Overview of the Collection
Biographical NoteGilfillan's career at Oregon State University spanned over 60 years as a student (B.S. Pharmacy, 1918), Professor of Chemistry (1927-1939), and Dean of Science (1939-1962). F.A. Gilfillan was officially appointed as Acting President of Oregon State College in September 1941 after the resignation of President Ballard. However he had been serving as chair of the Administrative Council and carrying out the president's campus duties since October 1940. He lead the University through the uncertain months of the beginning of World War II until A.L. Strand's arrival in October 1942. A native of Oklahoma, Gilfillan earned a B.S. degree in Pharmacy from Oregon Agricultural College in 1918. After serving in the Army chemical warfare department, he attended Yale University and earned a doctoral degree in chemistry. He retired as Dean of Science in 1962, but continued his close ties with Oregon State University by teaching German for six years and remained in Corvallis until his death in 1983. As Dean of Science for more than 20 years, Gilfillan was known to many on campus and in the community as "Dean Gilfillan." Besides his professional contributions in pharmacy and chemistry, Dean Gilfillan could speak German, Russian, French, Italian and Chinook; translate Latin, Greek, Chinese, and inscriptions on clay tablets; and collected rare books and antique silver. The Junior Engineers' and Scientists' Summer Institute (JESSI) was a two-week program for high school students interested in science and engineering offered at Oregon State University from 1956 through the early 1970s. The Institute was developed at Oregon State College in conjunction with Scientists of Tomorrow (located in Portland, Oregon); institutes were offered at colleges and universities throughout the United States. Content DescriptionThe F.A. Gilfillan Papers consist of a variety of materials created and assembled by Gilfillan during his career as a student, college professor and administrator, and scientist. The bulk of the materials consist of correspondence received and sent by Gilfillan. The Papers also include notepads and notebooks documenting meetings of the Oregon State College Executive Council, Administrative Council, Museum Committee, Faculty Organization Committee, and School of Science department chairs; speeches; and laboratory and lecture notes from Oregon Agricultural College and Yale University. The Papers include substantive materials pertaining to the Junior Engineers' and Scientists' Summer Institute (JESSI) and the Oregon Academy of Science. The correspondence includes letters to and from Margaret Bourke-White dated 1925-1953. Gilfillan met Bourke-White in the early 1920s when he was on the east coast. The collection includes photograph albums, scrapbooks, and individual photographs as well as sound recordings and a motion picture film. Ephemera and artifacts include certificates, awards, diplomas, Christmas cards, and pamphlets. Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Access :
Collection is open for research with the exception of folders pertaining to faculty evaluations (box 2); JESSI student test scores (box 4); and high school science teachers' applications for summer research assistanships (box 16). Preferred Citation :F.A. Gilfillan Papers, Oregon State University Archives, Corvallis, Oregon. Administrative Information
Additional Reference Guides :
Preliminary container list and item-level accession inventory available online. Processing Note :This collection is not fully processed; this guide is preliminary. Related Materials :Materials pertaining to Gilfillan's professional activities are available in the College of Science Records (RG 24), President's Office Records (RG 13), Chemistry Department Records (RG 98), and the Science Research Institute Records (RG 14). The Library Records (RG 9) include correspondence with Gilfillan. A 1975 oral history conducted with Gilfillan and his wife is available in the Oral History Collections. Subjects
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