Horace Dwight Taft papers

The Horace Dwight Taft Papers consist of correspondence, topical files, teaching files, and physics files which document Taft's career as a professor and researcher in physics and as an administrator at Yale University. The papers were the gift of Mrs. Horace Dwight Taft in 1985. The 34.5 linear feet of papers are arranged in three series: I.CORRESPONDENCE AND TOPICAL FILES, II.TEACHING FILES, and III.PHYSICS FILES.

Series I, CORRESPONDENCE AND TOPICAL FILES, consists of alphabetically arranged files containing material which documents Taft's professional and personal activities. Correspondence, grant proposals, annual reports and budgets document physics projects which Taft conducted during his tenure at. Yale in conjunction with the Atomic Energy Commission, the Department of Energy, and the Argonne, Brookhaven, Fermi, and National Accelerator laboratories. Additional material relating to these projects may be found in Series III. Taft's service on advisory panels and committees of numerous professional organizations, and his participation in national and international conferences are documented by correspondence and subject files including those of the American Physical Society, the High Energy Physics Advisory Panel, and the International Conference on High Energy Physics.

While the majority of records created during Taft's tenure as master of Davenport College and dean of Yale College are within the University Archives, Taft maintained some correspondence from these offices within his personal Yale files. Taft's administrative and committee activities at Yale, including the Committee on Academic Computing, the Committee on Energy Conservation, the Course of Study Committee, and the Tobin Committee, are documented by correspondence and printed material.

Personal files within the series include correspondence with family members and friends, diaries dating from 1964 to 1983, student notebooks and typescripts of his doctoral thesis chapters, and various personal memorabilia. Writings files containing preprints and reprints of Taft's articles dating from 1956 to 1982, and speeches given at Yale, the Taft School, and other institutions, are also included in the series. As a member of the board of trustees of the Taft School, Taft maintained files of correspondence, board meeting minutes, reports, and printed material dating from 1953 to 1983.

Following the alphabetically arranged correspondence and topical files in this series, is a chronological run of correspondence pertaining to personal and professional subjects.

Series II, TEACHING FILES, consists of course files containing syllabi, lecture notes, problems, examinations, and class lists. Additional files within the series contain graduate student and physics majors data, thesis proposals, and physics department curriculum and departmental examination information.

Series III, PHYSICS FILES, contains notes, data, computer tapes and print-outs, and miscellaneous material relating to physics projects which Taft conducted. As the files are arranged as they were received from Taft's office, there is some overlap between material in this and other series.