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Gustav Henry Bliesner Papers, 1934-1985

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Bliesner, Gustav Henry, 1910-1994.
Title
Gustav Henry Bliesner Papers
Dates
1934-1985 (inclusive)
Quantity
51.5 Linear feet of shelf space, (103 boxes)
Collection Number
Cage 220 (collection)
Summary
Gustav Bliesner (1910-1994) was an electrical engineer and an expert on rural electrification, sprinkler systems, and hydroelectric dams. He consulted on industrial and military projects, and on electrical systems for the United States space program. The collection is comprised of Gustav Bliesner's scrapbooks, journals, correspondence, professional documents, office files, along with a large quantity of miscellaneous collected material, primarily printed ephemera.
Repository
Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Access Restrictions

This collection is open and available for research use.

Languages
English, with a small amount of printed ephemera in German.
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Biographical Note

Gustav Bliesner (1910-1994) was an electrical engineer and an expert on rural electrification, sprinkler systems, and hydroelectric dams. He consulted on industrial and military projects, and on electrical systems for the United States space program.

Bliesner was born at Fairfield, Washington; he graduated from Rockford High School and attended Washington State College, where he earned his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1933. In the following year he finished his Master of Science degree. In 1939 he received his professional engineering degree, and later became a Ph.D. candidate at Iowa State College. During his career as an engineer he taught at local universities, worked with the Army Corps of Engineers, Boeing, North American Aviation, and the Bonneville Power Administration. Mr. Bliesner was an expert in the field of rural electrification whose long and distinguished career included participation in projects such as the Grand Coulee Dam and the Boeing KC-135.

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Content Description

The collection is comprised of Gustav Bliesner's scrapbooks, journals, correspondence, professional documents, office files, along with a large quantity of miscellaneous collected material, primarily printed ephemera. Bliesner carefully and painstakingly documented his professional activities and accomplishments; his civic and social activities are also represented. The scrapbook volumes, which Bliesner called "My Life's Philosophy," constitute the bulk of the collection.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions apply.

Preferred Citation

[Item Description] Gustav Henry Bliesner Papers, 1934-1974

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection has been arranged in four series. The first and largest series is made up of scrapbooks that Bliesner titled "My Life's Philosophy." These scrapbooks are maintained in the order that Mr. Bliesner created them and follow a generally chronological sequence. Bliesner assigned volume numbers and titles to each scrapbook. The second series is a separate sequence of scrapbook volumes. These were accessioned at later dates but are also part of Bliesner's "My Life's Philosophy." The third series is Bliesner's office files, arranged in Bliesner's original decimal system. An index to these files is located in box 79. Series four is arranged by subject, and is sometimes only roughly sorted.

Acquisition Information

Gustav Bliesner donated these papers in multiple installments, circa 1967-1985.

Processing Note

This collection was processed by Michael Kuester in 2007.

Related Materials

In addition to the collection described in this guide, the WSU Libraries hold several unprocessed accessions of Gustav Bliesner's papers: MS 1982-37, MS 1983-19, MS 1984-40, MS 1985-22, MS 1986-18, MS 1989-36, MS 1991-20, MS 1994-39.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Electrical engineers -- Archives.
  • Hydroelectric power plants.
  • Rural electrification.

Personal Names

  • Bliesner, Gustav Henry, 1910-1994 -- Archives

Geographical Names

  • Grand Coulee Dam (Wash.)

Finding aid prepared by Michael Kuester
2016

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

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