Earle Hesse Kennard Papers, 1912-1967 (bulk 1941-1967)
Repository
American Institute of Physics. Center for History of Physics.
College Park, MD 20740
Papers created by
Kennard, E. H. (Earle Hesse), 1885-
Size of collection
5.75 linear feet (12 boxes)
Short description of collection
The collection primarily documents Kennard's research in hydrodynamics, shock waves and structural mechanics at the David W. Taylor Model Basin and his work on revising the fifth edition of "Introduction to Modern Physics." The collection consists mainly of laboratory notes, drafts, manuscripts and correspondence.
Language(s) of collection
English
Earle Hesse Kennard was born on August 2, 1885 in Columbus, Ohio. He received a B.A. from Pomona College in 1907. After being awarded a Rhodes Scholarship, he earned a B.S. degree from Oxford in 1911 and a Ph.D. from Cornell in 1913. He spent most of his academic career at Cornell, 1912 to 1946, except for a brief period as an instructor at the University of Minnesota, 1914 to 1916. He was appointed professor of physics at Cornell in 1926. Kennard published "Kinetic Theory of Gases" in 1938. After F.K. Richtmyer's death, Kennard prepared the third (1942), fourth (1947) and fifth (1955) editions of the classic textbook, "Introduction to Physics."
Kennard became a consultant to the David W. Taylor Model Basin in 1941. He headed the Hydro-Mechanics Laboratory from 1946 to 1949 and the Structural Mechanics Laboratory from 1950 to 1957. From 1957 to 1959, Kennard served as a general scientific consultant to the commanding officer until his retirement in 1960. His principal scientific efforts for the Navy were in the fields of hydrodynamics and elasticity, particularly the fundamentals of potential flow, the theory of underwater explosions, and the physics of structural vibrations. After 1960 and until his death on January 31, 1968, Kennard continued his affiliation with the David W. Taylor Model Basin by contract and worked primarily on vibration theory and collaborated on technical reports with Ralph C. Leibowitz.
The collection consists of notes, manuscripts, technical reports, reprints, correspondence, laboratory notes, bibliographies, memoranda and drafts spanning the period of 1912 to 1967. Kennard's early career at Cornell is not well documented in this collection, since the bulk of the material falls between 1941 and 1967. There are some notes from a class he taught on electricity and magnetism and some lists of students in his classes. There are also reprints of Kennard's articles spanning all the years of the collection.
The collection illustrates Kennard's work at the David W. Taylor Model Basin. Kennard's work in hydrodynamics, shock waves, and structural mechanics is represented through notes, manuscripts, memoranda, bibliographies, and copies of technical reports he produced for the Navy. Kennard's work for the David W. Taylor Model Basin after his retirement is well documented through notes and the correspondence with Ralph C. Leibowitz regarding their collaborations.
Kennard's revision of the fifth edition of "Introduction to Modern Physics" is found with correspondence, notes and manuscripts related to the book. His interactions with McGraw-Hill and the search for a co-author are well documented.
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.
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
Leibowitz, Ralph C.
Subject terms
David W. Taylor Model Basin.
Fluid dynamics.
Hydrodynamics.
Mechanics.
Shock waves.
Genre terms
Laboratory notebooks.
The collection has been organized into seven series: I. Correspondence (1927-1967); II. Memoranda (1943-1967); III. Notes and Manuscripts (1926-1967; n.d.); IV. Personal Records (1943-1967); V. Photographs; VI. Publications (1912-1967); and VII. Class Lists (1919-1941).
Dated materials in the collection are arranged chronologically. Books and papers are arranged by chapter or section. The subject notes are arranged alphabetically.
Four volumes of "Introduction to Modern Physics" (2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th editions) were removed from the collection and placed in the Niels Bohr Library. Photographs of F.K. Richtmyer, Edward L. Nichols, Lord Kelvin, J.G. Schurman, and Harold E. Sannders and group photographs from the Naval Medical Research Institute, the U.S. Navy Underwater Sound Laboratory and an unknown location were placed in the Emilio Segrè Visual Archives. Photocopies of the pictures remain with the collection.
This collection was donated by Earle Kennard's widow, Mrs. Margaret J. Kennard, in August 1968 and by the Millikan Library at the California Institute of Technology in 1975.
This collection was processed by
Carolyn Kopp
in October 1980. The finding aid was revised and completed by Heather McBride in January 2001.
Documents on brittle or fragile paper were photocopied onto acid-free copy paper. The originals were retained with the collection.
- Plyler, Earle Keith, 1897-1976, Oral history interview with Earle Keith Plyler, 1964 April 7.
- Rabi, I. I. (Isidor Isaac), 1898-, Oral history interview with I. I. Rabi, 1963 December 8.
- Van Vleck, J. H. (John Hasbrouck), 1899-, Oral history interview with J. H. Van Vleck, 1963 October 2 and 4.
Title
Finding Aid to the Earle Hesse Kennard Papers, 1912-1967 (bulk 1941-1967)
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
Published in 2001
Encoding Information
Machine-readable finding aid encoded in EAD v.1.0 by Clay Redding on
December 5, 2001
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.
Subseries A. General (1927, 1948-1966)
This subseries contains letters addressed to Kennard or to Ralph C. Leibowitz. There are also a few drafts of letters written by Kennard. The topics include teaching physics, research, publications and work at David W. Taylor Model Basin.
| Box 1 |
Folder 1 |
General 1927, 1948-1966 |
Subseries B. "Introduction to Modern Physics" (1946-1967)
This subseries contains correspondence regarding the revision of the fifth edition of "Introduction to Modern Physics," the selection of a coauthor, royalty concerns, and reviews. There is also some correspondence regarding the sixth edition.
| Box 1 |
Folder 2 |
"Introduction to Modern Physics" 1946-1955 |
|
Folder 3 |
"Introduction to Modern Physics" 1959-1967 |
Subseries C. Ralph C. Leibowitz (1959-1966)
This subseries contains correspondence between Ralph Leibowitz and Kennard regarding their collaborations for the David W. Taylor Model Basin.
| Box 1 |
Folder 4 |
Ralph C. Leibowitz 1959-1961 |
|
Folder 5 |
Ralph C. Leibowitz 1962 |
|
Folder 6 |
Ralph C. Leibowitz 1963 |
|
Folder 7 |
Ralph C. Leibowitz 1964 |
|
Folder 8 |
Ralph C. Leibowitz 1965 |
|
Folder 9 |
Ralph C. Leibowitz 1966 |
This series contains memoranda regarding the David W. Taylor Model Basin and Kennard's work there.
| Box 2 |
Folder 1 |
Memoranda 1943-1967 |
Subseries A. General
This subseries contains handwritten and typed notes and manuscripts by Kennard on several subject areas, including analog, angular momentum spectroscopy, bubbles, buckling, shells, similitude, and virtual mass of a vibrating ship.
| Box 2 |
Folder 2 |
General, Analog |
|
Folder 3 |
General, Angular Momentum Spectroscopy |
|
Folder 4 |
General, Bubbles |
|
Folder 5 |
General, Buckling |
|
Folder 8 |
General, Similitude |
|
Folder 9 |
General, Virtual Mass of a Vibrating Ship |
Subseries B. "Introduction to Modern Physics"
This subseries includes handwritten and typed notes for chapter revisions of chapters two through six and chapter nine for the fifth edition. There are figures with notes and miscellaneous physics notes not linked to specific chapters. Also included is a review of the fifth edition by John Cooper and a response by Kennard. John Cooper's notes for revisions for the sixth edition are also included.
| Box 3 |
Folder 1 |
"Introduction to Modern Physics" Chapter II |
|
Folder 2 |
"Introduction to Modern Physics" Chapter III |
|
Folder 3 |
"Introduction to Modern Physics" Chapter IV |
|
Folder 4 |
"Introduction to Modern Physics" Chapter V |
|
Folder 5 |
"Introduction to Modern Physics" Chapter VI |
|
Folder 6 |
"Introduction to Modern Physics" Chapter IX |
|
Folder 9 |
Miscellaneous Notes |
|
Folder 10 |
Miscellaneous Notes |
|
Folder 11 |
Review of "Introduction to Modern Physics" |
| Box 4 |
Folder 1 |
"Introduction to Modern Physics" 6th ed. |
|
Folder 2 |
"Introduction to Modern Physics" 6th ed. |
|
Folder 3 |
"Introduction to Modern Physics" 6th ed. |
Subseries C. Lecture notes on Electricity and Magnetism (1926)
This subseries contains notes for Course 220 taught by Kennard at Cornell in 1926.
| Box 4 |
Folder 4 |
Lecture Notes (1926) |
Subseries D. Miscellaneous Manuscripts
This subseries contain handwritten and typed manuscripts by Kennard including: "Problem: Asymmetric Water Flow around a Gas Globe under a Free Surface", "Flapping Wave Maker", "Note on the Nature of Physical Tensors", "Motion of a Asymmetric Fluid Film", "Fluid Momentum around Moving Spheres", "Summary of Approximate Migration Formulas", "Migration by Fixed Boundary", "Attack on a 'Tanker'", and "Surface Phenomena from Bikini Baker". Also included are handwritten and typed manuscripts by others: "Yield Conditions and Stress-Strain Laws" by G. Hudson and "As Materialism and Idealism Meet" by Robert W. King.
| Box 4 |
Folder 5 |
Manuscripts by Kennard |
|
Folder 6 |
Manuscripts by Others |
Subseries E. Subject Bibliographies
This subseries contains subject bibliographies and lists of references on a variety of Kennard's research interests including: bubbles, buckling, cavitation, condensation, detonation, elasticity, flow patterns, hydrodynamics, plasticity, pressures, propellers, ship damage, shock waves, similitude, sound impact, strain-rate, submarines, turbulence, underwater sound, viscosity, water impact, vibration, and virtual mass.
| Box 4 |
Folder 7 |
Subject Bibliographies |
| Box 5 |
Folder 1 |
Subject Bibliography |
|
Folder 2 |
Subject Bibliography |
Subseries F. Taylor Model Basin Publications (1943-1967)
This subseries contains handwritten and typed drafts of David W. Taylor Model Basin publications and reports. Drafts of a "Manual on Shipboard Mountings" and Report Numbers R-182, 1079, 1394, 1507, 1770, 1882, 1848, 2299, 1317, and 1993 are included.
| Box 5 |
Folder 3 |
Manual on Shipboard Mountings, ca.. 1953 |
|
Folder 4 |
Manual on Shipboard Mountings, ca. 1953 |
|
Folder 5 |
Report No R-182, ca. 1943 |
|
Folder 6 |
Report No 1079, 1959 |
|
Folder 7 |
Report No 1394, 1960 |
|
Folder 8 |
Report No 1394, 1960 |
|
Folder 9 |
Report No 1507, 1962 |
|
Folder 10 |
Report No 1507, 1962 |
| Box 6 |
Folder 1 |
Report No 1507, 1962 |
|
Folder 2 |
Report No 1507, 1962 |
|
Folder 3 |
Report No 1507, 1962 |
|
Folder 4 |
Report No 1770, 1964 |
|
Folder 5 |
Report No 1882, 1964 |
|
Folder 6 |
Report No 1848, 1964 |
|
Folder 7 |
Report No 1848, 1964 |
|
Folder 8 |
Report No 1848, 1964 |
|
Folder 9 |
Report No 2299, 1967 |
|
Folder 10 |
Report No 2299, 1967 |
|
Folder 11 |
Report No 2299, 1967 |
| Box 7 |
Folder 1 |
Report No 2299, 1967 |
|
Folder 2 |
Report No 2299, 1967 |
|
Folder 3 |
Report No 2299, 1967 |
|
Folder 4 |
Report No 2299, 1967 |
|
Folder 5 |
Report No 2299, 1967 |
|
Folder 6 |
Report No 2299, 1967 |
|
Folder 7 |
Report No 2299, 1967 |
|
Folder 8 |
Report No 2299, 1967 |
|
Folder 9 |
Report No 2299, 1967 |
| Box 8 |
Folder 1 |
Report No 2299, 1967 |
|
Folder 2 |
Report No 2299, 1967 |
|
Folder 3 |
Report No 2299, 1967 |
|
Folder 4 |
Report No 2299, 1967 |
|
Folder 5 |
Report No 2299, 1967 |
|
Folder 6 |
Report No 2299, 1967 |
|
Folder 7 |
Report No 1317, 1961 |
|
Folder 8 |
Report No 1317, 1961 |
|
Folder 9 |
Report No 1317, 1961 |
|
Folder 10 |
Report No 1317, 1961 |
|
Folder 11 |
Report No 1317, 1961 |
| Box 9 |
Folder 1 |
Report No 1317, 1961 |
|
Folder 2 |
Report No 1317, 1961 |
|
Folder 3 |
Report No 1317, 1961 |
|
Folder 4 |
Report No 1317, 1961 |
|
Folder 5 |
Report No 1317, 1961 |
|
Folder 6 |
Report No 1317, 1961 |
|
Folder 7 |
Report No 1317, 1961 |
|
Folder 8 |
Report No 1993, 1965 |
|
Folder 9 |
Report No 1993, 1965 |
|
Folder 10 |
Report No 1993, 1965 |
This series contains records of pay raises, position changes and contracts from Kennard's time as an employee and then contractor to the David W. Taylor Model Basin.
| Box 10 |
Folder 1 |
Personnel Records, 1943-1967 |
This series contains photocopies of photographs of F.K. Richtmyer, Edward L. Nichols, Lord Kelvin, J.G. Schurman, and Harold E. Sannders and group photographs from the Naval Medical Research Institute, the U.S. Navy Underwater Sound Laboratory and an unknown location.
| Box 10 |
Folder 2 |
Photographs |
Subseries A. Reprints (1912-1967)
This subseries contains reprints of articles written by Kennard and reprints or copies of articles written by G.R. Cowper, Paul S. Epstein, and Dwight F. Windenburg.
| Box 10 |
Folder 3 |
Reprints of Articles by EHK 1912-1928 |
|
Folder 4 |
Reprints of Articles by EHK 1929-1967 |
|
Folder 5 |
Reprints of Articles by Others, 1938-1966 |
Subseries B. Taylor Model Basin Reports (1941-1967)
This subseries contains printed reports from the David W. Taylor Model Basin, including report numbers R-182, 480, 489, 511, 517, 527, 544, 955, 1073, 1317, 1394, 1507, 1770, 1822, 1848, and 2299.
| Box 10 |
Folder 6 |
Taylor Model Basin Reports, 1941-1960 |
|
Folder 7 |
Taylor Model Basin Reports, 1947-1964 |
| Box 11 |
Folder 1 |
Taylor Model Basin Reports, 1961 |
|
Folder 2 |
Taylor Model Basin Reports, 1967 |
This series contains note cards with lists of students in his classes at Cornell and their grades.
| Box 11 |
Folder 3 |
Class Lists, 1919-1941 |
