This collection is open for research; access requires at least 48 hours advance notice.
The Kenneth O. Beatty Papers contain both the professional and personal papers of the North Carolina State University chemical engineering professor. Included are professional and personal correspondence; research proposals; notes, reports, drafts of articles, speeches, and conference papers; university committee files; photographs and newspaper clippings; a scrapbook and several historical accounts of the North Carolina State University Department of Chemical Engineering; poetry; and other documents.
Kenneth Orion Beatty was a professor of chemical engineering, 1946-1978, at North Carolina State University. His research interests included heat and mass transfer field, and in the 1960s and 1970s, he was a major participant in the International Heat Transfer Conferences. He also worked on languages for the blind and braille accessibility and functionality. After retirement, he was known as an expert witness in slip-and-fall and arson cases.
Kenneth Orion Beatty was a professor of chemical engineering, 1946-1978, at North Carolina State University. His research interests included heat and mass transfer field, and in the 1960s and 1970s, he was a major participant in the International Heat Transfer Conferences. He also worked on languages for the blind and braille accessibility and functionality. After retirement, he was known as an expert witness in slip-and-fall and arson cases.
Beatty was born on 18 December 1913 in East Lansdowne, Pennsylvania. He received B.S. (1935) and M.S. (1937) degrees from Lehigh University, and he earned a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1946. That same year Beatty came to North Carolina State College (later University), where he was a professor of chemical engineering. While at NC State Beatty briefly served as acting head of the Department of Chemical Engineering (1959-1960). In 1961 he became the department's first Reynolds Professor. In 1974 he was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. He retired in 1978. Beatty died on 24 March 2014 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The Kenneth O. Beatty Papers contain both the professional and personal papers of the North Carolina State University chemical engineering professor. Included are professional and personal correspondence; research proposals; notes, reports, drafts of articles, speeches, and conference papers; university committee files; photographs and newspaper clippings; a scrapbook and several historical accounts of the North Carolina State University Department of Chemical Engineering; poetry; and other documents.
In addition to documenting Beatty's professional career, the collection also provides information on North Carolina State University's Department of Chemical Engineering. It contains a couple of items from Beatty's departmental colleagues: a notebook shared with F. P. Pike (the cover and interior notes are Beatty’s but the inside pages have Pike's initials) and a photograph album of Frank Seeley (depicting School of Engineering faculty and facilities).
The Professional Correspondence series contains interdepartmental correspondence as well as letters between Beatty and the North Carolina State College administration, contracted independent employers, former and current students, and associations including the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the Assembly for Heat Transfer Conferences.
The Professional Papers and Writings series contains scholarly papers and research into chemical engineering and braille, class notes, writings on engineering education, departmental histories, curriculum vitae, contracts between independent employers including the Research Triangle Park, conference materials, and patent applications.
The Personal Papers and Writings series contains several drafts of and revisions to essays and speeches, as well as poetry.
The Personal Correspondence series contains letters and cards exchanged between Beatty and his family, friends, contractors, and medical professionals.
The Clippings, Notebooks, and Photographs series contains newspaper clippings and photocopies of various articles, images, and quotations; personal and professional photographs and slides of Beatty and Department of Chemical Engineering colleagues, particularly Frances M. (Billie) Richardson; photographs and slides of various projects and experiments; a collection of project ideas and notes written by Beatty and initialed by F. P. Pike; and a scrapbook created by colleague Frank Seeley.
The collection is organized into 5 series: 1. Professional Correspondence, 2. Professional Papers and Writings, 3. Personal Papers and Writings, 4. Personal Correspondence, 5. Clippings, Notebooks, and Photographs.
The NC State University Libraries generally claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. Libraries staff are unable to advise on copyright and other legal matters; the user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Helpful resources for assessing copyright include Cornell Libraries' "Copyright Services: Copyright Term and the Public Domain" and copyright.gov. This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information about identifiable living individuals, which may be protected under federal or state laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that there may be legal ramifications for disclosing this information.
The University Archives operates in accordance with the State Public Records Act, with unrestricted access to records not covered by state and federal statutes and regulations.
[Identification of item], Kenneth O. Beatty Papers, MC 00546, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
Gift of Lucy Beatty, 2015 (Accession 2015-0034)
Processed by: Sarah Almond, 2017 February; machine-readable finding aid created by: Sarah Almond, 2017 February. Preliminary processing and finding aid created by: Todd Kosmerick, 2015 February.
The collection is organized into five principal series:
The Professional Correspondence series contains interdepartmental correspondence as well as letters between Beatty and the North Carolina State College administration, contracted independent employers, former and current students, and associations including the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the Assembly for Heat Transfer Conferences. Documents are arranged into 22 separate groups of records and are organized chronologically within each group. Interdepartmental Correspondence, General Correspondence, Publications and Proposals, Research, Reviews, Foresight Program, Acting Head of Chemical Engineering Department, National Science Foundation, Reynolds Professorship, Salary, Departmental History, and Reprint Requests all pertain to the Department of Chemical Engineering at North Carolina State University, whereas Administrative correspondence contains correspondence between Beatty and North Carolina State College administration, in addition to letters written in response to articles and editorials published in the Technician, NC State's student newspaper. Correspondence related to Beatty’s independent research and various consulting positions may be found in groups of records including Summer Employment, Research Triangle Park, Consultancies, Goodyear Atomic, Inventions and Patents, Braille and Glidden. Beatty’s correspondence with associations such as The American Institute for Chemical Engineers and the Assembly for Heat Transfer Conferences may be found in records corresponding to the association name.
The Professional Papers and Writings series contains scholarly papers and research into chemical engineering and braille, class notes, writings on engineering education, departmental histories, curriculum vitae, contracts between independent employers including the Research Triangle Park, conference materials, and patent applications. Documents are arranged into 18 separate groups of records and are organized chronologically within each group. Scholarly Papers and Research, Engineering Education, Class Notes, Departmental History, Miscellaneous Department Papers, Proposals, Foresight Program, and Reviews and Requests all pertain to Beatty’s role as a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at North Carolina State University, whereas Administrative Papers contains papers related to the larger university environment, including general lectures given as an emeritus professor. Papers affiliated with associations such as the American Institute for Chemical Engineers and the Assembly for Heat Transfer Conferences may be found in groups of records corresponding to the association name. Papers related to Beatty’s professional advancement and independent research, including various consulting positions, may be found in groups of records including Curriculum Vitae, Research Triangle Park, Consultancies, Goodyear Atomic, Inventions and Patents, Braille and Glidden.
The Personal Papers and Writings series contains several drafts of and revisions to essays, speeches, and sermons for a variety of audiences, including Toastmasters, in addition to original poetry. These papers are arranged by decade.
The Personal Correspondence series contains letters and cards exchanged between Beatty, his family, and friends, in addition to construction contractors, medical professionals, church associates, and the media. This correspondence is arranged chronologically.
The Clippings, Notebooks, and Photographs series contains newspaper clippings and photocopies of various newspaper and magazine articles, images, and quotations; personal and professional photographs and slides of Beatty and North Carolina State University Department of Chemical Engineering colleagues, particularly Frances M. (Billie) Richardson; photographs and slides of various projects and experiments; a collection of project ideas and notes written by Beatty and initialled by F. P. Pike; and a scrapbook created by colleague Frank Seeley. This series is arranged by type of material.
This collection is open for research; access requires at least 48 hours advance notice.
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[Identification of item], Kenneth O. Beatty Papers, MC 00546, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
The NC State University Libraries generally claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. Libraries staff are unable to advise on copyright and other legal matters; the user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Helpful resources for assessing copyright include Cornell Libraries' "Copyright Services: Copyright Term and the Public Domain" and copyright.gov. This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information about identifiable living individuals, which may be protected under federal or state laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that there may be legal ramifications for disclosing this information.
The University Archives operates in accordance with the State Public Records Act, with unrestricted access to records not covered by state and federal statutes and regulations.