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Papers of Jerome A. Berson
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Held at: Science History Institute Archives [Contact Us]315 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Science History Institute 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
Jerome A. Berson (1924-2017) was an American physical organic chemist. Born in Sanford, Florida on May 10, 1924, Berson earned a B.S. in Chemistry from the City College of New York (1944), then briefly worked at Hoffman-LaRoche, where he worked on penicillin. From 1944 to 1946, he served in the United States Army, where he was assigned to the 29th Medical Laboratory in Calcutta, India. After his military service, Berson resumed his education at Columbia University, earning his A.M. in Chemistry (1947) and Ph.D. in Chemistry (1949). At Columbia, he conducted research with American chemist William von Eggers Doering. After earning his Ph.D., Berson served as a National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University (1949-1950), where he conducted research with American organic chemist and future Nobel Laureate Robert Burns Woodward.
In 1950, Berson joined the faculty of the University of Southern California's Department of Chemistry. He rose through USC's faculty ranks, serving as Assistant Professor (1950-1953), Associate Professor (1953-1958), and Professor (1958-1963). Berson moved to the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Department of Chemistry in 1963, where served as Professor (1963-1969). In 1969, he joined the faculty of Yale University's Department of Chemistry, where he served as Professor (1969-1979), Irenee du Pont Professor (1979-1992), and Sterling Professor (1992-1994). At Yale, in addition to his teaching duties and contributions to various committees, Berson also served as Chairman of the Department of Chemistry (1971-1974) and Director of the Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering (1983-1990). He retired from Yale University in 1994 at the rank of Sterling Professor Emeritus of Chemistry Research and Scientist (1994-2017).
Over the course of his career, Berson became a recognized expert in the areas of reaction mechanisms and molecular synthesis. He first started conducting research on reaction mechanisms at USC, studying the pathways by which chemical transformations take place. At Wisconsin-Madison, he studied thermal and carbocationic rearrangements and the role of orbital symmetry in chemical reactions. At Yale, Berson continued to study thermal reactions controlled by orbital symmetry and conducted research on non-Kekule molecules. In his later years, he turned his attention to the history and philosophy of chemistry.
Berson authored numerous articles and papers over the course of his career. He was also the recipient of several awards, including the James Flack Norris Award (1978), the Nichols Medal (1985), the Roger Adams Award (1987), the Arthur C. Cope Award (1992), the Oesper Award (1998) and the Literature Prize of the German Association of Chemical Industry (2000). Berson served on many committees and advisory boards and was an active member of the American Chemical Society and the National Academy of Sciences. He was also a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Jerome A. Berson passed away on January 13, 2017.
Sources
Bergman, Robert and Marc Greenberg. Biographical Memoirs - Jerome A. Berson, 1924-2017. National Academy of Sciences, 2021. - berson-jerome.pdf (nasonline.org)
Oral History Interview with Jerome A. Berson, 2001 March 21, Science History Institute Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Papers of Jerome A. Berson, Science History Institute Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Papers of Jerome A. Berson contain the personal and professional papers of American physical organic chemist Jerome A. Berson. The collection covers Berson's career as a professor of chemistry at the University of Southern California, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Yale University. It also documents his retirement career as a historian of chemistry and the philosophy of chemistry. The Papers of Jerome A. Berson are arranged into the following twelve series:
- Laboratory Notebooks
- Research Files
- Drafts and Papers
- Reports and Proposals
- Seminar Abstracts
- Conferences, Workshops, and Symposia
- Courses
- Academic Career
- Awards and Nominations
- Correspondence
- Biographical
- Jerome A. Berson Lecture Slides
The Papers of Jerome A. Berson were donated to the Science History Institute (formerly the Chemical Heritage Foundation) by Jerome A. Berson in 2012.
The Papers of Jerome A. Berson were processed by Andrew Mangravite in 2013.
Organization
- University of Southern California
- University of Wisconsin--Madison. Department of Chemistry
- Yale University. Department of Chemistry
Subject
- Publisher
- Science History Institute Archives
- Finding Aid Author
- Finding aid created by Andrew Mangravite and encoded into EAD by Kenton G. Jaehnig.
- Finding Aid Date
- 2013
- Access Restrictions
-
There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes and the collection is open to the public.
- Use Restrictions
-
The Science History Institute holds copyright to the Papers of Jerome A. Berson. The researcher assumes full responsibility for all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.
Collection Inventory
This series contains laboratory notebooks collected and maintained by Jerome A. Berson over the course of his professional career. The contents of the Laboratory Notebooks are arranged into the following three sub-series:
- University of Southern California
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Yale University
Mostly arranged alphabetically by surname, this sub-series consists mainly of laboratory notebooks kept by members of Jerome A. Berson's research groups at the University of Southern California. They provide documentation of research conducted under Berson's direction at USC. Four notebooks kept by Berson himself, which provide some documentation of research he conducted at Harvard University, USC, and Columbia University respectively, are also preserved here.
See also Box 7.
See also Box 7.
Arranged alphabetically by surname, this sub-series contains laboratory notebooks kept by members of Jerome A. Berson's research groups at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. They provide documentation of research conducted under Berson's direction at UW-Madison.
See also Box 9 Folder 4.
See also Box 10 Folder 18.
See also Box 12 Folder 13.
See also Box 2.
See also Box 2.
See also Box 15 Folder 14.
Mostly arranged alphabetically by surname, this sub-series contains laboratory notebooks kept by members of Jerome A. Berson's research groups at Yale University. They provide documentation of research conducted under Berson's direction at Yale.
See also Box 4 Folder 3.
See also Box 4 Folder 13.
See also Box 5 Folder 6.
Arranged in its original order, this series contains research files collected and maintained by Jerome A. Berson. Files concerning scientific topics of interest to Berson and the work of other scientists make up the largest components of this series. A small number of files concerning other topics, including research conducted by Berson himself, articles authored by Berson, students, fellows, and the philosophy of chemistry are also found here.
The contents of the Research Files consist of a variety of materials, including, but not limited to, correspondence, reprints, notes, reports, data, and analyses.
Arranged chronologically by year, this series contains Jerome A. Berson's working files for some of the articles and papers he published. These files provide documentation of scientific research conducted by Berson over the course of his career. They also represent Berson's efforts to publicize his work within the scientific community.
Article and paper manuscripts make up the bulk of the materials in these files. A variety of other miscellaneous materials, including, but not limited to, typescripts, reprints, correspondence, notes, and galley proofs are preserved here as well.
Arranged chronologically by year, this series contains reports and proposal files collected and maintained by Jerome A. Berson. These files document Berson's efforts to obtain funding for his scientific research from various sources, including United States government agencies, professional organizations, and the private business sector. They also document his reporting back to the various entities that provided funding to him.
Files regarding grant proposals and reports submitted by Berson to his funding sources make up the largest components of this series. A few files concerning other miscellaneous matters, including grant requests and applications submitted by Berson, guidelines, and the Berson-Baldwin controversy within the American Chemical Society are also preserved here.
The contents of the Reports and Proposals files consist of a variety of materials. Proposals and reports make up the largest components of the contents of these files. Other miscellaneous materials, including, but not limited to, correspondence, grant applications, grant requests, and guidelines are found in these files as well.
See also Box 34 Folder 13.
Arranged chronologically by year, this series contains Jerome A. Berson's seminar abstracts. The contents of these files consist of abstracts for scientific seminars Berson attended between 1945 and 1963.
Arranged alphabetically by year, this series contains Jerome A. Berson's conference, workshop, and symposia files. These files concern scientific conferences, workshops, and symposia that were of interest to Berson. Berson attended most of the functions represented in this series. He also presented papers, presented lectures, and conducted short courses at a number of the functions documented here.
The contents of the Conferences, Workshops, and Symposia files consist of a variety of materials. Correspondence, notes, programs, and abstracts are the most common materials found in these files. Smaller amounts of other miscellaneous materials, including, but not limited to, lectures by Berson, attendee lists, slides, and transparencies are preserved here as well.
Jerome A. Berson did not present, but many of his former colleagues did, and signed his copy of the Program and Book of Abstracts.
Arranged chronologically by year, this series contains Jerome A. Berson's course files. These files concern some of the chemistry courses taught by Berson. The bulk of the files in this series concern courses taught by Berson at Yale University. Two files concerning courses taught by Berson at the University of Southern California are also present here.
The contents of these files include homework reports, study problems, and other miscellaneous materials.
Arranged chronologically by year, this series contains Jerome A. Berson's academic files. These files document Berson's non-research activities at the University of Southern California, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Yale University. Activities documented in these files include his involvement with various university committees and miscellaneous administrative matters. The bulk of the files in this series concern Berson's non-research activities at Yale. Single files regarding his non-research activities at USC and Wisconsin-Madison are also present here.
The contents of the Academic Career files consist of a variety of materials, including, but not limited to, correspondence, reports, and minutes.
See also Box 28 Folders 8a and 8b.
Arranged chronologically by year, this series contains Jerome A. Berson's awards and nominations files. These files concern several science awards. A majority of the files in this series concern Berson's nominations in support of other scientists for various awards. A few files concerning awards Berson himself was nominated for or was a recipient of, including the James Flack Norris Award, the Nichols Medal, and the Arthur C. Cope Award, are also preserved here.
The contents of these files include nominations and correspondence.
This series contains Jerome A. Berson's correspondence files. The contents of the Correspondence files are arranged into the following two sub-series:
- Chronological Correspondence
- Topical Correspondence
Arranged chronologically by year, this sub-series contains Jerome A. Berson's chronological correspondence files from 1952 to 2006.
Arranged alphabetically by subject, this sub-series contains Jerome A. Berson's topical correspondence files. These files concern several topics that were of interest to Berson. Files regarding the National Academy of Sciences' biographical memoirs of chemists make up the largest component of this sub-series. A few files containing Berson's correspondence with other chemists are also present in this sub-series. A handful of other miscellaneous topics, including, but not limited to, human rights and the Duesburg vs. Gallo HIV controversy are preserved here as well.
Arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically by date, this series contains Jerome A. Berson's biographical files. The materials preserved in these files summarize his life and professional career as a physical organic chemist.
The contents of the Biographical files consist of a variety of materials, including, but not limited to correspondence, Berson's graduate school class notes, biographical sketches, and curricula vitae.
This series contains Jerome A. Berson's lecture slides
Note - Item level cataloging may be available, consult Image Archives.