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General Information

Description of Collection Biography of David Locke Webster Scope and Contents of Collection Restrictions on Use and Access Selected Search Terms Provenance and Acquisition Information Administrative Information

Container List

Correspondence, 1930-1958 Binders of materials on the organization of the AAPT, 1930-1936. (These materials were especially prepared for the Center by David Webster.)

American Association of Physics Teachers. Records of of David Locke Webster, 1930-1958

Description of Collection

Repository

American Institute of Physics. Center for History of Physics.

College Park, MD 20740

Papers created by

American Association of Physics Teachers.

Size of collection

3.25 linear feet in 6 boxes

Short description of collection

These papers document the career of David Locke Webster, who served at Harvard, MIT, Stanford, the U.S. Signal Corps, and the Ordnance Department. He had been a member of the American Association of Physics Teachers from its inception in 1930 and worked devotedly for the advancement of physics education. Webster served as Vice-President of the Association in 1933 and 1934 and as President in 1935 and 1936.

Language(s) of collection

English

Biography of David Locke Webster

David Locke Webster was born in Boston, Massachusetts on November 6, 1888. He attended Harvard University, receiving an A.B. in 1910 and a Ph.D. in physics in 1913.

He began his teaching career at Harvard (mathematics instructor, 1910-1911; physics assistant, 1911-15; and physics instructor, 1915-1917). During 1919-1920, Webster was a physics instructor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was professor of physics at Stanford University from 1920 until his retirement in 1954, when he became emeritus professor. During World War II, Webster served as head physicist in the United States Signal Corps (1942), chief physicist in the Ordnance Department (1942-45), and was a consultant to these units after 1945. Webster died December 17, 1976.

Webster was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the American Physical Society and the American Geophysical Society. He had been a member of the American Association of Physics Teachers from its inception in 1930 and worked devotedly for the advancement of physics education. Webster served as Vice-President of the Association in 1933 and 1934 and as President in 1935 and 1936.

Webster is most well known for his work on the physics of x-rays, ultra-high frequency radio work, airplane pilot training and rockets.

Scope and Contents of Collection

The Webster Papers consist of 3.25 feet of official AAPT correspondence files (1930-1958) kept by Webster in his various official positions, and five especially prepared binders of correspondence, manuscripts and other materials (1930-1936), documenting the organization of the AAPT and its journals, the American Journal of Physics and The Physics Teacher.

Restrictions on Use and Access

Researchers must have an approved access application on file in order to access archival materials. https://www.aip.org/history-programs/niels-bohr-library/item-request.

Selected Search Terms

These papers have been indexed in the International Catalog of Sources for History of Physics and Allied Sciences (ICOS) using the following terms. Those seeking related materials should search under these terms.

Provenance and Acquisition Information

Gift of David L. Webster in October 1963.

Administrative Information

Title

Finding Aid to the American Association of Physics Teachers. Records of David Locke Webster, 1930-1958

Sponsor

This finding aid has been encoded by the Center for History of Physics, American Institute of Physics as part of a collaborative project supported by a grant from the National Endowment of the Humanities, an independent federal agency. Collaboration members in 1999 consisted of: American Institute of Physics, California Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, Rice University, University of Alaska, University of Illinois, and University of Texas.

Publisher

American Institute of Physics.
Center for History of Physics.

One Physics Ellipse
College Park, MD 20740
nbl@aip.org

2000

Encoding Information

Machine-readable finding aid encoded in EAD v.1.0 by Clay Redding on November 28 2000 from an existing finding aid using NoteTab Pro and C++ scripts created by James P. Tranowski (provided by Elizabeth Dow, Special Collections, University of Vermont). Any revisions made to this finding aid occurred as part of the editing and encoding process.

Correspondence, 1930-1958

Box 1

Folder 1

Correspondence 1957-1958, and manuscript and reprints of "Reminiscences of the Early Years of the Association"

Folder 2

Correspondence 1956, Northern California Section, American Journal of Physics

Folder 3

Rough draft and notes for "Reminiscences on the early years of the AAPT"

Folder 4

Coulomb's Law Committee, reprints and notes

Folder 5

Correspondence, 1949-1953 and AAPT Nominating Committee, 1952

Folder 6

Correspondence, 1947

Folder 7

American Journal of Physics, 1946

Folder 8

Correspondence, 1946

Folder 9

Correspondence, 1941-42

Folder 10

Correspondence, 1941-42

Folder 11

Richtmyer Lecture, 1942

Folder 12

Civilian Pilot Training Program, Ground School, Seattle, June 1940

Folder 13

AAPT miscellaneous, 1940

Folder 14

Annual Meeting, 1940

Folder 15

AAAS; Business and program of Annual Meeting, Seattle, 1940

Folder 16

Committee on Award, 1940

Folder 17

Council on Physics Education, 1940

Folder 18

Dodge, Homer L., 1940

Folder 19

Lemon, Harvey B., 1940

Folder 20

Sutton, Richard M., 1940

Folder 21

Executive Committee, 1940

Folder 22

Committee on Award, Richtmyer, 1939

Folder 23

Executive Committee, 1939

Folder 24

American Physics Teacher, 1939

Folder 25

June 1939

Folder 26

Lemon, Harvey B., 1939

Box 2

Folder 27

Committee on Award, 1938

Folder 28

San Diego Meeting, June 24, 1938

Folder 29

Medal Design, 1938

Folder 30

Annual Meeting, December, 1938

Folder 31

Executive Committee, 1938

Folder 32

Richtmyer, 1938

Folder 33

Award Recommendation for Alexander W. Duff, 1938

Folder 34

Committee on Units, 1938

Folder 35

Richtmyer, F.K., 1937

Folder 36

Roller, D., 1937

Folder 37

Executive Committee, 1937

Folder 38

Dodge, Homer L., 1937

Folder 39

Meeting, February 1937

Folder 40

Meeting, June 1937

Folder 41

Committee on Units, 1937

Folder 42

Committee on Pre-Medical Physics, 1933-1937

Folder 43

December meeting, 1937

Folder 44

Committee on Award for notable contributions to the teaching of physics, 1937

Folder 45

Trip East; itinerary, costs, etc. December 1937

Folder 46

Committee on Physics for Engineers, 1937

Box 3

Folder 47

Committee on Award, 1937: Notes and letters to be used in preparing the speech

Folder 48

Committee on Tests, 1937

Folder 49

Committee on Training of Physicists for Industry, 1936

Folder 50

Committee on Films, 1936

Folder 51

Committee on Examinations for the Profession of Physicists, 1936

Folder 52

Committee on Terminology, 1936

Folder 53

Richtmyer, F.K., 1936

Folder 54

AAPT stationary, 1936

Folder 55

Speech on the notable contributions award, 1936

Folder 56

Programs, December 1936

Folder 57

Executive Committee, 1936

Folder 58

Meeting, December 1936

Folder 59

Meeting with American Institute of Physics, October 1936

Folder 60

Committee on Units (includes reports), 1936

Folder 61

Committee on Units, 1936

Folder 62

American Institute of Physics, 1935-1936

Folder 63

Palmer, F., 1935-1936

Folder 64

Committee on Awards for meritorious service to teaching, 1935-1936

Folder 65

Dodge, H., and Roller, D., 1935-1936

Folder 66

American Physics Teacher, 1935-1936

Folder 67

Klopsteg, P., 1936-1936

Folder 68

Committee on Ideal Curriculum in Liberal Arts Colleges, 1935-1936

Folder 69

Committee on Geometrical Optics, 1935-1936

Folder 70

Committee on Nominations, 1935-1936

Folder 71

Webb, W.S., 1935-1936

Folder 72

Plans for the December meeting, 1935

Folder 73

Committee on Papers, 1935

Folder 74

Taylor, L.W., 1935

Folder 75

Executive Committee, 1935

Folder 76

American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1935

Folder 77

AAPT conferences, April and May, 1935

Folder 78

Committee on preparation in Math, 1935

Folder 79

Lists of members of AAPT, Who's Who, and History and Constitution, 1934-1935

Folder 80

Committee on Physics in a liberal arts education, 1935

Folder 81

Films and the American Films Institute, 1935

Folder 82

Executive Committee and related papers, 1934

Folder 83

Circulars, 1933-1936

Folder 84

Committee on membership, 1935-1936

Folder 85

Executive Committee meeting, letters and minutes, December 1935

Folder 86

Committee on tests (first year physics), 1933-1937

Folder 87

Sutton, R.M., book on demonstration experiments, 1935-1936

Binders of materials on the organization of the AAPT, 1930-1936. (These materials were especially prepared for the Center by David Webster.)

Box 5

Binder 1

AAPT 1930-1933, organization, plans for the journals, Webster's work as associate editor of the American Physics Teacher, 1933 and correspondence with the Committee on Tests, 1933-1934.

Binder 2

AAPT Pre-Medical Physics Committee, 1933 and 1934. Afterthoughts on the report published in 1934.

Binder 3

Teaching on magnetism, papers and letters, 1932-1933, including correspondence with Warburton and Birge; Barnett's reprints, 1933; Warburton and Cleveland on Ampere's Law and Newton's 3rd, 1933-1936.

Box 6

Binder 4

"Unscrambling the Dielectric Constant", and correspondence as an associate editor of the American Physics Teacher, 1934.

Binder 5

Committee on Units, 1934-1935.

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