Weston Anderson Papers 158 Finding aid created and encoded into EAD by Kenton G. Jaehnig..
Last updated on April 26, 2021.
Science History Institute Archives Weston Anderson Papers
Table of Contents
Summary Information...... 3 Biography/History...... 4 Scope and Contents...... 5 Administrative Information...... 5 Related Materials...... 6 Controlled Access Headings...... 6 Collection Inventory...... 8 Series I. Notebooks...... 8 Series II. Printed Materials...... 10 Series III. Miscellaneous...... 13 Series IV. Audio-Visual Materials...... 14 Series V. Artifacts...... 15 Series VI. Photographic Materials...... 15
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Summary Information
Repository Science History Institute Archives
Creator Anderson, Weston Arthur
Creator Varian Associates
Title Weston Anderson Papers
Call number 158
Date [inclusive] 1953-2015
Date [bulk] Bulk 1957-1998
Extent 2.8 linear feet ((1 record box, 1 hollinger box, 1 half hollinger box, 1 videotape box, and 1 artifact box))
Language All collection materials are in English.
Abstract Laboratory notebooks, printed materials, personal files, audio-visual materials, and photographic materials of American physicist and inventor Weston Anderson.
Cite as:
Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Weston Anderson Papers, 1953-2015, Science History Institute Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Biography/History
Weston Anderson was an American physicist and inventor. Born in Kingsburg, California in 1928, Anderson became interested in science and technology at a young age, first playing with batteries as a boy, then later obtaining an amateur radio license while still in high school. He attended Reedley College for two years and transferred to Stanford University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Physics. Anderson remained at Stanford for his graduate studies, earning both his Master of Science degree and Ph.D. (1954) in Physics. It was at Stanford that he was first introduced to Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), a physical phenomenon that later became the basis for a number of scientific and medical instruments, including NMR spectrometers and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners. Anderson studied under Nobel Prize winner Felix Bloch, one of the co-inventors of NMR spectroscopy. For his Ph.D. dissertation, he studied the use of NMR to analyze hydrocarbons. From 1954 to 1955, Anderson held a post-doctoral position at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland. Once again working under Felix Bloch, he continued to conduct research on NMR and published several papers on the subject. In 1955, Anderson joined the research staff of Varian Associates, an instruments and electronics manufacturer based in Palo Alto, California, where he enjoyed a long and illustrious career. At Varian, he became a recognized pioneer in the development of commercial NMR instruments. During the early 1960s, Anderson and Varian colleague Raymond Freeman discovered that by irradiating a single line of the NMR spectrum with a weak radio-frequency field, all lines with energy levels in common with the irradiated line were split into a doublet. They also discovered that this procedure aided the analysis of complex spectra and molecular structures. Described in their co-authored paper "Use of Weak Perturbing Radio-Frequency Fields in Nuclear Magnetic Double Resonance" (1962), Anderson's and Freeman's discovery led to a number of innovations in NMR technology. Also of note was Anderson's work on Fourier Transform NMR. Developed by Anderson and his Varian colleague Richard Ernst during the mid 1960s, Fourier Transform NMR increased the speed of NMR scans by using multiple short radio pulses. This particular development greatly improved the sensitivity and resolution of NMR, and made both NMR spectroscopy and MRI practical and commercially feasible. Ernst continued to develop Fourier Transform NMR on his own after leaving Varian in 1968, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in this area in 1991. In addition to his work on NMR, Anderson made numerous contributions to the development of other technologies, including ultrasound, computer tomography (CT) scan, vacuum microelectronics, and x-rays. Over the course of his career at Varian Associates, he rose through ranks of the firm's research staff hierarchy, eventually serving as Director of Central Research and Research Center Principal Scientist. Anderson retired from Varian Associates in 1999, but continued to serve the firm as a consultant for many years. Weston Anderson was awarded sixty-four patents over the course of his career, including those for "Impulse Resonance Spectrometer Including a Time Averaging Computer and Fourier Analyzer" (1965)
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Scope and Contents
The Weston Anderson Papers contain the personal papers of American physicist and inventor Weston Anderson. The collection is arranged into the following six series: I. Notebooks II. Printed Materials III.Miscellaneous IV.Audio-Visual Materials V. Artifacts VI.Photographic Materials
Administrative Information
Science History Institute Archives Finding aid created and encoded into EAD by Kenton G. Jaehnig..
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 Weston Anderson Papers. The researcher assumes full responsibility for all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.
- Page 5 - Weston Anderson Papers Acquisition Information The Weston Anderson Papers were donated to the Science History Institute (formerly the Chemical Heritage Foundation) by Weston Anderson in two accessions: December 2007 and March 2016.
Processing Information The Weston Anderson Papers were processed by Kenton G. Jaehnig in March 2018.
Related Materials
Related Materials There are no other known archival collections created by Weston Anderson preserved at the date of processing. The Varian Associates Records are preserved at the University of California-Berkeley's Bancroft Library in Berkeley, California. The Varian Associates Schematics are preserved at the Science History Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Controlled Access Headings
Form/Genre(s)
• Archival materials • DVDs • Slides (photographic) • Videotapes
Personal Name(s)
• Ernst, Richard R.
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Subject(s)
• Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy • Inventors--United States • Magnetic resonance imaging • Mass spectrometry--History • Nuclear magnetic resonance • Scientific apparatus and instruments--History • Scientific apparatus and instruments industry--History • Physicists--United States
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Collection Inventory
I. Series I. Notebooks, 1955-1971. Series Description
Arranged numerically by notebook number, this series consists of Weston Anderson's laboratory notebooks. The notebooks in this series mainly document research conducted by Anderson at Varian Associates between 1955 and 1971. Anderson's research on NMR technology is well represented in this series. A small amount of documentation concerning research conducted by Anderson's Varian colleagues Robert H. Pullen, Bernhard L. Fleuselke, and Alfred Prommer is also found here.
The contents of this series consist of seven bound notebooks. A large amount of accompanying materials attached to the notebooks' pages, including, but not limited to, photographs, graphs, blueprints, report pages, and tables, are also found in this series. A small amount of loose accompanying materials, including a patent, a photograph, a letter, and a report are found inside the notebooks as well.
box folder
Varian Associates – Weston Anderson #1 – Varian Notebook #213, 1 1 1955-1956. General Note
Contains 27 black and white images.
Varian Associates – Weston Anderson #2 – Varian Notebook #188, 1 2 1956-1957. General Note
Contains 3 black and white images.
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Varian Associates – Weston Anderson #3 – Varian Notebook #307, 1 3 1957-1958. General Note
Contains 1 black and white image.
Varian Associates – Weston Anderson #4 – Varian Notebook #297, 1 4 1957-1959. General Note
Contains 25 black and white images.
Varian Associates – Weston Anderson #5 – Varian Notebook #468, 1 5 1959-1960. General Note
Contains 11 black and white images.
Varian Associates – Weston Anderson #6 – Varian Notebook #408, 1 6 1959-1962. General Note
Contains 5 black and white images.
Varian Associates – Weston Anderson #7 – Varian Notebook #440, 1 7 1958-1971.
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II. Series II. Printed Materials, 1953-2014, undated. Series Description
Arranged alphabetically by subject, this series consists of printed materials collected by Weston Anderson. A large majority of the files contain printed materials published by Anderson's longtime employer Varian Associates, which concern the firm's activities and history. A handful of files containing materials concerning and/or created by Weston Anderson himself are also found in this series. A small number of files concerning subjects of personal interest to Anderson and organizations other than Varian Associates are also found here. Three files of materials concerning and/or created by Anderson's Varian colleague Raymond Freeman are preserved in this series as well.
The contents of the Printed Materials series consist of a variety of materials. Publications, articles, newsletters, and brochures are the most common materials found in this series. Small numbers of periodicals, papers, reports, presentation scripts, web page printouts, and tables are also present in this series. A patent list, a product catalog, and a program are preserved here as well.
box folder
Weston Anderson – Articles About, 1988-1992. 1 8
Weston Anderson – Articles By, 1961-1966. 1 9
Weston Anderson – Papers By, 1963, 1988. 1 10
Weston Anderson – Patents Awarded To – List, undated. 1 11
Weston Anderson – Presentations By, 2004, 2007, undated. 1 12
Corporate Memory – Articles About (Photocopies), 1988. 1 13
Raymond Freeman – Articles By, 1966-1970. 1 14
Raymond Freeman – Papers By, 1970, undated. 1 15
Raymond Freeman – Research Reports By, 1971. 1 16
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Palo Alto Medical Clinic – Palo Alto Medical Clinic: The First 75 Years, 1 17 1930-2005, 2005.
Silicon Valley – Biographies, 1998-2007. 1 18
Stanford University – Physics Department Newsletter, 1998 November. 1 19
Traffic Magazine, 2014 April/May. 1 20
Varian Associates – 12th Annual Employee Service Recognition Banquet – 1 21 Program, 1978.
Varian Associates – Analytical Division – Technical Information Bulletin, 1 22 1965 Summer.
Varian Associates – Articles About (Photocopies), 1961, 1988. 1 23
Varian Associates – Central Research Laboratories: Capabilities & Facilities 1 24 for Exploratory and Applied Research, undated.
Varian Associates – L. Douglas Clark and Kenneth Lee – Wide-Line NMR 1 25 Bibliography, 1967 Edition, 1967.
Varian Associates – Corporate Information Systems Misbit, 1998 May- 1 26 August.
Varian Associates – Currents, 1998. 1 27
Varian Associates – Edward L. Ginzton Research Center, circa 1991. 1 28
Varian Associates – Magnetic Moments, 1995 Spring. 1 29
Varian Associates – NMR/EPR Spectroscopy Technical Information 1 30 Bulletin, 1961-1962.
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Varian Associates – Product Brochures, 1973-1975. 1 31
Varian Associates – Product Catalog, 1972. 1 32
Varian Associates – James Shoolery – A Basic Guide to NMR, 1972. 1 33
Varian Associates – Special Bulletin from the Radio-Frequency 1 34 Spectroscopy Laboratories of Varian Associates, This Was High Resolution N-M-R (Vintage 1952), 1956.
Varian Associates – Tables, 1955, 1967. 2 1
Varian Associates – Technical Information from the Radio-Frequency 2 2 Spectroscopy Laboratories of Varian Associates, 1953-1960.
Varian Associates – Varian: 25 Years, 1973. 2 3
Varian Associates – Varian Associates Magazine, 1963-1984. 2 4
Varian Associates – Varian: Fifty Years of Innovative Excellence, 1998. 2 5
Varian Associates – Varian Magazine, 1988 September/October. 2 6
Varian Associates – Varian Network, 1990-1991. 2 7
Varian Associates – Varian News Note, 1989-1992. 2 8
Varian Associates – Varian Operational Excellence, Our Vision and Our 2 9 Strategy, 1999.
Varian Associates – Vintage Varian, 1998. 2 10
Varian Associates – Web Page Printouts, 2001. 2 11
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Varian Associates – World Headquarters, Visitor's Guide, circa 1991. 2 12
III. Series III. Miscellaneous, 1968-2012, undated. Series Description
Arranged alphabetically by subject, this series consists of materials created and/or collected by Weston Anderson that do not readily fit elsewhere in the collection. Five of the files in this series concern Anderson's research activities, mainly on NMR. Two files each concerning Anderson himself and Varian Associates are also found in this series. A single file concerning Anderson's Varian colleague and Nobel Prize winner Richard Ernst is also preserved here.
The contents of the Miscellaneous series consist of a variety of materials. Anderson's research notes concerning NMR are the most common materials found in this series. A small amount of correspondence and Varian interoffice memoranda are also present in this series. Business cards, photocopied articles, and an award application are preserved here as well.
box folder
Weston Anderson – Business Cards, undated. 2 13
Chemical Heritage Foundation – Correspondence, 2012. 2 14
Diamagnetically Restored Inverted Pendulum, 2001. 2 15
Richard Ernst – 1991 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1991-1992. 2 16
High Resolution 30-40 Megahertz R-F Unit – Transmitter and Low Noise 2 17 Receiver – Blueprint, undated.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance – Analysis, 1988-1994. 2 18
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance – Analysis, 1996-2000, undated. 2 19
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Nuclear Magnetic Resonance – Shimming, 1990. 2 20
Varian Associates – Application for National Medal of Technology, 1999. 2 21
Varian Associates – Interoffice Memorandum, 1968. 2 22
IV. Series IV. Audio-Visual Materials, 1986-2009, undated. Series Description
Arranged alphabetically by format and by title, this series consists of audio-visual materials collected by Weston Anderson. The materials in this series mainly contain video footage concerning the history of Varian Associates. Video footage of Anderson and a few of his Varian colleagues, including, not limited to, Martin Packard and Richard Ernst is also preserved here.
Seven VHS videotapes make up a large majority of the materials in this series. Two DVDs are preserved in this series as well.
box object
DVD – Interview – Jim Shoolery with Emer Rogers, Paul Keifer & Wes 3 1 Anderson, 2/20/2009 (Video recording), 2009 February 20.
DVD – Wes Anderson & Martin Packard – Interview: Palo Alto, California, 3 2 January 17, 2009 – Filmed by George Packard (Video recording), 2009 January 17.
VHS Videotape – Dedication of E.L. Ginzton Lab at Varian, 1991 3 3 November 23.
VHS Videotape – Dr. Erwin Hahn – Varian Old Timers' Lunch, 2004 3 4 October 1.
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VHS Videotape – Richard Ernst, July 23, 1992 Seminar at Varian, "NMR: 3 5 An Innovative Field for Excellence" – Original Copy, 1992 July 23.
VHS Videotape – Myrl Stearns, Varian, 1998 January 16. 3 6
VHS Videotape – Varian 50 Years Anniversary Program, 1998 May 13. 3 7
VHS Videotape – Varian Building 7 Construction, 1986. 3 8
VHS Videotape – Varian Associates, Growth Through Innovation, 1998 3 9 May 13.
V. Series V. Artifacts, undated. Series Description
The contents of this series consist of a single artifact collected by Weston Anderson: a component from an unidentified instrument.
box object
Unidentified Instrument Component, undated. 4 1
VI. Series VI. Photographic Materials, 1964-2015, undated. Series Description
Arranged alphabetically by subject, this series consists of photographic materials collected by Weston Anderson, a very large majority of which were created by Varian Associates. The images in this series primarily document the activities and history of Varian Associates. To a lesser extent, research conducted by Anderson and his Varian colleague Raymond Freeman is also documented here.
Black and white slides and color slides make up a very large majority of the materials in this series. Two black and white photocopied images and a single color photograph are preserved in this series as well.
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Note – Item level cataloging may be available, consult Image Archives.
box folder
Photo Reproductions – Varian Type A-60 Spectrometer, undated. 5 1 General Note
Contains 2 black and white photocopied images.
Photograph – Weston Anderson and Shoolery Service NMR People, 5 2 2015. General Note
Contains 1 color image.
Slides – Varian Associates – Raymond Freeman, 1979, undated. 5 3 General Note
Contains 33 black and white slides and 20 color slides.
Slides – Varian Associates – Miscellaneous Images, 1964-1994. 5 4 General Note
Contains 33 black and white slides and 29 color slides.
Slides – Varian Associates – Miscellaneous Images, undated. 5 5 General Note
Contains 154 black and white slides and 24 color slides.
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