Dudley H. Towne Papers
Scope and Contents
The personal and professional papers of Dudley H. Towne, Professor of Physics at Amherst College from 1952 to 1997. The papers include course materials, his letters home during WWII, unpublished reminiscences on his life from childhood to the end of his life with a focus on his experience as a gay man and various other materials.
A guide to this collection is not yet available and portions of the collection are restricted.
Dates
- 1920s to 1990s
Creator
- Towne, Dudley H. (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Portions of this collection are restricted pending review. Particularly fragile items may be restricted for preservation purposes. This collection is housed in off-site storage and requires advance notice before use. Please contact Archives and Special Collections.
Conditions Governing Use
Requests for permission to publish material from the collection should be directed to the Archives and Special Collections. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights.
Biographical / Historical
Dudley H. Towne (1924-2002) was a professor of physics at Amherst College for 45 years and author of the book Wave Phenomena. During World War II, Towne served as a chief radio operator in Chungking, China. Following the war, he recieved his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1951. He began teaching at Amherst in 1952 and continued until his retirement in 1997. As one of the first openly gay professors at the college, Towne proudly served as a resource for students and colleagues and was politically active in support of gay rights.
Extent
13 Linear feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The personal and professional papers of Dudley H. Towne, Professor of Physics at Amherst College from 1952 to 1997. The papers include course materials, his letters home during WWII, unpublished reminiscences on his life from childhood to the end of his life with a focus on his experience as a gay man and various other materials. A guide to this collection is not yet available and portions of the collection are restricted.
- Amherst College. Physics Department
- Correspondence Subject Source: Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Gay men -- United States -- Anecdotes Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Gay men -- United States -- Social conditions Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World War, 1939-1945 Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Status
- Unprocessed
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Amherst College Archives and Special Collections Repository
Amherst College Archives & Special Collections
Robert Frost Library
61 Quadrangle Drive
Amherst MA 01002-5000
(413) 542-2299
archives@amherst.edu