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Jeff Hecht interviews for his book "City of Light: The Story of Fiber Optics", 1993-1996

Description of Collection

Repository

American Institute of Physics. Niels Bohr Library & Archives.

Papers created by

Hecht, Jeff

Size of collection

0.75 linear feet
1 half manuscript box
2 tape/card boxes

Short description of collection

This collection consists of interviews conducted by author and historian Jeff Hecht for his book City of Light: The Story of Fiber Optics.

Language(s) of collection

English

Collection number:

AR2004587

Biographical Note

Freelance science and technology writer. Science Writing Fellowship, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, 1992. Author of Understanding Lasers (1991); Laser Pioneers (1991); The Laser Guidebook (1986); Optics: Light for a New Age (1988).

Scope and Contents of Collection

This collection consists of interviews conducted by author and historian Jeff Hecht for his book City of Light: The Story of Fiber Optics. The collection includes audio cassette tapes as well as transcripts and notes of interviews conducted by Jeff Hecht, as well as correspondence files and emails with interviewees ranging from physicists to electronics engineers. Interview subjects include: Elias Snitzer, George Hockham, Charles Sandbank, Bob Tkach and Andy Chraplyvy, Linn Mollenauer and Ivan Kaminow, Peter Runge, John Midwinter, Paul Lazay, John Wilbur Hicks Jr., Donald Keck (printed transcript), Peter Schultz, Murray Ramsay with Martin Chown and Richard Epworth, J. Jim Hseih, Mort Panish, Kenneth Nill, Felix Kapron, Ira Jacobs, Charles K. Kao (printed transcript), Robert Maurer, Lewis Hyde, Brian O'Brien, Jr., and Willem Brouwer. Also includes reminiscences from the New England Fiberoptic Council, and interviews with engineers and scientists at British Telecommunications Research Laboratories. Tapes and/or transcripts exist for 26 interviews; for others there may only be notes on the interview, and much of this is in electronic format. Contact the library reference staff for access to electronic format items.

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.

Persons

Brouwer, Willem.
Chown, Martin.
Chraplyvy, Andrew R., 1950-
Epworth, Richard
Hecht, Jeff.
Hicks, John Wilbur, Jr.
Hockham, George.
Hseih, J. Jim.
Hyde, W. Lewis, 1919-
Jacobs, Ira, 1931-
Kaminow, Ivan P., 1930-
Kao, Charles K., 1933-
Kapron, Ira, 1931-
Keck, Donald B., 1941-
Lazay, Paul Duane, 1939-
Maurer, Robert Distler, 1924-
Midwinter, John E.
Mollenauer, L. F. (Linn Frederick), 1937-
Nill, Kenneth
O'Brien, Brian, Jr., 1923-
Panish, M. B.
Ramsay, Murray.
Runge, Peter K.
Sandbank, Charles.
Schultz, Peter J.
Snitzer, Elias
Tkach, Robert William, 1954-

Institutions

BT Laboratories
New England Fiberoptics Council

Subject terms

Fiber optics.
Fibers. Research.

Genre terms

Interviews.
Transcripts.

Organization and Arrangement of Collection

This collection is organized into two series:

  • Series I: Transcripts
  • Series II: Audio tape cassettes

Both series are arranged alphabetically by interviewee last name.

Provenance and Acquisition Information

Gift of Jeff Hecht, 2004.

Processing Information

Collection is unprocessed and much of it is only available in electronic format.

Preferred Citation of Collection

Box [number], Folder [number], Jeff Hecht interviews for his book "City of Light: The Story of Fiber Optics," 1993-1996. American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives, College Park, MD 20740, USA.

Administrative Information

Title

Finding Aid to the Jeff Hecht interviews for his book "City of Light: The Story of Fiber Optics", 1993-1996

Publisher

American Institute of Physics Niels Bohr Library & Archives

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

2013

Encoding Information

Machine-readable finding aid encoded by Melanie J. Mueller in 2013. Any revisions made to this finding aid occurred as part of the editing and encoding process.

Series I: Transcripts

Other transcripts and interview notes are available in electronic format - consult reference staff for access.

Box 1 Folder 1 Kao, Charles - transcript, 1995
Keck, Donald - transcript, 1995

Series II: Audio tape cassettes

Box 2 Brouwer, Willem, January 1994
Bell Northern Research (BNR) (1 of 2), December 1994
Bell Northern Research (BNR) (2 of 2), December 1994
British Telecommunications Research Laboratories (BTRL) (1 of 2), December 1994
British Telecommunications Research Laboratories (BTRL) (2 of 2), December 1994
Chraplyvy, Andy - see Thack tape, box 3, July 1995
Hikcs, Will (1 of 2), February 1994
Hikcs, Will (2 of 2), February 1994
Huckham, George, December 1994
Hyden, Lewis, July 1993
Jacobs, Ira, November 1996
Jacobs, Ira, November 1996
Kaminow, Ivan (Bell Labs) - see Mollenauer tape, box 3, July 1995
Kao, Charles (1 of 2), April 1995
Kao, Charles (2 of 2), April 1995
Kapron, Felix, June 1995
Keck, Donald (1 of 2), March 1995
Keck, Donald (2 of 2), March 1995
Lazay, Paul (1 of 2), November 1996
Lazay, Paul (2 of 2), November 1996
Box 3 Maurer, Robert (1 of 2), March 1995
Maurer, Robert (2 of 2), March 1995
Midwinter, John, December 1984
Mollenauer, Linn; Kaminow, Ivan (Bell Labs), July 1995
Mseih, J. Jim, January 1996
New England Fiber Council, January 1994
Nill, Ken, January 1996
O'Brien, Brian, February 1994
Panish, Mort, July 1995
Runge, Peter (Bell Labs), July 1995
Sandbank, Charles, December 1994
Schultz, Peter (1 of 2), May 1995
Schultz, Peter (2 of 2), May 1995
Siegmund, Walter; and Todd, A. O. (1 of 2), undated
Snitzer, Eli (1 of 2), June 1995
Snitzer, Eli (2 of 2), June 1995
Thack, Bob; Chraplyvy, Andy (Bell Labs), July 1995
Todd, A. O. - see Siegmund tape, box 3, undated