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Steve M. Slaby Papers

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Held at: Princeton University Library: University Archives [Contact Us]

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: University Archives. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Slaby, Steve M.

Slaby was born in Detroit in 1922. He received his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the Lawrence Institute of Technology in 1943, then served for a year as a aviation cadet in the U.S. Air Force. Slaby taught engineering graphics at Sampson College in New York until 1948, when he returned to graduate school. In 1950 he received his master's degree in economics from Wayne University.

Slaby was interested in political issues as well, and following a year as assistant professor of graphics at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, he spent the 1951-1952 academic year at Oslo University on a Fulbright Grant studying Norwegian labor relations. He later returned to Norway, 1960-1961, on a Science Faculty Fellowship awarded by the National Science Foundation. He authored several articles on Norwegian labor issues.

Slaby's career at Princeton began in 1953, when he was hired as an assistant professor. He taught in the Graphics and Engineering Drawing Department, which had been chaired by Frank Heacock since its inception in 1922, teaching such courses as Spatial Analysis and Descriptive Geometry. (The Graphics and Engineering Drawing Department, originally the Graphics Department, was located within the old School of Science but became part of the Engineering School at its founding in 1921.) In 1958, Slaby was promoted to associate professor then replaced Heacock as chair two years later. He authored a textbook entitled Descriptive Geometry, and a manual on slide-rule usage. He also co-authored articles arguing that engineering graphics could be used as a grade predictor for subsequent engineering courses.

As chair of the graphics department, Slaby organized seminars on computer graphics and other technologies. He was involved in the Committee on the Freshman Year, and supported minority achievement in engineering. But his efforts to keep the department current proved futile; after the advent of the computer which forever displaced the slide-rule, Slaby's department was disbanded in 1968. Slaby continued to teach within the department of civil engineering until 1991, offering courses like "Technology and Society Seminars" and "Engineering Geometry and Graphics for Computer-aided Design."

Slaby's wish to connect community and University betterment with engineering excellence is apparent throughout the collection. He served as a consultant to the Princeton Borough Engineer, and initiated summer programs to introduce local high school and middle school students to the field of engineering. He held memberships in the American Association of University Professors, Sigma Xi, the Princeton Engineering Association, and the Institute of International Education. As chair of the American Society for Engineering Education, Slaby encouraged major student involvement in the professional association.

Slaby was concerned with the University's responsibility to the world, the community, and to its own students and professors. To this end, he supported University divestment in South Africa, advised a student-led seminar on "town-gown" relations, defended the rights of students who heckled Secretary of the Interior Walter Hickel during his speech at the University in 1970, and delivered a lecture on the importance of tenure. In 1965, the 20th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, Slaby organized the local UN chapter's panel discussion on "The Future of the United Nations," for which he was nominated "Princeton's Man of the Week" by The Town Topics. In 1990, he wrote to Jean Prevost, Chair of the Department of Civil Engineering, that the "deterioration of the infrastructure of the United States should be a crucial item in the agenda of our department," and offered to help promote an interdisciplinary program as a remedy. (Slaby's seminars entitled "Engineering and Society" which studied social problems and produced focused reports are located within the Mudd Library's P Collection.)

He married Elsa Larsen in 1944 and together they had two children.

Consists primarily of memoranda and correspondence of Slaby and departmental records (such as annual reports, committee minutes, and conference materials) and course materials (such as lecture notes, examinations, problem sets, and student papers) of Princeton University's Graphics and Engineering Drawing Department. Also included are materials which document Slaby's involvement in political issues of the 1960s and 1970s. The political literature covers groups and movement such as the Princeton Faculty Council on Vietnam, a faculty resolution on divestment in South Africa, the Princeton University Hunger Action Network, and the Vietnam Reconciliation Forum.

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

This collection was processed by Laura E. Burt in 1994. Finding aid written by Laura E. Burt in 1994.

Publisher
University Archives
Finding Aid Author
Laura E. Burt
Finding Aid Date
1998
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research use with the exception of one folder in Series 3, "Rank and Salary Appeals" (Box 5, Folder 14), which is restricted for a period of 75 years from the date of creation.

Use Restrictions

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Collection Inventory

Arrangement

No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.

Scope and Contents

Series 1: Correspondence, 1957-1990, consisting of memoranda, letters, and some exchanges regarding geometric problems and solutions, relates to departmental business, course and project plans, and Slaby's political activities. The series also contains more personal exchanges between Slaby and colleagues such as Brazilian engineer Ernesto Lindgren, a close friend whom Slaby recruited for the department. Correspondence is arranged alphabetically by last name, and chronologically therein.

Physical Description

1 box

Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1957-1990. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Bigelow, Arthur, 1960. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Bosma, Robert, 1961-1966. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Breyer, Frank, 1959-1962. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Elgin, Joseph, 1958-1970. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Guerard, Michael, 1961-1965. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Holt, Albert, 1959-1963. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Irish, Sumner, 1960-1975. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Jahn, Robert, 1971-1976. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Knapp, Merrill, 1961-1963. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Lester, Richard, 1970-1973. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Lindgreen, Ernesto, 1963-1984. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Maxwell, Bryce, 1962-1964. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Menand, Howard, 1960-1965. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Pasta, Renato, 1969-1970. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Pinder, George, 1966-1988. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Slaby, Steve M. (memos from), 1961-1966. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Sloan, David, 1959-1966. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Young, Charles, 1959-1964. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Arrangement

No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.

Scope and Contents

Series 2: Course Materials, 1903-1970, documents the 1950s and 1960s especially well but includes some materials dated before Slaby's tenure (including one student drawing project from 1903). The series is comprised of course proposals and descriptions, lecture notes, problem sets, student projects, tests, and exams, arranged in that order. Most of the papers are from Slaby's courses, but other professors such as Heacock and Lindgren have material preserved in the series. The courses best represented are engineering graphics, descriptive geometry and engineering drawing. Two oversized graphics projects from the early 1900s, inscribed "Crosby" and "L. Sullenberger," are housed separately in the Oversize Collection.

Physical Description

2 boxes

Course Proposals, 1957-1964. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Course Descriptions, 1956-1983. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Engineering 131, Course Contents, 1960-1964. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Engineering 233, Course Contents, 1960-1961. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Architectural Drawing, Course Contents, 1931. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Lecture Notes, 1958-1964. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Geometry Problems, 1943. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Freshmen Design Projects, 1962-1964. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Student Projects on Woodrow Wilson School, 1966-1968. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Student Projects on Jadwin Gym, 1970. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Topographical Drawing, L. Sullenberger, 1903. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Geometry Tests, undated. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Geometry Tests, Professor Arthur Bigelow, 1960s. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Exams, 1945-1967. 2 folders.
Physical Description

2 folders

Final Exams, 1938-1970. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Arrangement

No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.

Scope and Contents

Series 3: Departmental Records, 1942-1988, includes the records of various committees and programs (such as a two week program to introduce local middle school boys to engineering through a surveying project of Jadwin Gym, field trips to construction sites and similar activities), studies on the status of engineering at Princeton, annual reports, minutes from Advisory Council, Executive Committee and faculty meetings, and seminar and conference records (proposals, agendas, published and unpublished papers, etc.), arranged in that order. Slaby's rank and salary appeal documents are temporarily restricted.

Physical Description

2 boxes

Engineering Quadrangle Dedication Ceremony, 1961-1964. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Committee on Examination and Standing, 1966-1969. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Committee on Freshman Year, 1956-1970. 2 folders.
Physical Description

2 folders

Professional Awards Committee, 1968-1969. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Engineering at Princeton, Studies of, 1953-1972. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Graphics at Princeton, Studies of, 1942-1963. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Summer in Engineering, 1964-1969. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Papers and Studies by Steve Slaby, 1954-1967. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Annual Reports to President, 1955-1966. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Advisory Council, Miscellaneous, 1959-1966. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Advisory Council Meeting, 1960. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Advisory Council Meeting, 1961. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Advisory Council Meeting, 1962. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Advisory Council Meeting, 1963. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Advisory Council Meeting, 1964. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Advisory Council Meeting, 1965. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Advisory Council Meeting, 1966. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Executive Committee Meetings, 1960-1967. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Faculty Meetings, 1970-1972. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Faculty Research Grants, 1949-1960. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Funds Appeal Statement, undated. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Rank and Salary Appeals, 1986-1988. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Conferences and Seminars (1 of 2), 1957-1979. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"Graphic Methods for Solving Problems", 1952. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Conferences and Seminars (2 of 2), 1957-1979. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Descriptive Geometry as Academic Predictor, undated. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Arrangement

No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.

Scope and Contents

Series 4: Extra-Curricular Activities, 1962-1982, documents Slaby's involvement in a web of political issues binding a conservative and sedate Princeton University to the global tumult of the 1960s and 1970s, representing a blend of political, humanitarian and civil rights issues. The literature covers groups and movements such as the Princeton Faculty Council on Vietnam, a faculty resolution on divestment in South Africa, the Princeton University Hunger Action Network, and the Vietnam Reconciliation Forum.

Physical Description

1 box

Corporate Power Faculty Forum, 1979. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Council for Abolishing the War, 1962. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Divestment in South Africa Faculty Resolution, 1971-1979. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Hickel Incident, P.U. Judicial Committee, 1970. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

International Cooperation Year Committee, 1964-1965. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Princeton University Hunger Action, 1975-1976. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Princeton Faculty Council on Vietnam, 1967. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Project Dialog / Co-Existence, 1962-1965. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Spring Mobilization Forum, 1967. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"Strike" Resolution, 1969-1970. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Tenure Forum, 1972. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Town-P.U. Relations, Student-Led Seminar, 1971-1972. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Vietnam Reconciliation Conference, 1982. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Wilson Civil Liberties Lectures, H. H, 1978. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Arrangement

No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.

Physical Description

2 items

Two oversize student projects from the early 1900s are housed separately in oversize folders, dates not examined. 1 item.
Physical Description

1 item

Physical Location

case 4 drawer 10

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