Skip to main content

John W. Landis Papers,

 Collection
Identifier: Ms-1969-001

Scope and Content

Landis' work at Babcock and Wilcox involved him in a number of nuclear reactor projects both in the United States and abroad. The bulk of the collection is correspondence, memoranda, proposals, studies, and reports surrounding these projects.

Other papers relate to Landis' memberships on the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors (1966-1970); the Advisory Council of Virginia State Technical Services (1966-1969); the Virginia State Advisory Committee on Nuclear Energy (1956-1961); the Virginia State Chamber of Commerce (1954-1968); the Virginia Engineering Foundation of the University of Virginia (1962-1969); and the Virginia Advisory Board on Industrial Development (1962-1969).

In 2013, following Landis' death, an additional 4 boxes of materials were donated to Special Collections. Although not organized beyond the order in which they were received, these boxes generally contain photocopies of original materials: correspondence, reports, presentations and papers, articles by/about Landis, clippings, professional and personal writings, conference programs, notes, and teaching materials. A box-level inventory is at the bottom of the "Contents List" below.

Dates

  • Creation: 1949 - 1969

Creator

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from John W. Landis Papers must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.

Biographical Note

John W. Landis was born in 1917. He was educated at Lafayette College, the University of Rochester, and Princeton University. Landis worked for the U. S. Navy Department as a consultant in guided missiles (1946-1950), the Educational Testing Service (1948-1950), and the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (1950-1953). For many years, beginning in 1953, he was associated with the Babcock and Wilcox Company in the field of nuclear engineering. He was successively the Head of Customer Relations (1953-1955), Assistant Manager (1955-1962), and Manager (1962-1965) of the Atomic Energy Division, and later, General Manager of their Washington, D.C. operations (1965-1969). Landis died in March 2013.

Full Extent

86.8 Cubic Feet (62 boxes (including 4 unprocessed))

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The collection contains correspondence, memos, proposals, reports, and other papers relating to Landis' work with nuclear reactor projects and memberships on various committees, including the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors, the Virginia State Chamber of Commerce, and the Virginia Advisory Board on Industrial Development.

Arrangement

The papers are in their original order. Boxes 1-21 are arranged alphabetically by subject/material type.

Boxes 22-52 contain materials related to nuclear projects. Materials are arranged by subject.

Boxes 53-58 include material relating to committees, boards, and foundations. Materials are arranged by organization.

A box-level inventory is available in the "Contents List" below, but please note that descriptions of boxes are general and may be non-inclusive.

Location

Please note: Boxes 1-58 of this collection are in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information.

Acquisition Information

The John W. Landis Papers were donated to Special Collections in 1969 and 1970.

Processing Information

The John W. Landis Papers are in their original order. A non-inclusive, box-level inventory was created after the materials were donated and the inventory was updated several times It forms the basis of the current finding aid.

Title
A Guide to the John W. Landis Papers, 1949-1969
Status
Completed
Subtitle
A Collection in Special Collections
Author
Special Collections Staff
Date
© 2011 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. All rights reserved.
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections, Virginia Tech Repository

Contact:
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg Virginia 24061 US
540-231-6308