Begun, S. Joseph (Semi Joseph), 1905-1995 Search this
Extent:
21 Cubic feet (46 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Memorandums
Patents
Personal papers
Photographs
Business records
Professional papers
Reports
Speeches
Awards
Biography files
Correspondence
Date:
1888-2000
bulk 1927-1995
Summary:
Semi Joseph Begun was a pioneer in magnetic recording. The papers document Begun's professional career in the field of magnetic recording.
Scope and Contents:
The S. Joseph Begun papers contain correspondence, memoranda, patents, printed matter, reports, speeches and writings, awards, biographical materials, and autobiographical and historical material documenting the life and career of S. Joseph Begun.
Series 1: Personal Papers, 1927-1998, is arranged alphabetically by general subject and contains materials related to Begun's education, biographical files and obituaries, and awards.
Series 2: Professional Files, 1924-1992, is organized in general chronological order. Following broad subdivisions covering his early activities in Germany and America, these materials are grouped by corporate affiliation: Brush, the National Defense Research Committee, Clevite, Gould, Science and Management, Inc., and Auctor Associates, Inc. It should be noted that Begun's involvement with various organizations often overlaps; his continuous employment with Brush, Clevite, and Gould means that similar letterheads may be found under different corporate bodies.
Series 3: Writings and Speeches, 1930-1988, documents Begun's publications and presentations, and includes drafts, correspondence, programs, printed matter, magazines, and reprints. It should be stressed that this series is not a bibliography. The series is arranged chronologically.
Series 4: Autobiographical and Historical Materials, 1888, 1930-2000, reflects Begun's efforts in his last years to write his autobiography. He wrote drafts, interviewed former co-workers such as Al Dank and Otto Kornei from the Brush Development Company, and accumulated a considerable number of articles and other materials on the history of magnetic recording. Additional materials include a copy of Begun's autobiography, My Years in Magnetic Recording: Dr. Semi Joseph Begun, as edited by Dr. Mark Clark.
Arrangement:
The collection is organized into four series.
Series 1: Personal Papers, 1927-1998
Subseries 1, Academic Records, 1927-1933
Subseries 2, Awards, 1929-1994, undated
Subseries 3, Biographical files, circa 1935-1994; 1998
Subseries 4, Correspondence, 1946-1992
Subseries 5, Diary fragments, 1969-1970
Subseries 6, Wire Recorder, 1983-1994
Subseries 7, Financial Records, 1960
Subseries 8, Obituaries, 1995
Subseries 9, Photographs, circa 1940s-1987
Series 2: Professional Files, 1924-1992
Subseries 1, Early Career in Germany, 1929-1949
Subseries 2, Early Career in America, 1935-1948
Subseries 3, Brush Development Company, 1936-1960s
Subseries 4, National Defense Research Committee, 1942-1948
Subseries 8, Science and Management, Inc., circa, 1969-1970
Subseries 9, Auctor Associates, Inc., circa, 1968-1992
Series 3: Writings and Speeches, 1930-1988
Series 4: Autobiographical and Historical Materials, 1888 (bulk 1930-2000)
Biographical / Historical:
Semi Joseph Begun, a pioneer in magnetic recording, was born in the Free City of Danzig (now Gdansk, Poland) on December 2, 1905. He earned an M.S. in Engineering in 1929 and a doctorate in 1933 from the Institute of Technology in Berlin for work related to magnetic recording. In 1929, he began working for Schuchhardt A.G., where he designed the first commercially successful magnetic recorder. Later, he worked for Echophon A.G. and C. Lorenz A.G., where he designed the first magnetic tape recorder for use by the German Broadcasting System. Begun emigrated to America in 1935 and worked in New York City both for the Guided Radio Corporation and independently. He and Sidney Wolf formed two companies Acoustic Consultants and Magnetone, a holding company for Begun's patents. In 1938, he joined the Brush Development Company in Cleveland, Ohio. During World War II, Begun served as a member of the National Defense Research Committee. After the war, he wrote Magnetic Recording (1949), the first textbook on the subject. In 1952, the Brush Development Company merged with the Cleveland Graphite Bronze Company to form the Clevite Corporation. Begun held several executive positions at Clevite, including Director of Advanced Development and Vice President for International Operations. He was a member of Clevite's Board of Directors and assisted in the merger between Clevite and Gould National Battery in 1968. In 1969, Begun formed Science Management, Inc., (SMI) to serve investment groups and other interested clients with the evaluation of new and existing products and to appraise management ability of new ventures with high technology products. In 1971, Begun founded Auctor Associates, Inc., a consulting firm focused on high technology markets. In 1983, he founded the Society for Prevention of Violence, a non-profit educational organization. Begun held over 50 patents and was the recipient of numerous professional awards. He died in Cleveland on January 5, 1995.
Provenance:
The bulk of the collection was donated by the widow of S. Joseph Begun, Mrs. Ruth W. Begun, in July 1995.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Mutual Attraction Developing new uses for magnets. Thermostats, radios, electric blankets, and electric trains depend on magnets. Magnetic toy blocks do not tumble when used by children with cerebral palsy. Using electromagnetic equipment to remove impurities from raw materials and to move heavy scrap metal. Recording dictation and music with magnetic tape. Video tape has made it possible to record pictures and sound.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but the films are stored off-site. Special arrangements must be made directly with the Archives Center staff to view episodes for which no reference copy exists. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees will be charged for reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Industry on Parade Film Collection, 1950-1959, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.
Shaw, J. Clifford (John Clifford), 1922-1991 Search this
Container:
Box 2, Folder 5
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1955
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
John Clifford Shaw papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.
The Harrington sound recording were made on wax cylinders, alumunim discs, and magnetic tape. The wax cylinders are described here in spite of the fact that they were transferred to the Library of Congress Folklife Division in the early 1980s and no copies have yet been furnished by the Library to NAA. Most of what remains are aluminum discs and a few tapes.
Arrangement:
By tribe and number
Collection Restrictions:
The John Peabody Harrington papers are open for research.
Access to the John Peabody Harrington papers requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Topic:
Language and languages -- Documentation Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Collection Citation:
John Peabody Harrington papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
The preferred citation for the Harrington Papers will reference the actual location within the collection, i.e. Box 172, Alaska/Northwest Coast, Papers of John Peabody Harrington, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
However, as the NAA understands the need to cite phrases or vocabulary on specific pages, a citation referencing the microfilmed papers is acceptable. Please note that the page numbering of the PDF version of the Harrington microfilm does not directly correlate to the analog microfilm frame numbers. If it is necessary to cite the microfilmed papers, please refer to the specific page number of the PDF version, as in: Papers of John Peabody Harrington, Microfilm: MF 7, R34 page 42.
Smithsonian Institution. Program in African American Culture Search this
Extent:
100 Cubic feet (309 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Audiocassettes
Audiotapes
Videotapes
Photographs
Date:
1850-2004, undated
Summary:
The collection primarily documents the activities of the National Museum of American History's Program in African American Culture (PAAC) dating from 1979 through 2004. The Program in African American Culture (PAAC) created public programs documenting the black experience in the United States, as well as, other countries. Archival materials include photographs, programs, administrative files, magnetic tape, audiocassettes, U-matic and VHS video cassettes.
Scope and Contents:
The collection consists primarily of administrative files, audio, video, and photographic documentation of the programs presented by the Program in African American Culture (PAAC) from 1979 through 2004. There is a substantial amount of material documenting research conducted by the Program in African American Culture (PAAC) for its programming. In addition, administrative paperwork relating to the day-to-day activities of the Program in African American Culture (PAAC) are also included in the materials.
The collection is divided into four series. Series one consists of the material created for each program and is arranged in chronological order. Series two contains background materials and publications relating to subjects of program interest and is arranged in alphabetical order. Series three includes correspondence, contracts, resumes of presenters and performers and other forms of administrative files. Series four are materials relating to Smithsonian Institution or outside programs and performances.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into four series.
Series 1, Programs Files, 1979-2004, undated
Series 2, Research Files, 1850-1995, undated
Series 3, Administrative Files, 1850-1995, undated
Series 4, Interviews, Speaking Engagements and Performances, 1964-2000, undated
Biographical / Historical:
The Program in African American Culture (PAAC) is a Smithsonian Institution research and programming office located in the National Museum of American History that was created as an outgrowth of the African Diaspora component of the 1975 and 1976 Festival of American Folklife. Founding director, Bernice Johnson Reagon, developed the Program in Black Culture, as the PAAC was originally, as a center for researching and presenting topics of interest to the study of African American history and culture. Reagon is a song leader, composer, scholar, and social activist, who was a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) Freedom Singers in the Albany Movement in Georgia. The Program, which was transferred to the National Museum of American History in 1983, provided, and continues to provide, a forum for the presentation of traditional and historical forms of African American cultural expression. To accomplish this, Program in African American Culture (PAAC) staff conducted thorough research, which resulted in public programs including conferences, concerts, colloquia, and seminars on a wide range of topics.
Related Materials:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Duke Ellington Collection (NMAH.AC0301)
Ruth Ellington Collection of Duke Ellington Materials (NMAH.AC0415)
Eugene D. Smallwood Gospel Music Collection (NMAH.AC0456)
Wade in the Water Radio Series Collection (NMAH.AC0516)
Moses Moon Civil Rights Movement Audio Collection (NMAH.AC0556)
Bernice Reagon Johnson Collection of African American Sacred Music (NMAH.AC0653)
Edward and Gaye Collection of Duke Ellington Materials (NMAH.AC0704)
Ed King Collection of Civil Rights Material (NMAH.AC0559)
Smithsonian Institution
Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1969 Festival of American Folklife (CFCH.SFF.1969)
Smithsonian Institution Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, June 25-July 6, 1997 (CFCH.SFF.1997)
Diana Davies Photographs (CFCH.DAVIE)
Smithsonian Institution Archivesemph>
Oral History Interview with Bernice Reagon Johnson, 1986
(Accession 009612)
National Museum of American History, Program in African American Culture, 1982-2002 (Accession 05-116)
National Museum of American History, Program in African American Culture, 1983-2004 (Accession 06-002)
National Museum of American History, Program in African American Culture, 1972-1999 (Accession 08-107)
National Museum of American History, Program in African American Culture, 1975-2000 (Accession 12-102)
National Museum of American History, Program in African American Culture, 1976-1999 (Accession 12-358)
National Museum of American History, Program in African American Culture, 1980-1992, 1961 (Accession 96-147)
Duke Ellington Collection Records, circa 1985-1993 (Accession 98-129)
National Museum of American History, Program in Black American Culture, circa 1976-1987 (Accession 98-136)
Smithsonian Institution. Division of Performing Arts (Accession 84-012)
Provenance:
Collection created by the Program in African Amerian Culture at the Smithsonian Institution from 1979-1986.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Access and use of audiovisual materials available in the Archives Center reading room or by requesting copies of audiovisual materials at RightsReproductions@si.edu
Rights:
Copyright restrictions exist. Collection items available for reproduction Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
