Guide to the John Bewley Derieux Papers, 1902- 1961

Collection Number MC 48

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Collection Information
Abstract:

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.

Contact Information:
Special Collections Research Center
NCSU Libraries
Campus Box 7111
Raleigh, North Carolina
27695-7111 USA
Phone: (919) 515-2273
Fax: (919) 513-1787
URL: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/specialcollections/
Web Contact Form
Processed by
Stephanie A. Horowitz, April 2005
Encoded by
Stephanie A. Horowitz, April 2005

Descriptive Summary

Repository

North Carolina State University Libraries, Special Collections Research Center

Creator

Derieux, John Bewley

Title

John Bewley Derieux Papers, 1902 - 1961

Call Number

MC 48

Extent

2 linear feet

Location

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

Language of Material

English

Information for Users

Restrictions to Access

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

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

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

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.

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.

Scope and Content Note


The John Bewley Derieux Papers contain records about the personal and professional life of John Bewley Derieux. They also include a small amount of information about Derieux's relatives.

Organization of the Collection


The collection has been arranged into four series:
MC 48 Series 1. Professional
MC 48 Series 2. Personal
MC 48 Series 3. Photographs
MC 48 Series 4. Oversized Records

Online Catalog Terms

  • John Bewley Derieux
  • North Carolina State College
  • North Carolina State College. Dept of Physics.
  • Physics--Research
  • Physics--Study and teaching--North Carolina

Detailed Description of the Collection


  • MC 48 Series 1:Professional, 1909 - 1947


    .25 linear feet

    This series contains records relating to Derieux's professional life. It mainly concerns his research while in the North Carolina State College Physics Department, but also contains a small amount of information regarding his jobs as a high school teacher in Tennessee and as an engineer for the United States Census Bureau.

    • Correspondence, 1934 - 1947 [MC 0048 Box 1, Folder 1]
    • Course Schedule, 1947 [MC 0048 Box 1, Folder 2]
    • Farragut High School, Concord, Tennessee, 1909, n.d. [MC 0048 Box 1, Folder 3]
    • Memberships, 1926, 1929, n.d. [MC 0048 Box 1, Folder 4]
    • Memberships, North Carolina Academy of Science, 1927 - 1947 [MC 0048 Box 1, Folder 5]
    • Newspaper Articles, 1930 - 1931, n.d. [MC 0048 Box 1, Folder 6]
    • Research, Brown Mountain, North Carolina, 1927 [MC 0048 Box 1, Folder 7]
    • Research, Charts and Graphs, 1937, n.d. [MC 0048 Box 1, Folder 8]
    • Research, Correspondence, 1925 - 1926 [MC 0048 Box 1, Folder 9]
    • Research, Newspaper Articles, 1922 - 1939, n.d. [MC 0048 Box 1, Folder 10]
    • Research, Notes, 1926, n.d. [MC 0048 Box 1, Folder 11]
    • Research, Reprints and Manuscripts, 1918 - 1946, n.d. [MC 0048 Box 1, Folder 12]
    • Retirement, 1947 [MC 0048 Box 1, Folder 13]
    • United States Census, 1910 May 5 [MC 0048 Box 1, Folder 14]

    [Return to Descriptive Summary]


  • MC 48 Series 2:Personal, 1903 - 1961


    .25 linear feet

    This series includes records relating to Derieux's personal life. Records of particular significance include his involvement with Methodist churches in Raleigh, North Carolina and Knoxville, Tennessee, his personal correspondence with former students, and his schooling at the University of Tennessee and the University of Chicago. This series also contains a small amount of information relating to other members of Derieux's family.

    • Articles, Former Students, World War II, 1944, n.d. [MC 0048 Box 1, Folder 15]
    • Correspondence, 1925 - 1933, n.d. [MC 0048 Box 1, Folder 16]
    • Correspondence, Former Students, World War I and II, 1918 - 1945, n.d. [MC 0048 Box 1, Folder 17]
    • Death, 1948 - 1949 [MC 0048 Box 1, Folder 18]
    • Derieux Family, Obituaries, n.d. [MC 0048 Box 1, Folder 19]
    • John Bewley Derieux Memorial Award, 1949 - 1961, n.d. [MC 0048 Box 1, Folder 20]
    • Memberships, 1932, n.d. [MC 0048 Box 1, Folder 21]
    • Methodist Church, Edenton Street, Raleigh, North Carolina, 1919 - 1933 [MC 0048 Box 1, Folder 22]
    • Methodist Church, Fairmont Methodist Church, Raleigh, North Carolina, 1948 - 1952, n.d. [MC 0048 Box 1, Folder 23]
    • Methodist Church, Knoxville, Tennessee, 1907, 1946 [MC 0048 Box 1, Folder 24]
    • University of Chicago, 1916 - 1953, n.d. [MC 0048 Box 1, Folder 25]
    • University of Tennessee, 1903 - 1944 [MC 0048 Box 1, Folder 26]

    [Return to Descriptive Summary]


  • MC 48 Series 3:Photographs, 1902 - 1909


    1.25 linear feet

    This series contains photographs of John Bewley Derieux. It also contains some photographs of his family, his professional research topics, the Fairmont Methodist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the North Carolina State College Physics Department.

    • John Bewley Derieux, 1902, n.d. [MC 0048 Box 2, Folder 1]
    • Family Photographs, 1909, n.d. [MC 0048 Box 2, Folder 2]
    • H. A. Mickelson, n.d. [MC 0048 Box 2, Folder 3]
    • Brown Mountain, North Carolina, n.d. [MC 0048 Box 2, Folder 4]
    • Fairmont Methodist Church, Raleigh, North Carolina, n.d. [MC 0048 Box 2, Folder 5]
    • Farragut High School, Concord, Tennessee, n.d. [MC 0048 Box 2, Folder 6]
    • North Carolina State College Physics Department, n.d. [MC 0048 Box 2, Folder 7]
    • Unknown, n.d. [MC 0048 Box 2, Folder 8]

    [Return to Descriptive Summary]


  • MC 48 Series 4:Oversized Records, n.d.


    1 folder

    This series contains three cross-section drawings.

    • Drill Cross-Sections, n.d. [MC 0048 Oversize 1]

    [Return to Descriptive Summary]