Ted Carlson Abstract and Biographical Note

For INFO 256 Archives and Manuscripts, I was given 71 manuscripts from chemist Ted Carlson to scan, sort and create an abstract and biographical note for the collection. Here is my assignment:

Abstract

Eric T. Carlson (Ted) was a chemist who worked as a lab engineer for the United States Army between 1944 and 1946. The Ted Carlson papers consist of handwritten and typed personal correspondence between his parents and friends upon graduating from Wesleyan University, his research stint at Iowa State College, and his time enlisted in the army which includes military documentation from entry to discharge.

Biographical Note

In 1944, Ted Carlson obtained a degree with distinction in chemistry from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. Upon graduation, he moved to Ames, Iowa to research and teach at Iowa State College. Ted was drafted into the Army on August 1st, 1944 at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. He was soon sent to the Chrysler Corporation in Detroit for processing where was then enlisted as a laboratory engineer into the United States Army Reserve. Ted was later called to active duty in Fort Sheridan, Illinois on October 15th, 1945, and soon sent to Oak Ridge, Tennessee to work for the Monsanto Chemical Company leading to a permanent job offer as a research assistant chemist in Dayton, Ohio upon discharge in May of 1946. Ted spent time campaigning for the Atomic Energy Act 1946 / McMahon Bill and applied to Cornell University for the Fall of 1946.