Edrie Dale Trout was Professor of Radiological Physics in the Oregon State University General Science Department from 1962 until his retirement in 1976. He was instrumental in the formation of the OSU Radiation Center and, in 1965, established the X-Ray Science and Engineering Laboratory which he directed until his retirement. Trout earned his BS degree from Franklin College in 1922. Before coming to OSU, Trout worked for General Electric in research and development projects involving all areas of radiology. In addition to the many professional honors awarded Trout, including the receipt of an honorary Doctor of Science degree from his alma mater in 1952, he served as a leader in the radiology community, serving in such roles as President-Elect of the Northwest Chapter of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine and Vice President of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Management, both positions he held until his death in 1977.
John Paul Kelley was Associate Professor of Radiological Physics in the OSU General Science Department from 1966 until 1982. Kelley graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a BS in 1947. Shortly thereafter he began work at General Electric where he met E. Dale Trout. The pair worked closely together on radiation therapy and dental radiology research until Trout’s departure from the company in 1962. In 1966, Kelley was invited by Trout to join the X-Ray Science and Engineering Laboratory as Assistant Director. There he and Trout worked together to develop radiology training courses and conduct radiation safety research, ultimately coauthoring more than fifty publications. Kelley was appointed the OSU Radiation Safety Officer in 1976, a position he held until his death in 1982.
The E. Dale Trout Papers consist of materials generated and assembled by radiologist Edrie Dale Trout and his colleague, John P. Kelley. The Papers include professional correspondence, course materials, administrative documents, reports, reprints and monographs, seminar and lecture materials, and professional literature including extensive bibliographic data and collected publications. The majority of the Papers documents the work conducted by E. Dale Trout during his service as Director of the X-Ray Science and Engineering Laboratory at OSU, a project conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Radiological Health, and includes course manuals for undergraduate and graduate radiology courses, lab equipment contracts, seminar reports, and informational materials for graduate students.
The Trout Papers also include publications authored by Trout and Kelley on radiology instrumentation, diagnostic radiology techniques and procedures, and radiation safety; documentation from his tenure as Vice President of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurement, his association with the Joint Center for Graduate Study, and the Northwest College and University Association for Science (NORCUS); collected professional literature including research publications, manuals, and industry publications. The Papers also contain prints of two photographs taken by Trout in 1939.
The E. Dale Trout Papers are arranged into five series: I: Correspondence, 1965-1976; II: Radiology Research, Instruction & Professional Engagement, 1964-1976; III: Publications, 1949-1979; IV: General Research Materials, 1954-1983; V: Art Photographs, 1939. Materials are arranged chronologically and alphabetically within series and subseries.
The collection is open for research.
E. Dale Trout Papers (MSS Trout), Oregon State University Libraries Special Collections & Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.
These materials were donated by Paul Farber.
After E. Dale Trout's death in 1977, John P. Kelley received these materials and supplemented them with some of his personal materials. Paul Farber took possession of the materials following Kelley's passing. Farber donated 1 cubic foot of material to OSU Libraries Special Collections. This content was transferred to the OSU Archives in 2009. In 2007, Paul Farber donated an additional 4.9 cubic feet of material to the OSU University Archives. The Papers are now held by the OSU Libraries Special Collections & Archives Research Center.
Other materials pertaining to radiology research and radiation safety include the
All chronological, alphabetical, and numerical arrangement and inventorying of Series I materials was completed by E. Dale Trout, John P. Kelley, or an unidentified third party before the materials were transferred to the Special Collections & Archives Research Center.
Series I is comprised of correspondence to and from E. Dale Trout and John P. Kelley. The majority of this correspondence pertains to the professional work of Trout including research and experimentation, professional engagement, and administration of the Radiation Science and Engineering Laboratory at Oregon State University.
Subseries 1 consists of correspondence both written and received by E. Dale Trout between 1966 and 1974 and is arranged chronologically by year and alphabetically by correspondent.
Subseries 2 is comprised of correspondence written by E. Dale Trout between 1970 and 1975. Each item of correspondence is labeled with a unique identifier and is referenced in the inventories created for years 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, and 1975.
Subseries 3 is comprised of correspondence to and from individuals specifically identified by E. Dale Trout including university colleagues, members of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurement, and his grant contract officer. All materials are arranged alphabetically by correspondent.
Subseries 4 is comprised entirely of correspondence written by John P. Kelley during his tenure as Assistant Director of the X-Ray Science and Engineering Laboratory under Trout. All correspondence in Subseries 4 has been assigned a unique identifier, logged in an index made by John P. Kelley, and arranged chronologically by year.
Series II consists of technical reports on diagnostic radiology instrumentation and techniques produced by E. Dale Trout through his research at the X-Ray Science and Engineering Laboratory. The series also includes course manuals, teaching materials, and a student survey relating to General Science radiation dosimetry and x-ray courses developed and taught by Trout under contract from the FDA’s Bureau of Radiological Health. Additionally, Series II contains documents relating to Trout's professional association with the Northwest College and University Association for Science (NORCUS) and the Joint Center for Graduate Study, as well as reports presented to the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurement during Trout's tenure as vice president of the organization.
Series III contains publications written or coauthored by Trout relating to radiology practices and equipment, roentgenology, dosimetry, radiation protection, and recruitment and instruction in the radiology field. Publications include "Isodose Curves for Superficial Therapy," "Conventional Building Materials as Protective Barriers in Dental Roentgenographic Installations," and "A Radiation Instrument Calibration System," among others. All arrangement and numbering of these publications appears to have been completed by John P. Kelley and an inventory created for the contents of the first two folders. Series III also contains materials from seminars and lectures given by Trout at the OSU X-Ray Science and Engineering Laboratory, the American Public Health Association, the Institute for Radiologic Technologists, and the Health Physics Society between 1966 and 1976.
Series IV is comprised of professional literature including pamphlets, technical manuals, and instructional booklets relating to radiation physics, radiology, super voltage radiation, radiology equipment test methods and procedures, and radiation safety. These materials were published by academic, corporate, and government entities including the National Bureau of Standards, the International Commission on Radiological Protection, Machlett, Eastman Kodak, the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, and the Society of Nuclear Medicine. All materials were assembled by E. Dale Trout and John P. Kelley. This series also contains bibliographic notecards describing publications in the fields of radiology and radiation physics. All literature is arranged chronologically and the bibliographic notecards are arranged alphabetically A-Q and S-Z.
Series V is comprised of two photographic prints mounted on a folded board panel. Untitled with only Trout's signature and a date, the two images depict a bird hovering close to the water along a rocky shoreline and the smoke stacks of a ship in operation.