Overview of the Collection
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Repository Name:
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Oregon State University
University Archives
121 The Valley Library
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331-4501
Phone: 541-737-2165
Email: archives@oregonstate.edu
Web: http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/archives
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Collection Number:
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Consult repository.
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Creator:
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Graf, Samuel Herman, 1887-
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Title:
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Samuel H. Graf Collection
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Dates:
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1903-1961 (inclusive)
1903-1920 (bulk)
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Quantity:
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0.3 cubic feet
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Languages:
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Materials
in
English
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Summary:
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The Graf Collection includes letters to family members, a 1909 text co-written by Graf, a history of mechanical engineering at Oregon State, and an award certificate.
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Biographical Note
Born at Portland, Oregon, in August 1887, Samuel H. Graf entered Oregon
Agricultural College in 1903 to study engineering. He received five engineering
degrees from the college - B.S., Electrical Engineering (1907); E.E.,
Electrical Engineering (1908); B.S., Mechanical Engineering (1908); M.E.,
Mechanical Engineering (1909); and M.S., Electrical Engineering (1909). Between
1909 and 1954 Graf held several faculty appointments in engineering at Oregon
State. From 1909-1912 he was an instructor in mechanical engineering; from
1912-1920 he was the head of experimental engineering; head of the Department
of Mechanics and Materials (1920-1934) and of the Department of Mechanical
Engineering (1934-1954); director of engineering research (1928-1944); and
director of the Engineering Experiment Station (1944-1954).
Graf participated in several professional organizations, including the
State Board of Engineering Examiners, the American Society for Metals, the
American Society for Testing Materials, and the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers. He also served on the Board of Trustees of Linfield College from
1954 to 1966 and was a member of several honorary societies, including Phi
Kappa Phi, Sigma Xi (General Science), Eta Kappa Nu (Electrical Engineering),
Sigma Tau (General Engineering), and Tau Beta Pi (General Engineering). Among
his publications were Gas Appliance Testing Code, the Gas Engineers' Handbook,
and several Engineering Experiment Station research bulletins.
Graf was married three times and had four children. He died in July
1966; Graf Hall on the OSU campus and Graf Hall at Linfield College are named
for him.
Content Description
Series one, Family Letters, includes letters that Graf wrote to his
family between 1903 and 1918 while a student at Oregon Agricultural College and
later a faculty member. The letters provide a detailed account of student life
at O.A.C. - Graf discusses faculty members; his classes; fellow students;
athletics; and costs, such as his cadet uniform and room and board. They also
provide insight into O.A.C. faculty life in the 1910s. The series also includes
an invitation to Graf's 1920 marriage to Blanche Edlefsen. Series two is a text
and supplemental drawings, "A Course in Mechanical Drawing," written by Graf
and fellow faculty member M. Clyde Phillips in 1909. Series three is a
typescript written by Graf, "50 Years of Mechanical Engineering at OSC,"
written around 1945. Series four is a certificate awarded to Graf in 1961 by
the American Society for Testing Materials.
Arrangement
Organized into four series. Series one, Family Letters, is arranged
chronologically.
Administrative Information
Custodial History The family letters were donated to the OSU College of Engineering in
1999 by Samuel Graf's daughter, Therese Graf Tanalski. They were transferred to
the University Archives in December 2000.
Use of the Collection
Preferred Citation Samuel H. Graf Collection, Oregon State University Archives, Corvallis,
Oregon.
| College students' writings,
American--Oregon--Corvallis. |
| College
environment--Oregon--Corvallis. |
| College
sports--Oregon--Corvallis. |
| College
students--Oregon--Corvallis--Economic conditions. |
| College
students--Oregon--Corvallis--Social conditions. |
| Course in
mechanical drawing. |
| Engineering--Study and teaching
(Higher)--Oregon--Corvallis. |
| Graf, Samuel Herman, 1887- |
| Mechanical drawings (tool
aided drawings). |
| Oregon Agricultural College. School of Engineering. |
| Oregon State College. Dept. of Mechanical
Engineering--History. |
| Universities and
colleges--Oregon--Corvallis--Faculty. |
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| Other Creators : |
| Graf, Samuel Herman, 1887- |
| Phillips, Mark Clyde, 1877-1965. |
Detailed Description of the Collection
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Series I:
Family Letters, 1903-1920
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Container(s)
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Description
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Transcripts of
letters
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Original letters
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1903-1904
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1905-1907
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1908-1909
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1910-1918
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Wedding
invitation, 1920
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Series II:
"A Course in Mechanical
Drawing", 1909
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Container(s)
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Description
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Text and drawings
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Texts only
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2 copies
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Series III:
Typescript, "50 Years of
Mechanical Engineering at O.S.C.", ca. 1945
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Series IV:
Award Certificate, American
Society for Testing Materials, June
28, 1961
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