biography during the 1990s recount Spilhaus’s story in his own words. Furthermore, the collection contains books and articles by him with correspondence related to their publication, maps and cartographic projections devised by Spilhaus, prototypes of games and toys, and production drawings for the newspaper comic Our New Age. Materials also include lecture tapes and transcripts, testimonials, CDs, and DVDs.

 Access Restrictions

Use of some audio material requires an appointment; please contact sound archivist for an appointment.

Use Restrictions

Unrestricted use

 Preferred Citation

Athelstan Spilhaus Papers, 1912-2003 (bulk 1930-1990), the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

 Index Terms Subjects (Persons) Spilhaus, Athelstan, 1911-1998 Subjects (Organizations) Minnesota Experimental City Authority University of Minnesota Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Subjects Bathythermograph Century 21 Exposition (1962: Seattle, Wash.) Mechanical toys Meteorology Meteorological instruments Oceanography Oceanographic instruments World War, 1939-1945 -- China. Places Africa -- Description and travel China -- Description and travel Processing Information

Processed by Edward Sevcik, June 2006.

Revised by Evan Hocker, February 2009, and Laurel Rozema, February 2010, July 2010.

Detailed Description of the Papers Inventory 2M420 Photographs 2M420 Personal, 1912, [circa 1940-circa 1980] 2M420 Astronomical, personal, 1939, [circa 1960-circa 1980] 2M420 Bathythermograph: [circa 1940] 2M420 Personal, assorted, [circa 1945-circa 1970] 2M420 Korea, [circa 1960] 2M420 United States Science Exhibit, Seattle World’s Fair, 1962 2M420 Tall ships, 1976 2M420 Toys and clock, [circa 1960], 1986 2M420 Academic conferences, public relations, UNESCO [United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization], personal, [circa 1960-circa 1975] 2M420 Solar Triangle sculpture at Rockefeller Center, 1972 2M421 Photographs 1911-1918 2M421 China, [circa 1945] 2M421 Maps, scientific presentations, personal, [circa 1920-circa 1945] 2M422 Maps and geomorphology: articles, news clippings, correspondence, ephemera, [circa 1970-circa 1990] 2M423 Diary and autobiographical writings, 1936, [circa 1940], [circa 1972] 2M423 Toys, inventions and maps: drafts, research files, news clippings and correspondence, [circa 1960-circa 1995] 2M424 Maps and plate tectonics: drafts, research files and correspondence, [circa 1970-circa 1995] 2M424 United States Army travel documents, health reports and itineraries, 1945-1946 2M425 Scientific articles: drafts, related correspondence and news clippings, [circa 1930-circa 1980] 2M426 General correspondence, 1980, 1989-2000 2M426 United States National Fisheries and Aquarium Program, correspondence and report, 1962-1965 2M426 “The Next Industrial Revolution,” drafts, 1971 2M426 Design for globe sundial, [circa 1970] 2M427 Sundial patent: certificates, research reports and correspondence, 1984-1986 2M427 New York University: correspondence and news clippings, 1946 2M427 Biographical materials: correspondence and news clippings, 1955-1975 2M427 Bathythermograph: articles and news clippings, 1938-1987 2M428 China: flight records, news clippings, weather reports, itineraries, diary, 1944-1945 2M428 Obituaries, testimonial cards, memorial service guest book, 1998 2M428 United States Science Exhibit at the Seattle World’s Fair [Century 21 Exposition], news clippings and correspondence, 1962 2M429 United States Science Exhibit at the Seattle World’s Fair [Century 21 Exposition], news clippings and correspondence, 1962 2M429 German political leaflets, [circa 1945] 2M429 Nuclear bomb testing: news clippings, 1952 2M429 University of Minnesota science education: news clippings and report, 1951-1952 2M429 Western Pacific meteorology: research reports, diary, 1945-1950 2M429 Iceland, England, North Africa: meteorology reports, activity reports, United States Army orders, duty diaries, correspondence, 1943-1946 2M429 Experimental City Project: correspondence, news clippings and articles, 1963-1975 2M429 Innovative City Project, correspondence and articles, 1986-1987 2M429 Meteorology: news clippings, magazine articles and correspondence, 1938-1986 2M430 Correspondence, articles and news clippings, 1947-1990 2M430 Autobiography: outline and chapters, with related correspondence, 1974 2M430 Ocean stewardship, environment and business: articles and drafts, 1989-1990 2M430 Franklin Institute: correspondence and news clippings, 1967-1968 2M430 American Association for the Advancement of Science [AAAS], correspondence and news clippings, 1969 2M430 Sea Grant Universities: oral history transcripts, conference proceedings, annotated drafts, news clippings and correspondence, [circa 1965]-2003 2M430 Backwards Land, by Athelstan Spilhaus, manuscript, [circa 1960] 2M431 Sea Grant Universities: correspondence, articles, news clippings, drafts 1963-1972 2M431 Palm Beach [Florida] schools: Spilhaus superintendancy, news clippings and correspondence, 1970 2M431 International Geophysical Year [IGY] and First Satellite [Sputnik]: news clippings, articles, correspondence, 1955-1963 2M431 Corporate correspondence and patent reports, 1955-1966 2M431 Ecolibrium Project: correspondence and news clippings, 1972 2M431 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA], correspondence and news clippings, 1974-1975 2M432 United States Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] report on Athelstan Spilhaus, 1961-1966 2M432 Escher designs: correspondence and drafts, 1986 2M432 Sea Grant Universities: testimony before United States Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, with related correspondence and news clippings, 1966 2M432 Pollution, science education, Eco-Fair: news clippings, 1970-1990 2M432 Expense reports, itineraries, testimonials, proceedings, interviews and news articles, 1970-1990 2M433 South Africa: news clippings, 1947 2M433 Biographical and Genealogical reports, articles, clippings and correspondence, [circa 1940]-1987 2M433 University of Minnesota: news clippings and correspondence, 1965-1968 2M433 Lectures and speeches: notes and drafts, 1960-1976 2M434 University of Minnesota: news clippings and correspondence, 1950-1960 2M434 Correspondence, drafts and news clippings, 1980-1990 2M435 Articles about Spilhaus, [circa 1970-circa 1990] 2M435 Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars: correspondence, 1971-1975 2M435 Scientific institutions and societies: correspondence, 1971-1985 2M436 Master’s thesis on air driven gyroscopic instruments, 1933 2M436 Activity and expense reports, correspondence, 1972-1976 2M436 Oceanography, and marine conservation: drafts, correspondence, articles and news clippings, [circa 1970-circa 1990] 2M436 Pre-prints of “Our New Age” newspaper comic, 1965-1971 2M437 Scientific articles: drafts and related correspondence, [circa 1930-circa 1975] 2M438 Spilhaus oral history: transcripts and draft transcripts, 1976 2M438 Articles about Spilhaus, 1950-1960 2M438 General correspondence, 1970-1980 2M438 University of Minnesota: correspondence and news clippings, 1970-1980 2M438 Bathythermograph: reports and correspondence, 1937-1943 2M439 Bathythermograph: reports and correspondence, 1950-1960 2M439 Spilly, by Athelstan Spilhaus[Autobiography], 1977 2M439 Diaries, and autobiographical manuscripts, 1936-[circa 1950] 2M439 Drafts of published and unpublished magazine articles, 1960-1980 2M439 United Nations Educational, Scientifica and Cultural Organization [UNESCO]: correspondence and drafts, 1955-1957 2M440 “Performance of an Airplane at Constant Altitude Angle and Constant Throttle Setting:” report and correspondence, 1934 2M440 Articles and lectures: drafts, 1956-1980 2M440 Jobs: news clippings, 1950-1975 2M440 Weather control proposal: correspondence, 1945, 1994-1995 2M440 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO]: correspondence and drafts, 1955-1957 2M441 Articles and lectures: drafts, 1960-1980 2M441 Spilly, by Athelstan Spilhaus [Autobiography], 1977 2M441 Nauticus, the National Maritime Center: proposal and correspondence, 1989 2M441 Sea Education Association [S.E.A.]: proposal and correspondence, 1976-1977 2M441 Halley’s Comet: journal articles, research materials and drafts, 1984 2M441 Upper Atmosphere Ozone measuring program: report, 1939-1941 2M441 Spilhaus Space Clock: production drawings, templates and patent certificate, 1966 and [circa 1966] 2M441 Iceland, England, North Africa: meteorology reports, activity reports, United States Army orders, duty diaries, correspondence, 1943-1946 2M442 Books and publications credited to Athelstan Spilhaus: 2M442 Atlas of the World: Geophysical Boundaries, 1991 2M442 Grandfather’s Tool Town, 1989 2M442 Harmony of Man’s Industry and Living Space, 1973 2M442 Mechanical Toys: How Old Toys Work, 1989 2M442 Meteorological Instruments (3rd edition), 1953 2M442 The Ocean Laboratory, 1967 2M442 The Puzzle of the Plates: Spilhaus Repeating World Map, 1985 2M442 Satellite of the Sun: the science of the earth and its surroundings, 1958, 1964 2M442 Satellite Del Sole, (Italian translation by G. C. Chiappei), 1959 2M442 Turn to the Sea, 1959, 1961, 1962 2M442 Weathercraft: How to Make and Operate your Own Weather System, 1951 2M442 Workbook in Meterology, 1942 2M442 Books and publications containing work by Athelstan Spilhaus: 2M442 Baily, Matilda and Ullin Leavell, A World to Discover, 1963 2M442 Bartell, Joyce J., ed., The Yankee Mariner & Sea Power: America’s Challenge of Ocean Space, 1981 2M442 California Institute of Technology, The Next Ninety Years: Proceedings of a conference held at the California Institute of Technology, March, 1967, 1967 2M442 Committee on Pollution, National Academy of Sciences, Waste Management and Control, 1966 2M442 Gerwick, Ben C., editor, Arctic Ocean Engineering for the 21st Century: Proceedings of the first Spilhaus Symposium, 1985 2M442 Guy, Richard K. and Robert E. Woodrow, eds., The Lighter Side of Mathematics: Proceedings of the Eugene Strens Memorial Conference on Recreational Mathematics and its History, 1994 2M442 Leydet, Francois (ed.), Tomorrow’s Wilderness, 1963 2M442 Panel on Science and Technology, Proceedings before the Committee on Science and Astronautics, United States House of Representatives, Ninety-First Congress, 1970 2M442 Rozwenc, Edwin C., et al., The Restless Americans: The Challenge of Change in American History, 1972 2M442 Sheffield, Charles, Marcelo Alonso and Morton A. Kaplan, The World of 2044: Technological Development and the Future of Society, 1994 2M442 Singer, S. Fred (ed.), The Ocean in Human Affairs, 1990 2M442 United States Department of Commerce, U.S. Science Exhibit: Seattle World’s Fair, final report, 1962 2M442 Books by others, retained with the collection 2M442 Briggs, Peter, Men in the Sea, 1968 2M442 Cohn, Victor, 1999: Our Hopeful Future, 1956 2M442 Official Guide Book: Seattle World’s Fair, 1962 2M442 Spilhaus, M. Whiting, South Africa in the Making: 1652-1806, 1966 2M442 Villee, Jr., Claude A., Absolute Values and the New Cultural Revolution: commemorative volume of the thirteenth international conference on the unity of the sciences, 1985 2M442 Carter III, Samuel, Kingdom of the Tides, 1966 2M443 Journal articles and reprints, 1931-1970 2M444 New York University Constant Level Balloon Project: report and news clippings, 1946-1950 2M444 Journal articles and reprints, 1961-1993 2M444 Sea Grant Universities: journal articles, news clippings and reports, 1965-1985 2M444 Seminar on science and the news: transcript, 1960 2M444 Interviews and speeches: transcripts and event programs, 1950-1977 2M445 Meteorological instruments and toys: patent records, correspondence, 1938-1990 2M445 Biographical summaries: articles and testimonials, 1961-1970 2M445 Experimental City Project: journal articles, news clippings and reports, 1967-1969 2M445 Assorted news clippings, 1959-1994 2M445 Desk calendars and day planners, 1966-1997 2M445 Pan Geo, Incorporated: certificates, minutes, correspondence, 1984-1990 2M445 Meteorological instruments and toys: patent records, correspondence, 1938-1990 2M445 Biographical summaries: articles and testimonials, 1961-1970 2M445 Experimental City Project: journal articles, news clippings and reports, 1967-1969 2M445 Assorted news clippings, 1959-1994 2M445 Desk calendars and day planners, 1966-1997 2M445 Pan Geo, Incorporated: certificates, minutes, correspondence, 1984-1990 2M446 United States Army meteorology: reports, news clippings and correspondence, 1942-1949 2M446 Patent research reports, articles, drafts and correspondence, 1942, 1953-1981 2M446 Mechanical Toys: publication correspondence, 1992 2M446 Mechanical toys and games: articles, drafts and printed materials, 1981-1990 2M446 Certificates of achievement and appreciation, 1912-1991 2M446 Biographical materials collected for Athelstan Spilhaus: a Man of Ideas, [circa 1940-circa 1990] 2M446 Speeches: transcripts and drafts, 1960-1976 2M447 Newspapers and news clippings, [circa 1950-circa 1975] 2M447 Pre-prints for “Our New Age” newspaper comic, 1965-1971 2M448 General correspondence, [circa 1940-circa 1980] 2M448 Reports and news clippings, 1945-1947 2M448 Geography game cards and puzzle, 1987 and [circa 1987] 2M448 Spilhaus, Athelstan, and Kathleen Spilhaus, Mechanical Toys: How Old Toys Work, 1989 2.325/D48 Correspondence, notes, and articles exchanged between Spilhaus and Roger Goldsmith of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. Primarily relating to the study of mapping and representing the earth's features, particularly the continents and oceans. 3S32a Photographs, personal and scientific, 1903-1980 3S32a Photographs, bathythermograph, [circa 1950] 3S105b Photographs, negatives [restricted], 1940-1980 3S131 Oversized Materials 3S131 Photographs, 1930-1933, [circa 1950], 1972 2.116/1428 Time-zone maps of the world, [circa 1960] 2.116/1428 News clippings, certificates of appreciation and achievement, magazines, printed materials, [circa 1950-circa 1980] 2.116/1428 Parisian World’s Fair [of 1900] photo book, magazines, 1900, 1945-1973 2.116/1428 Map-theme jigsaw and toys, [circa 1985] 2.116/1429 China, the Philippines and South Asia: military maps, weather maps, 1945 2.116/1429 China and the world: production drawings for maps, news articles, [circa 1980] 2.116/1429 Production drawings for various maps, 1985-[circa 1995] 2.116/1430 “American Geophysical Union [AGU]’s 75th Anniversary Triptych of the World:” production drawings and paste-ups, 1989 2.116/1430 “The Geocycle:” production drawings, maps, 1989 and [circa 1989] 2.116/1430 Production drawings for various maps, 1995 and [circa 1995] 2.116/1431 “Our New Age” newspaper comic: production drawings, 1965-1968 2.116/1432 Our New Age” newspaper comic: production drawings, 1969-1971 2.325/D37c Production drawings and tracing sheets for maps, [circa 1985] 2X3c Audiocassette 2X3c Speeches, lectures and interviews, 1970-1976, 1991 2X4a Reel-to-Reel audiotapes 2X4a Speeches, lectures and news programs, 1962-[circa 1976] 2X4b Speeches, lectures and news programs, 1962-[circa 1976] [2010-029]: 4Y50 Compact discs: 4Y50 Athelstan Spilhaus Manuscript, © Louise S. O’Connor 4Y50 Spilhaus Photos Mao Camp 4Y50 DVD: 4Y50 An Interview with Athelstan Spilhaus, CAPE to CAIRO 1936 [2010-168]: 2.325/A6 Photograph album from college years in South Africa: trip on steam ship off the coast, sand yacht racing at Muizenberg, life at the University of Cape Town, sailing, and automobile travel near East London, 1929-1930 2.325/A6 Hand-painted image of “Spilhaus Lighthouse,” depicting the concepts of higher education, by Jon M. Beberg, [ca. 1950s] 2.325/A6 Newprint photo using fisheye lens, undated