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John C. Ringle Papers, 1960-2012

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Ringle, John C. (John Clayton)
Title
John C. Ringle Papers
Dates
1960-2012 (inclusive)
1966-1985 (bulk)
Quantity
5.4 cubic feet, (17 boxes, including 1 3.5" floppy disk (346 kB) and 42 photographs)
Collection Number
MSS Ringle
Summary
The John C. Ringle Papers are comprised of materials generated and assembled by John C. Ringle a professor of Nuclear Engineering at Oregon State University. The collection, which contains material spanning 1960 to 2012, includes correspondence, publications by Ringle, research and instruction materials, documentation from the American Nuclear Society and other professional organizations, and records from the OSU Department of Nuclear Engineering and the OSU Radiation Center. The Ringle Papers document John Ringle's career, the history of OSU's nuclear engineering program, and the controversial issue of nuclear power in the United States during the 20th century.
Repository
Oregon State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives Research Center
Special Collections and Archives Research Center
121 The Valley Library
Oregon State University
Corvallis OR
97331-4501
Telephone: 5417372075
Fax: 5417378674
scarc@oregonstate.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research, with the exception of materials in Series IV that include personally identifiable information.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

John C. Ringle was born in Kokomo, Indiana in 1935. After graduating from high school, he enrolled in the electrical engineering program at the Case Institute of Technology where he earned his BS in 1957 and his MS in 1959. Ringle then began work in the nuclear engineering doctoral program at the University of California, Berkeley. While attending the University of California, Ringle designed instrumentation for Project Pluto, a missile-based nuclear reactor. He also worked as a physicist at the Air Force Cambridge Research Labs where he created instrumentation for use in satellites. Ringle earned his doctorate in 1964.

In 1966, Ringle accepted a position as Associate Professor in the Oregon State University Department of Nuclear Engineering. There, he taught courses in nuclear reactor engineering, nuclear safety, kinetics, reactor analysis, and reactor operation. Notably, he also served as the Assistant Reactor Administrator from 1966 to 1980. He oversaw the final construction of OSU’s TRIGA reactor, operated and maintained both the TRIGA and AGN-201 reactors, supervised upgrades to the TRIGA reactor and the decommissioning and dismantlement of the AGN-201 reactor, and provided training and supervision to student and civil service reactor operators. Ringle also maintained a vigorous research agenda and produced numerous papers and presentations on nuclear reactor safety, the environmental impact of nuclear power, nuclear waste storage, and the operation of research reactors. In July 1980, Ringle was appointed Assistant Dean of the OSU Graduate School and, in 1981, became Associate Dean of the Graduate School. His duties included oversight of graduate programs, monitoring progress of graduate students, assisting in the development of programs within the school, and acting as an administrative liaison for students and faculty members.

John Ringle is now a Professor Emeritus of Nuclear Engineering & Radiation Health Physics at Oregon State University.

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Content Description

The John C. Ringle Papers are comprised of professional correspondence; meeting minutes, administrative records, and correspondence from the American Nuclear Society and its Oregon and OSU Student chapters; informational materials related to Oregon nuclear power legislation and newsclippings documenting nuclear power in the Pacific Northwest; meeting notes, curricular development materials, schedules, Radiation Center records, promotional materials, and other administrative documents from the OSU Department of Nuclear Engineering. The collection also includes extensive lecture materials and course readings from Ringle's Low Level Waste, High Level Waste, and Nuclear Reactor Shielding courses and documentation from several OSU training programs for employees of TaiPower (Taiwan's state-owned electric power utility) and other international students. The collection also includes records related to Ringle's employment with OSU including instruction and research records, curriculum vitae, department memoranda, and his reactor operator licenses.

The collection contains nearly all materials published by Ringle including technical reports, theses, journal articles, speeches, and newspaper articles. Some materials, including a report regarding the Tory II-A reactor, predate Ringle's association with OSU. However, much of the material is contemporary to Ringle's position as Assistant Reactor Administrator at OSU and relates to reactor safety and work with the TRIGA reactor. Included in the publication files are correspondence, research materials, and other supporting documentation.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

John C. Ringle Papers (MSS Ringle), Oregon State University Libraries Special Collections & Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The John C. Ringle Papers are arranged in four series: Series I: Correspondence, 1965-2001; Series II: Research & Publications, 1960-2012; Series III: Professional & Civic Activities, 1969-2007; Series IV: OSU Department of Nuclear Engineering Records, 1963-2008.

Acquisition Information

The John C. Ringle Papers were donated to the OSU Libraries Special Collections & Archives Research Center by John Ringle in August 2013.

Related Materials

Related Materials

Other materials pertaining to nuclear energy research and technology at OSU and beyond include the Barton C. Hacker Papers, Barton C. and Sally L. Hacker Nuclear Affairs Collection, Charter Heslep Papers, Ava Helen and Linus Pauling Papers, E. Dale Trout Papers, Radiation Center Records (RG 202), "How OSU Grew Nuclear Science" Oral Histories, and the History of Atomic Energy Collection.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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Subject Terms

  • Nuclear energy--Environmental aspects--United States.
  • Nuclear energy--Law and legislation--United States.
  • Nuclear engineering--Oregon.
  • Nuclear engineering--Study and teaching--Oregon--Corvallis.
  • Nuclear physics--Research--Oregon.
  • Nuclear reactor kinetics.
  • Nuclear reactors--Oregon--Corvallis.
  • Nuclear reactors--Shielding (Radiation)
  • Nuclear reactors--United States--Safety measures.
  • Radioactive waste disposal.

Corporate Names

  • American Nuclear Society.
  • Oregon State University. Department of Nuclear Engineering.
  • Oregon State University. Radiation Center.
  • Taiwan dian li gong si.

Form or Genre Terms

  • Floppy disks.
  • Photographic prints.
  • Slides.

Finding aid prepared by Trevor Sandgathe
2013

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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