MC 00048 Guide to the John Bewley Derieux Papers, 1902 - 1961

The collection has been arranged into four series:

• MC 00048 Series 1. Professional
• MC 00048 Series 2. Personal
• MC 00048 Series 3. Photographs
• MC 00048 Series 4. Oversized Records

Creator

Derieux, John Bewley

Quantity

2.0 Linear feet

General Physical Description note

Location

For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Special Collections Research Center Reference Staff .

Language

English

Acquisitions Information

The John Bewley Derieux Papers were a gift of Elizabeth Bentley, July 23, 1970; and Richard L. Murray, April 4, 1980.

Processing

Processed by: Stephanie A. Horowitz;machine-readable finding aid created by: Stephanie A. Horowitz

Scope and Content Note

The John Bewley Derieux Papers, 1902-1961, contain records relating to Derieux's personal and professional life. The papers include correspondence, certificates, newspaper articles, research notes, graphs, charts, reprints, and photographs, chiefly relating to his research while in the North Carolina State College Physics Department and his involvement in Methodist church work. They also include a small amount of information about Derieux's relatives.

Biographical Note

John Bewley Derieux was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on June 26, 1881. Derieux taught mathematics, physics, and manual training at Farragut High School in Concord, Tennessee, before taking a job in 1910 as chief electrician for the United States Census Bureau. Derieux received his bachelor of science degree (1908) and master of science degree (1914) in electrical engineering from the University of Tennessee. He then attended the University of Chicago, where he received a doctorate in physics in 1916 while serving as a laboratory assistant there. Derieux began teaching physics at the instructor level at North Carolina State College in 1916. He taught theoretical physics at NC State through 1947, when he retired from the faculty.

Derieux's research topics included a mysterious light on Brown Mountain, North Carolina; the effect of the tread on the resistance to skidding of automobile tires; the mileage of different grades of gasoline at different speeds; and the charge of the electron. Derieux served as president of the North Carolina Academy of Science, the physics section of the State Academy of Science and the Engineering Society of the University of Tennessee. He was a lecturer for Phi Kappa Phi, an academic honor society. Derieux was an active member of Fairmont Methodist Church in Raleigh and served on its board of trustees.

Derieux married Elizabeth Tipton, a Knoxville, Tennessee native. They had no children. Derieux died on March 18, 1948. After his death, his wife established a memorial award in physics in his honor, to be given annually to an NC State junior or senior.

Controlled Terms

1. Derieux, John Bewley
2. North Carolina State College.
3. North Carolina State College. Dept. of Physics.
4. Photographs
5. Physics--Research
6. Physics--Study and teaching--North Carolina

Access to Collection

This collection is open for research; access requires at least 24 hours advance notice.

For more information contact us via mail, phone, fax, or our web form.

Mail

Special Collections Research Center
Box 7111
Raleigh, NC, 27695-7111

Telephone

(919) 515-2273

Fax

(919) 513-1787

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], John Bewley Derieux Papers, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC

Access to Collection

The nature of the NCSU Libraries' Special Collections means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The NCSU Libraries claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials.

The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.