F. A. Gilfillan Papers, 1894-1984

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Gilfillan, F. A. (Francois Archibald), 1893-1983.
Title
F. A. Gilfillan Papers
Dates
1894-1984 (inclusive)
1921-1978 (bulk)
Quantity
11 cubic feet including 75 photographic prints, 725 slides, 6 audiocasettes, and 1 16mm film, (34 boxes including 1 oversize boxs)
Collection Number
MSS Gilfillan
Summary
The F. A. Gilfillan Papers are comprised of materials generated and assembled by Francois Archibald Gilfillan, Dean of the School of Science at OSU from 1939 to 1962. The collection includes professional and family correspondence, administrative documents from OSU and other educational organizations, and materials documenting Gilfillan’s work as a public school teacher, member of the U.S. Army Chemical Warfare Service, and Oregon State faculty member and administrator.
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

Audio recordings and related transcripts of Violette Gilfillan found in Series IV are restricted indefinitely.

Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Francois Archibald Gilfillan was born in Ninnekah, a small town in central Oklahoma, in 1893. As a child, he and his family moved from Oklahoma to Bowie, Texas. In 1910, Gilfillan enrolled in the Polytechnic College of Texas (now Southern Methodist University). The following year, he visited an uncle in Washington and took a job teaching at a public high school. He later transferred to Coos River High School in Oregon. In 1915, Gilfillan left Coos Bay and enrolled at Oregon Agricultural College where he became Associate Editor of the OAC Barometer, President of the Pharmaceutical Association and a ROTC cadet captain. In 1918 he earned his bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy with first honors. After graduation he joined the U.S. Army and served briefly in the Chemical Warfare Service.

After the end of World War I, Gilfillan enrolled at Yale University and taught at the Milford Tutoring School. In 1920, he was awarded the Calco Chemical Company fellowship at Yale. The following year, he graduated with his doctorate in chemistry and worked briefly as a research chemist at Calco. In 1922 he accepted an assistant professorship in Pharmacy at Oregon Agricultural College, a position he left three years later in favor of work at the University of Florida. In 1927, Gilfillan returned to his alma mater at the behest of President William Jasper Kerr and was appointed Professor of Chemistry. The following year he married Violette Odekirk, a Portland native, with whom he would have four children: Mary Louise, Elizabeth Ellen, Nansie Jean, and Margaret Alice. In 1939 Gilfillan was promoted to Dean of Science. The following year, when President Frank L. Ballard fell ill, Gilfillan took on some of the duties of University President. In 1941 he was officially appointed Acting President of Oregon State College following the resignation of Ballard. He served in this position until October 1942 when A. L. Strand assumed the presidency. Gilfillan returned to his position as Dean of Science where he remained until his retirement in 1962.

Gilfillan did a great deal to further science education on both the local and national scale. He was instrumental in the formation and administration of the Junior Engineers’ and Scientists’ Summer Institute (JESSI), a founder of the OSU chapter of the Blue Key Honors Society, one of the five original incorporators of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), the Commissioner on Higher Education of the Northwest Association of Secondary and Higher Schools from 1947 to 1957, Secretary of the Oregon Academy of Science, and Vice President for Scientists of Tomorrow, Inc. for the latter half of the 1950s.

In addition to his professional duties, Gilfillan also maintained an active extracurricular life. He was a Rotarian, a Master Mason, and active member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. He spoke German, Russian, French, Italian and Chinook and could read Latin, Greek, Chinese, and Spanish. He also collected antique British silver, cultivated an authentic Japanese garden and amassed an impressive collection of rare books—many of which were donated to the Oregon State University Libraries Special Collections & Archives Research Center.

“Doc” Gilfillan passed away in 1983. In tribute to his service to the OSU community, the F.A. Gilfillan Memorial Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Science has been awarded annually since 1984.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The F. A. Gilfillan Papers are comprised of materials generated and assembled by Francois Archibald Gilfillan, Dean of the OSU School of Science from 1939 to 1962. The collection contains extensive correspondence with colleagues, family members, and friends including photographer Margaret Bourke-White and author Antonina Riasanovksy. The collection also contains records from education and research-oriented organizations including Scientists of Tomorrow, the Oregon Academy of Science, the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), the National Teacher Training program, and the Junior Engineers’ and Scientists’ Summer Institute (JESSI). Some OSU School of Science administrative documents including budget sheets, reports from the registrar, and memoranda are available. Correspondence and documentation of Gilfillan’s involvement in professional and social organizations including the Blue Key, Phi Kappa Phi, and Phi Sigma honors societies, the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, the OSU Order of the Spoon faculty club, and the Corvallis Rotary Club are also present.

In addition, the collection contains examples of Gilfillan’s coursework from OAC and Yale and employment records and materials from his time as a public school teacher, member of the Chemical Warfare Service, employee at Calco Chemical Company, and professor at University of Florida. The Gilfillan collection also includes papers and speeches delivered by Gilfillan and notebooks containing notes, schedules, and meeting agendas. Also included in the collection are newspaper clippings relating to Gilfillan, biographical sketches, results of a survey of extant volumes of the Nuremberg Chronicle, songs, poetry, and drawings generated and collected by Gilfillan, family holiday cards, numerous honors and awards, photographs, slides, and several scrapbooks.

Absent from the collection are substantive records relating to Gilfillan’s duties as Dean of OSU’s School of Science and materials from his tenure as interim University President.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

F. A. Gilfillan Papers (MSS Gilfillan), Oregon State University Libraries Special Collections & Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The F. A. Gilfillan Papers are arranged into five series: Series I: Correspondence, 1894-1984; Series II: Professional Records, 1912-1975; Series III: Biographical Materials, 1915-1984; Series IV: Photographs, Slides, Audio Recordings and Motion Picture Film, 1921-1978; Series V: Artifacts and Ephemera, 1918-1978. Materials are arranged alphabetically, chronologically, and/or by subject.

Acquisition Information

The Oregon State University Archives accessioned materials into the F. A. Gillan Papers in 1985, 1993, and 2006. In 2007, the contents of the Unitarian Church of the Larger Fellowship Records were transferred to the F. A. Gilfillan Papers. The Gilfillan Papers now reside in the OSU Libraries Special Collections & Archives Research Center.

Related Materials

Related Materials

Records from F. A. Gilfillan's service as Dean and interim President of Oregon State University can be found in the President's Office Records (RG 013), oral histories featuring F. A. Gilfillan and Violette Gilfillan in the Oregon Pioneers Oral History Collection (OH 01), and the Chemistry Department Records (RG 098). Materials related to the School of Science at OSU can be found in the College of Science Records (RG 024). Additionally, rare books donated by F. A. Gilfillan and the Gilfillan family are available in the McDonald and History of Science Rare Book Collections.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series I:  Correspondence, 1894-1984Return to Top

Series I is comprised of correspondence to and from F. A. Gilfillan and other members of the extended Gilfillan family generated between 1894 and 1984. The series includes correspondence with members of Gilfillan's immediate and extended family, extensive records relating to Gilfillan's personal interests (British silver, Japanese gardens, rare books, and Gilfillan family geneaology), correspondence with friends and colleagues, and communications with the many professional organizations Gilfillan participated in.

Container(s) Description Dates
Subseries 1: General Correspondence
Subseries 1 is comprised of materials relating to F. A. Gilfillan's work at Oregon State College, his association with rare book and silver dealers, correspondence with friends and colleagues, his involvement in professional organizations, and miscellaneous professional and personal business.
1921-1981
Box/Folder
1.1
Correspondence
1921
1.2
Correspondence
1922
1.3
Correspondence
1923
1.4
Correspondence
1924
1.5
Correspondence
1925
1.6
Correspondence
1925
1.7
Correspondence
1925
2.1
Correspondence
1926
2.2
Correspondence
1926
2.3
Correspondence
1926
2.4
Correspondence
1926
2.5
Correspondence
1926
3.1
Correspondence
1926
3.2
Correspondence
1927
3.3
Correspondence
1927
3.4
Correspondence
1927
3.5
Correspondence
1927
3.6
Correspondence
1928
4.1
Correspondence
1928
4.2
Correspondence
1929
4.3
Correspondence
1929
4.4
Correspondence
1930
4.5
Correspondence
1930
4.6
Correspondence
1930
4.7
Correspondence
1931
5.1
Correspondence
1932
5.2
Correspondence
1933
5.3
Correspondence
1934
5.4
Correspondence
1935
5.5
Correspondence
1936
5.6
Correspondence
1937
5.7
Correspondence
1938
5.8
Correspondence
1939
5.9
Correspondence
1940
5.10
Correspondence
1941
5.11
Correspondence
1942
5.12
Correspondence
1942
6.1
Correspondence
1943
6.2
Correspondence
1944
6.3
Correspondence
1945
6.4
Correspondence
1946
6.5
Correspondence
1947
6.6
Correspondence
1948
6.7
Correspondence
1949
6.8
Correspondence
1950
6.9
Correspondence
1951
6.10
Correspondence
1952
6.11
Correspondence
1953
6.12
Correspondence
1954
6.13
Correspondence
1955
6.14
Correspondence
1956
6.15
Correspondence
1957
6.16
Correspondence
1958
6.17
Correspondence
1958
7.1
Correspondence
1959
7.2
Correspondence
1960
7.3
Correspondence
1961
7.4
Correspondence
1962
7.5
Correspondence
1963
8.1
Correspondence
1963
8.2
Correspondence
1964
8.3
Correspondence
1965
8.4
Correspondence
1966
8.5
Correspondence
1967
8.6
Correspondence
1968
9.1
Correspondence
1969
9.2
Correspondence
1970
9.3
Correspondence
1971
9.4
Correspondence
1972
9.5
Correspondence
1973
9.6
Correspondence
1974
9.7
Correspondence
1975
9.8
Correspondence
1976
9.9
Correspondence
1977
9.10
Correspondence
1979-1981, undated
Subseries 2: Individual Correspondence
Subseries 2 includes correspondence with F. A. Gilfillan's mother, father, and siblings, his four daughters (Mary Louise Simon, Elizabeth Ellen Johnson, Nansie Jean Jensen, and Margaret Alic Doty) and their families, members of his extended family, and several penpals. Notably, the collection includes correspondence with Margaret Bourke-White, a world-renowned documentary photographer, and Antonina Riasanovsky, a critically-acclaimed author who wrote under the pen name Nina Fedorova. Also included is correspondence to and from Violette Gilfillan, much of it relating to the death of F. A. Gilfillan in 1983.
1894-1984
Box/Folder
10.1
Margaret Bourke-White
1925-1953
10.2
Gordon A. Gilfillan
1942-1969
10.3
Herbert A. Gilfillan
1928-1943
10.4
Homer Gilfillan
1925-1973
10.5
J. Lawrence Gilfillan
1926-1960
10.6
Jack D. Gilfillan
1894-1944
10.7
Jack D. Gilfillan, Jr.
1926-1943
10.8
Jean L. Gilfillan
1929-1978
10.9
Jessie H. Gilfillan
1925
10.10
Jessie H. Gilfillan
1926
10.11
Jessie H. Gilfillan
1927
10.12
Jessie H. Gilfillan
1928
10.13
Jessie H. Gilfillan
1929
11.1
Jessie H. Gilfillan
1930
11.2
Jessie H. Gilfillan
1931-1941
11.3
Jessie H. Gilfillan
1942
11.4
Jessie H. Gilfillan
1943
11.5
Jessie H. Gilfillan
1944
11.6
Jessie H. Gilfillan
1945
11.7
Jessie H. Gilfillan
1946
11.8
Jessie H. Gilfillan
1947
11.9
Jessie H. Gilfillan
1948
11.10
Jessie H. Gilfillan
1949
11.11
Jessie H. Gilfillan
1950-1959
11.12
Jessie H. Gilfillan
1960-1964
12.1
Violette Gilfillan
1928-1984, undated
12.2
Micellaneous Family Correspondence
1926-1976
12.3
Julia V. Herman
1942
12.4
Julia V. Herman
1943
12.5
Julia V. Herman
1944
12.6
Julia V. Herman
1945
13.1
Julia V. Herman
1946
13.2
Jensen Family Correspondence
1957-1975
13.3
Johnson Family Correspondence
1957-1975
13.4
Lamont Family Correspondence
1907, 1928-1977
13.5
Odekirk Family Correspondence
1928-1960
13.6
V. A. Riasanovsky
1943-1948
13.7
Simon Family Correspondence
1958-1977
13.8
Brinton H. Stone
1946-1949
13.9
Chieko Urakami
1942-1951
13.10
Greeting Cards & Invitiations
1940-1961, undated

Series II:  Professional Records, 1912-1975Return to Top

Series II is comprised of materials from F. A. Gilfillan's career as a scientist, educator, and university administrator. It includes employment records, teaching materials, administrative documents from Oregon State University, records from his engagement in numerous professional and academic groups, papers and speeches produced by Gilfillan, and nearly thirty notebooks containing records of his activities at OSU.

Container(s) Description Dates
Subseries 1: Education & Employment Records
Subseries 1 contains contracts and records of F. A. Gilfillan's work as a high school instructor in Washington and Oregon, a notebook and other documentation from his appointment in the Chemical Warfare Service, and employment records from Calco Chemical Company. The subseries also includes materials related to his employment as a Professor of Chemistry and Dean of the School of Science at OSU.
1912-1969
Box/Folder
13.11
Secondary School Instruction
1912-1917
13.12
Oregon Board of Pharmacy Registered Pharmacist Certificates
1919-1969
13.13
Teacher's Contracts, Cowlitz County, Washington
1912-1914
13.14
Teacher's Contract, Coos County, Oregon
1914
13.15
Chemical Warfare Service
1918
13.16
Calco Chemical Company Employment Records
1919-1921
14.1
Oregon State University Employment Records
1922-1967
14.2
OSU Personnel Forms
1962-1965
14.3
OSU Travel Expense Reports
1954-1960
Subseries 2: Administrative & Teaching Materials
Subseries 2 is comprised of teaching and administrative materials dating from Gilfillan's employment at the University of Florida and Oregon State College. Included in the subseries are course materials, theses and dissertations, budgetary documents, reports from the OSC registrar, and materials generated by students and employees of the School of Science
1924-1971
Box/Folder
14.4
"Specifications: Castings for Autoclave"
1925
34.3
High Pressure Autoclave Blueprints
1925
14.5
Chemistry Course Materials
undated
14.6
Russian Course Materials
1943-1944
14.7
Classics of Science Course Correspondence
1950-1960
14.8
Course Lecture Notebook
1924-1939
14.9
Course Lecture Notebook
undated
14.10
OSU Biology Colloquium Correspondence and Lecture Drafts
1963
14.11
OSU School of Science Administrative Documents
1938-1971
14.12
OSU School of Science Payscale Graphs
undated
14.13
Marine Biology Station Monthly Expense Reports
1949-1951
15.1
Administrative and Graduate Council Notebook
1937
15.2
OSU Directories
undated
15.3
Memorandum re: Meeting with Dr. Kleinsorge
1941
15.4
"A Study of the Reactions of Students at Oregon State College to their Curricula and Instructions," Virginia Davolt
1938
15.5
"Some Properties and Reactions of Umbellulone from the Leaf Oil of Coose Bay Myhtls, Umbellularia Californica," Leo Yukio Kiyohiro
1938
15.6
"Andromedotoxin in Rhododendron Californicum," Chieko Otsuki
1937
15.7
"A Chemical Garden," C. C. Pines
1932
15.8
"The Role of State Financial Officers in Higher Education," A. L. Strand
1960
15.9
W. A. deLaubenfels Zoology Research Materials
1953-1958
15.10
Walter R. Stahl Biology Research Materials
1960
15.11
Fred W. Decker Meteorological Research Materials
1962
15.12
Bibliography on Peppermint Constituents
undated
15.13
Grade Reports from the OSU Registrar
1924
15.14
Report of the Registrar to the Scholarship Committee
1926-1931
15.15
"Scholastic Ratings of Schools, Classes, Honorary and Professional Scoieties, Living Organizations, and Other Groups"
1931-1933
Subseries 3: Professional Organizations
Subseries 3 contains documentation of Gilfillan's work with various educational groups and enterprises including the Junior Engineers' and Scientists' Summer Institute (JESSI), the Oregon Academy of Science, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, the National Teacher Training program, and Scientists of Tomorrow. His association with professional organizations including the Corvallis Rotary Club, the OSU Order of the Wooden Spoon, the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, and the Blue Key, Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Sigma, and Theta Delta Nu honors societies is also well documented here.
1941-1977
Box/Folder
15.16
Northwest Association of Secondary and Higher Schools Notebook
1948
16.1
Northwest Association of Secondary and Higher Schools / Specialized Professional Accredding Organizations
1954
16.2
Northwest Association of Secondary and Higher Schools Correspondence
1961-1963
16.3
Report to the Higher Commission of the Northwest Association Covering a Cooperative Evaluation of the University of Idaho"
1954
16.4
Middle States Association for College and Secondary Schools Report
1954
16.5
Accrediting Organization Materials
1960-1962, undated
16.6
Blue Key Honor Society
1949, 1974-1976
16.7
Corvallis Rotary Club
1958
16.8
Order of the Wooden Spoon
1933, 1954
16.9
Phi Gamma Delta
undated
16.10
Phi Kappa Phi Correspondence and Administrative Documents
1943-1950, 1964
16.11
Phi Kappa Phi Notebook
1949-1959
16.12
Phi Kappa Phi Speeches
1958-1965
16.13
Phi Sigma
1939-1946
16.14
Theta Delta Nu
1974-1977
17.1
Future Scientists of America Foundation Science Teachers Summer Institute
1955-1959
17.2
JESSI Correspondence and Administrative Documents
1957-1969
17.3
JESSI Correspondence and Administrative Documents
1962-1963
17.4
JESSI Correspondence and Administrative Documents
1970-1971, undated
17.5
JESSI Scheduling Materials
1956-1964
17.6
JESSI Exam Materials
1964
17.7
JESSI Student Evaluations
1956-1959
17.8
JESSI Speeches and Lectures
1956-1971
17.9
Oregon Museum of Science and Industry Annual Budget Ledger Sheets
1961-1962
17.10
Oregon Academy of Science Correspondence
1972-1976
18.1
Oregon Academy of Science / American Association for the Advancement of Science Correspondence
1950-1954
18.2
Oregon Academy of Science / American Association for the Advancement of Science Correspondence
1955-1959
18.3
Oregon Academy of Science / American Association for the Advancement of Science Correspondence
1960-1965
18.4
Oregon Academy of Science Administrative Documents
1946-1977
18.5
Oregon Academy of Science High School Research Grants
1957-1964
18.6
Oregon Academy of Science Newsletters
1969-1976
18.7
Oregon Academy of Science Notebook
1946-1948
18.8
Oregon Institute of Marine Biology Administrative Report
1941
18.9
OSC High School Science Teachers Summer Research Assistantship Applications
1955
18.10
Oregon Student Science Conference Administrative Documents
1963
18.11
National Teacher Training Correspondencee and Administrative Documents
1952-1955
19.1
National Teacher Training Correspondence and Administrative Documents
1952-1957
19.2
Scientists of Tomorrow Correspondence
1963-1965
19.3
Scientists of Tomorrow Correspondence
1964-1971
19.4
Scientists of Tomorrow Correspondence and Administrative Documents
1961-1970
19.5
Scientists of Tomorrow Questionnaire
1959-1970
19.6
Scientists of Tomorrow Financial Statements
1967-1970
19.7
Scientists of Tomorrow Administrative Changes and Dissolution
1971-1973
19.8
Scientists of Tomorrow Board of Trustees Annual Meeting
1964
19.9
Scientists of Tomorrow Board of Trustees Spring Meeting
1965
19.10
Scientists of Tomorrow Board of Trustees Annual Meeting
1965
19.11
Scientists of Tomorrow Board of Trustees Annual Meeting
1966
20.1
Scientists of Tomorrow Board of Trustees Spring Meeting
1968
20.2
Scientists of Tomorrow Board of Trustees Annual Meeting
1968
20.3
Scientists of Tomorrow Board of Trustees Spring Meeting
1969
20.4
Scientists of Tomorrow Board of Trustees Annual Meeting
1969
20.5
Scientists of Tomorrow Board of Trustees Spring Meeting
1970
20.6
Scientists of Tomorrow Board of Trustees Annual Meeting
1970
20.7
Scientists of Tomorrow Speech, City Club
1957
20.8
Survey of Attendance for Unidentified Meeting
1962
Subseries 4: Articles & Speeches
This subseries is comprised of a doctoral dissertation, papers, articles, and speeches written by F. A. Gilfillan between 1921 and 1975.Topics include instruction in the sciences, science and humanities education, the history of printing, language learning, and the future of the sciences in industry and academia.
1921-1975
Box
20
"A Catalytic Study of Some Dehydration and Addition Reactions of Ethyl Alcohol," F. A. Gilfillan
1921
Box/Folder
20.9
"The American College Fraternity System," F. A. Gilfillan
1927
20.10
Article on Science Instruction, F. A. Gilfillan
1959
20.11
"Science and Superstition," F. A. Gilfillan
1962
20.12
Speech: "Ephedrin," American Chemical Society
1932
20.13
Speech: "History of the Eastern Church"
1935
20.14
Speech" The Place of Science in Modern Education"
1939
20.15
Speech: "Science in the Ancient World"
1939
20.16
Speech: "Meet the Sciences"
1939
20.17
Speech: "The School of Science in the Service of the State"
1939
20.18
Speech: "The Making of a Scientist"
1939
20.19
Speech: "The Scientific Career," Physics Honor Society
1939
20.20
Speech: "Present Status and Needs of the School of Science," Oregon State College
1940
20.21
Speech: "Members of the Class of '41," Oregon State College Commencement
1941
20.22
Speech: "Members of the Class of '42," Oregon State College Commencement
1942
20.23
Speech: "Education for the World of Tomorrow," Oregon College of Education Commencement
1947
20.24
Speech: "Encouraging the Exceptional Student," Oregon State College
1950
20.25
Speech: Lincoln Day Address
1950
20.26
Speech: Provisions for the Superior Student," University of Oregon
1951
20.27
Speech: "The Importance of College Language Programs in Landgrant Institutions," Denver, Colorado
1957
20.28
Speech: "International Geophysical Year," Oregon Caves
1957
20.29
Speech: "The Impact of Science on Society"
1958
21.1
Speech: "Thermodynamics," Lewis & Clark College
1958
21.2
Speech: Untitled, Logan, Utah
1958
21.3
Speech: "Semantics," Address to Freshman, Oregon State College
1958
21.4
Speech: "Herbal Exhibit"
1959
21.5
Speech: Freshman Honors Groups, Oregon State College
1960
21.6
Speech: Address at New Student Week
1961
21.7
Speech: Farewell Dinner for Chancellor Richards
1961
21.8
Speech: "Commissioning the 'Acona'," Portland, Oregon
1961
21.9
Speech: "A Bluperint for Your Education" Honors Group
1961
21.10
Speech: "The Three Keys," Nurses' Graduation
1962
21.11
Speech: "Four Thousand Years of Books," George Fox College
1962
21.12
Speech: "Education for All Americans"
1964
21.13
Speech: "Four Thousand Years of Books," Friends of the Library Banquet
1966
21.14
Speech: Dean Dubach's Retirement Dinner, Lewis and Clark College
1966
21.15
Speech: "Science and Literature"
1971
21.16
Speech: Light from the Lamps of China"
undated
21.17
Speech: History of American Higher Education
undated
21.18
Speech: "The Dawn of Science or the Dawn of Civilization," Oregon Academy of Science Meeting
1975
21.19
Speech: "The Invention of Printing"
undated
21.20
Speech: "The Word Nobody Knows"
undated
21.21
Speech: "I Believe"
undated
21.22
Speech: Address to the 13th Biology Colloquium, Oregon State College
undated
21.23
Speech: "The School of Science"
undated
21.24
Speech: "War-Time Science and Post-War Business," Condensation of a talk by Gerald Wendt
undated
21.25
Speech: "International Control of Atomic Energy"
undated
21.26
Speech Notes
1954-1965, undated
21.27
Interview: Japanese Culture
undated
21.28
Radio Broadcast Forum: The Nature and Purpose of UNESCO
1948
Subseries 5: Notebooks
Subseries 5 contains nearly thirty notebooks with meeting records, scheduling and travel information, and miscellaneous personal and professional notes spanning much of Gifillan's career at Oregon State University.
1940-1974
Box/Folder
21.29
Notebook
December 1940 - January 1942
21.30
Notebook
March 1942 - October 1942
21.31
Notebook
January 1944 - March 1945
21.32
Notebook
July 1944 - April 1945
22.1
Notebook
March 1945 - June 1945
22.2
Notebook
July 1945 - June 1947
22.3
Notebook
June 1947 - July 1947
22.4
Notebook
June 1948 - November 1948
22.5
Notebook
September 1947 - September 1950
22.6
Notebook
September 1950 - November 1951
22.7
Notebook
November 1951 - November 1952
22.8
Notebook
November 1952 - May 1953
22.9
Notebook
May 1953 - May 1954
22.10
Notebook
May 1954 - September 1955
22.11
Notebook
September 1955 - September 1956
22.12
Notebook
September 1956 - September 1957
23.1
Notebook
September 1957 - November 1958
23.2
Notebook
November 1958 - December 1959
23.3
Notebook
January 1960 - November 1960
23.4
Notebook
November 1960 - February 1962
23.5
Notebook
February 1962 - October 1962
23.6
Notebook
October 1962 - February 1963
23.7
Notebook
February 1963 - March 1965
23.8/
Notebook
November 1963 - October 1966
23.9
Notebook
October 1967 - July 1976
23.10
Notebook
November 1973 - June 1974
23.11
Notebooks
undated

Series III:  Biographical Materials, 1915-1984Return to Top

Series III is composed of biographical materials collected by F. A. Gilfillan and his wife, Violette. Included are biographical sketches and academic and employment records. Ephemera, including four scrapbooks detailing his life in the early 1900s, a 1925 trip to Europe, and his retirement from OSU and an extensive collection of newspaper clippings are also present. Honors and awards, a collection of songs and poetry by Gilfillan, documentation of his rare book and silver collections, records from the Unitarian Church of the Larger Fellowship, and the results of a survey conducted by Gilfillan on the Nuremberg Chronicle can also be found in this series. Also included are materials relating to Gilfillan's death and a short biography composed by Violette Gilfillan. The series also contains course notebooks and records dating from Gilfillan's time as a student at Oregon Agricultural College and Yale University, appointment books, car mileage records, and a series of family holiday cards designed by Gilfillan.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
23.12
Biographical Sketches and Reports
1933-1962
23.13
"The Story of F.A. Gilfillan," Violette Gilfillan
undated
24.1
Passport and Certificate of Citizenship
1926, 1941
24.2
Academic Records
1915-1918
24.3
Materials re: Retirement from Oregon State University
1961-1962
24.4
Materials re: Death of F.A. Gilfillan
1983
24.5
Memorial Booklet
circa 1983
24.6
F. A. Gilfillan Memorial Award
1984
24.7
Newspaper Clippings
1938-1983
34.1
"Autumn at Gilfillan's Farm," Sunday ROTO, Pittsburgh Press
1960
Box
30
Scrapbook
1918-1925
31
Scrapbook: Trip to Europe
circa 1925
31
Scrapbook: "A Remarkable Man"
1962
31
Scrapbook: Holiday Greeting Cards
1927-1974
Box/Folder
24.8
Gilfillan Family Holiday Cards
1959-1978
24.9
Inventory of Book Collection
1925
24.10
Nuremberg Chronicle Survey and Correspondence
1954-1955
24.11
Inventory of Silver Collection
1958
24.12
Songs and Poetry
undated
24.13
Portland City Club Materials
1944-1945
24.14
Unitarian Church of the Larger Fellowship Sermons and Records
1953-1954
24.15
Unitarian Church of the Larger Fellowship News Bulletin
1953-1954
24.16
The Christian Register
1953-1954
24.17
Membership and Business Cards
undated
24.18
Honors, Awards, and Certificates
1909-1974
34.5
Honors, Awards, and Certificates
1910-1965, undated
25.1
Oregon State University Centennial Award
1968
25.2
Oregon State University 25-Year Club Award
1968
25.3
Violette Odekirk High School Diploma
1920
25.4
Documents and Correspondence re: The last will and testament of Jessie H. Gilfillan
1965-1970
Box
25
Bound Notes: OAC Laboratory and Lectures Notes
1916
25
Bound Notes: Yale Laboratory and Lecture Notes
1918
26
Bound Notes: Yale Lecture Notes
1919-1920
26
Notebook: Yale Synthetic Organic Chemistry Lecture Notes
circa 1920
26
Notebook: Yale Chemistry Lecture Notes
circa 1920
26
Notebook: Yale Chemistry Lecture Notes
circa 1920
26
Notebook: Yale Chemistry Lecture Notes
circa 1920
26
Notebook: Yale Laboratory Notes
circa 1920
27
Bound Notes: Yale Lecture Notes and Calco Chemical Company Records
1920
Box/Folder
27.1
Notebook: Chemistry Course Notes
undated
27.2
Notebook: Japanese Course Notes
1971
27.3
Notebook: Car Mileage Records
August 1925 - September 1928
27.4
Notebook: Car Mileage Records
September 1928 - May 1930
27.5
Appointment Books
1941, 1953
27.6
Desk Calendar
1961

Series IV:  Photographs, Slides, Audio Recordings and Motion Picture Film, 1921-1978Return to Top

This series includes approximately 75 photographic prints featuring images from Gilfillan's time at the Chemical Warfare Service, Yale University, Oregon State University, and in retirement. Early photographs include Gifillan with his coworkers in the Chemical Warfare Service and graduating from Yale University. Other images include Gilfillan attending various OSU functions such as commencement, the OSU Centennial Celebration, and an ROTC summer camp at Hamilton Air Force Base. Other photographs capture Yale University staff, members of the OSU administration, School of Science Faculty, and JESSI attendees. Several photos feature the Gilfillan family, Violette Gilfillan, social events, and the Gilfillan silver collection and Japanese Garden.

Series IV also includes more than 450 commercially produced slides of historic and culturally significant sites in Europe and Canada, and 275 slides of photos taken by Gilfillan during a 1969 trip across Western Europe. The photographs by Gilfillan include images of major cities in the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France, England, Ireland, Scotland, and Denmark.

Additionally, this series contains six transcribed cassette tapes of Violette Gilfillan detailing biographical information about F. A. Gilfillan. Subjects discussed include Gilfillan's deanship and presidency, his education in pharmacy, Russian language instruction, and the Marine Science Station. These tapes and their transcripts are restricted indefinitely. The series also includes a short 16mm film titled "Institute of Marine Biology - Summer 1941". The film features a group of people walking on a beach and examining tide pools.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
28.1
Photographic Prints
1921-1978
34.6
Oversized Photographic Prints
1940, undated
28.2
Photographic Slides by Gilfillan
1969
28.3
Commercially Produced Photographic Slides
circa 1969
28.4
Commercially Produced Photographic Slides
circa 1969
Box
32
Cassette Tape 1: "Gilfillan at Pharmacy School," Violette Gilfillan.
undated
32
Cassette Tape 2: "1938 Deanship; Feeding Chickens; Secretary; Bert Christenson; 1938-1939 Chemistry," Violette Gilfillan.
undated
32
Cassette Tape 3: "1939 Chemistry; Charleston Marine Station; Fall 1939 at OSU," Violette Gilfillan.
undated
32
Cassette Tape 4: "Fall 1940 at OSU; John Byrne Inauguration," Violette Gilfillan.
undated
Box/Folder
32
Cassette Tape 5: "Russian Teaching at OSU (1943-1944); Academy of Science; OMSI," Violette Gilfillan.
undated
32
Cassette Tape 6: "John Byrne Inauguration; Gilfillan Presidency; A. L. Strand Presidency," Violette Gilfillan.
undated
32
Film: "Institute of Marine Biology - Summer 1941"
1941

Series V:  Artifacts and Ephemera, 1918-1978Return to Top

Series V is comprised of artifacts and ephemera collected by F. A. Gilfillan. This series includes a Polytechnic College yearbook, an assortment of OSU promotional materials and memorabilia including a Golden Jubilee medallion and several examples of beanies worn by OSU freshmen, a satirical drawing of OAC penned by Gilfillan, two engraved printers blocks featuring Gilfillan, a charcoal portrait, and miscellaneous programs and pamphlets.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box
29
"The Panther," Polytechnic College Yearbook
1911
Box/Folder
29.1
Oregon State University Brochures, Programs and Informational Materials
1928-1958
29.2
Oregon State University Brochures, Programs, and Informational Materials
1961-1966
29.3
Oregon Agricultural College Songbook
1924
29.4
"Fight for Oregon State" Sheet Music
1940
34.2
"Hail to Old OAC" Songbook
undated
34.4
Satirical Drawing of OAC
undated
Box
32
OSU Memorial Union Fiftieth Anniversary Medal
1978
32
OSU Golden Jubilee Medallion
circa 1968
32
OSU Commemorative Medallion
undated
32
Honorary OSU President's Club Gavel
undated
32
OAC Paperweight
undated
33
OSU Rook Lids
undated
29.5
Miscellaneous Programs and Pamphlets
1928-1976
32
Phi Sigma Society Scholarship Award Medal
undated
32
Engraved Printer's Block featuring School of Science staff
1940
32
Engraved Printer's Block featuring F. A. Gilfillan
undated
Box/Folder
34.7
Charcoal Portrait
undated
Box
32
Assorted OSU Building and Equipment Keys
undated

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • College administrators--Oregon--Corvallis.
  • College presidents--Oregon--Corvallis.
  • Language and languages--Study and teaching--Oregon--Corvallis.
  • Rare books.
  • Science museums--Oregon.
  • Science--Study and teaching (Higher)--Oregon.
  • Science--Study and teaching (Secondary)--Oregon.

Corporate Names

  • Blue Key (Fraternity)
  • Future Scientists of America Foundation.
  • Junior Engineers' and Scientists' Summer Institute (Oregon State University)
  • Northwest Association of Secondary and Higher Schools.
  • Oregon Academy of Science.
  • Oregon Agricultural College. Department of Pharmacy.
  • Oregon Institute of Marine Biology.
  • Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.
  • Oregon State College. School of Science.
  • Oregon State University.
  • Oregon State University. School of Science.
  • Phi Gamma Delta.
  • Phi Kappa Phi. Oregon State Chapter.
  • Scientists of Tomorrow.
  • Unitarian Church of the Larger Fellowship.
  • United States. Army. Chemical Warfare Service.
  • Yale University.

Form or Genre Terms

  • Audiocassettes.
  • Motion pictures (visual work)
  • Photograph albums.
  • Photographic prints.
  • Printed ephemera.
  • Scrapbooks.
  • Slides.

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Bourke-White, Margaret, 1904-1971. (creator)
    • Fedorova, Nina, 1895-1985. (creator)
    • Gilfillan, Violette. (creator)