Main content
Roger R. Festa Papers
Notifications
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
Roger R. Festa (1950-2018) was an American chemistry educator. Born in Norwalk, Connecticut on September 5, 1950, Festa earned his B.A in Chemistry and Biology from St. Michael's College in 1972. After receiving his undergraduate degree, he served as a Chemistry and Biology teacher at Central Catholic High School and Brien McMahon High School, both in Norwalk, Connecticut. Festa continued his education while working as a teacher, earning his M.A. in Agriculture from the University of Vermont (1979), his C.A.S. in Administration from Fairfield University (1981), and his Ph.D. in Education from the University of Connecticut (1982). After earning his Ph.D., he completed post-doctoral studies at Indiana University.
In 1983, Festa joined the Chemistry Department faculty at Truman State University (formerly called Northeast Missouri State University), where he served as Assistant Professor (1983-1989), Associate Professor, then Professor. At Truman State, his primary research interest was in the processes and outcomes of undergraduate chemistry education. In addition to his faculty duties, he was the founder of the Truman State chapter of the Alpha Chi Sigma professional chemistry fraternity and served as the faculty advisor for the Truman State chapter of the Sigma Phi Epsilon social fraternity. He retired from Truman State in 2018 at the rank of Professor Emeritus.
Roger R. Festa was a long-time active member of the American Institute of Chemists. He served on the AIC's Board of Directors for eighteen years, including seven as an officer. From 1996 to 1997, he served a term as President of the AIC. He was also one of the founders of the St. Louis Institute of Chemists, an AIC local chapter that served eastern Missouri and southern Illinois.
Festa was also an active member of the American Chemical Society. He was notably active with the ACS' Division of Chemical Education. From 1980 to 1990, he served as Associate Editor of the ACS' Journal of Chemical Education.
Roger R. Festa passed away on May 25, 2018.
Sources
"Dr. Roger R. Festa," Jacksonville Journal-Courier, June 27, 2018.
Roger R. Festa Papers, Science History Institute Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Roger R. Festa Papers contain the personal and professional papers of American chemistry educator Roger R. Festa. The materials in this collection mainly document Festa's activities with the American Institute of Chemists and the American Chemical Society. The Roger R. Festa Papers are arranged into the following five series:
- American Institute of Chemists Files
- American Chemical Society Files
- Miscellaneous Files
- Audiocassettes
- Images
The Roger R. Festa Papers were donated to the Science History Institute (formerly the Chemical Heritage Foundation) by Roger R. Festa in several accretions between 1994 and 2007.
The Roger R. Festa Papers were processed by Kenton G. Jaehnig in November 2021.
People
Organization
- American Chemical Society. Division of Chemical Education
- American Institute of Chemists
- Northeast Missouri State University
- Truman State University
Subject
- Publisher
- Science History Institute Archives
- Finding Aid Author
- Finding aid created and encoded into EAD by Kenton G. Jaehnig.
- Finding Aid Date
- 2021
- 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 Roger R. Festa Papers. The researcher assumes full responsibility for all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.
Collection Inventory
Arranged alphabetically by subject, this series contains Roger R. Festa's American Institute of Chemists Files. These files document Festa's various activities with the AIC, including his service as a member of the organization's Board of Directors and his tenure as President (1996-1997).
Files regarding AIC administrative matters make up the largest component of this series. Small numbers of files documenting Festa's involvement in organizing AIC meetings and symposia, his activities with the AIC's History Committee (including his interview of American cosmetic chemist Florence E. Wall), and his activities with the St. Louis Institute of Chemists are also present in this series. A couple of files regarding AIC matters that did not involve Festa, but were of interest to him, including American chemist John Kotrady and the Ladisch vs. Suter Plagiarism Case, are also preserved here.
The contents of the American Institute of Chemists Files consist of a variety of materials. Letters and memoranda are the most common materials found in this series. Smaller, but noticeable, amounts of meeting minutes, newspaper articles, magazine and newsletter articles, legal documents, and financial documents are also present in these files. Small amounts of other miscellaneous materials, including, but not limited to, interview transcripts, periodicals, and brochures are preserved here as well.
Audio recordings of these interviews are in Box 2 Folders 13-15.
Audio recordings of these interviews are in Box 2 Folders 13-15.
Contains 1 black and white image.
Arranged alphabetically by subject, this series contains Roger R. Festa's American Chemical Society Files. These files document Festa's various activities with the ACS. Files regarding his activities with the ACS' Division of Chemical Education constitute the largest component of this series. Four files regarding his involvement in organizing ACS' 14th Northeast Regional Meeting and a single file documenting his activities with the ACS's Western Connecticut Section are also preserved here.
The contents of the American Chemical Society Files consist of a variety of materials. Letters and memoranda are the most common materials found in this series. Smaller, but noticeable, amounts of magazine and newsletter articles, brochures, reports, and newsletters are also present in this series. Small amounts of other miscellaneous materials, including, but not limited to, programs, questionnaires, pamphlets, and two posters are preserved here as well.
Contains 1 color image.
Arranged alphabetically by subject, this series contains Roger R. Festa's Miscellaneous Files. These files mainly document a few of Festa's various professional activities, including his participation in meetings and symposia, participation in Central Connecticut State College's Sci-Math Project, co-authoring the Chem 13 News newsletter article "The Monthly Abstract: Reinforcement of Language Arts Skills in the Chemistry Curriculum", and consultant work for Norwalk State Technical College. A handful of Festa's personal items are also present here.
The contents of the Miscellaneous Files consist of a variety of materials. Letters, newsletters, and magazine articles are the most common materials found in this series. Small amounts of other miscellaneous materials, including, but not limited to, memoranda, two posters, an 8-inch floppy disk, and a watercolor painting are preserved in these files as well.
See also Box 1 Folder 32.
Arranged chronologically by tape side number, this series contains three compact audiocassettes of an interview of American cosmetic chemist Florence E. Wall, which was conducted by Roger R. Festa and Maureen M. Julian on July 17, 1983. This interview was conducted under the auspices of the American Institute of Chemists' History Committee.
Transcripts of these interviews are in Box 1 Folders 11-12.
Transcripts of these interviews are in Box 1 Folders 11-12.
Transcripts of these interviews are in Box 1 Folders 11-12.
Arranged alphabetically by subject, this series contains files of photographic images collected and maintained by Roger R. Festa. Four of the files in this series contain images taken by the American Institute of Chemists, which include images of American chemist John Kotrady and a few images of AIC functions in which Roger R. Festa appears. A single file containing images of several prominent chemists is also found here.
Black and white photographs make up the bulk of the Images files' contents. A few color photographs, a handful of black and white negatives, and a single 35-millimeter color negative strip are also found in this series. A small amount of accompanying materials, including correspondence, photograph descriptions, and a photograph list are preserved here as well.
Note - Item level cataloging may be available, consult Image Archives.
Contains 8 black and white images and 7 black and white negatives.
Contains 3 color images.
Contains 1 black and white image.
Contains 2 color images and 1 color 35-millimeter negative strip.
Contains 30 black and white images and 1 color image.