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Varian Associates Records, 1948-1998

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Varian Associates Records, 1948-1998 http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt7f59q4cp No online items Finding Aid to the Varian Associates Records, 1948-1998 Processed by Elia Van Lith; additions by Alison E. Bridger The Bancroft Library. University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California, 94720-6000 Phone: (510) 642-6481 Fax: (510) 642-7589 Email: [email protected] URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu © 2007 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Finding Aid to the Varian BANC MSS 73/65 c 1 Associates Records, 1948-1998 Finding Aid to the Varian Associates Records, 1948-1998 Collection number: BANC MSS 73/65 c The Bancroft Library University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California Contact Information: The Bancroft Library. University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California, 94720-6000 Phone: (510) 642-6481 Fax: (510) 642-7589 Email: [email protected] URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu Collection Processed By: Elia Van Lith; additions by Alison E. Bridger Date Completed: July 2003; additions January 2007 Finding Aid written by: Elia Van Lith; edited by Alison E. Bridger © 2007 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Collection Summary Collection Title: Varian Associates Records, Date: 1948-1998 Collection Number: BANC MSS 73/65 c Creator: Varian Associates Extent: Number of containers: 5 cartons and 2 oversize foldersLinear feet: 6.35 Repository: The Bancroft Library Berkeley, California 94720-6000 Abstract: The Varian Associates Records, 1948-1998, document the history of this innovative and successful Silicon Valley pioneer from its inception in 1948 until just prior to its division into three separate companies in 1999. The bulk of the collection consists of minutes from the meetings of the board of directors. Also included are reports to the board, acquisition and joint venture studies, writings by Russell Varian related to the company, presentations by the board, files on subsidiary companies, company publications, and promotional and marketing materials. Physical Location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog. Languages Represented: English Access Collection is open for research. Finding Aid to the Varian BANC MSS 73/65 c 2 Associates Records, 1948-1998 Publication Rights Copyright has been assigned to The Bancroft Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the appropriate curator or the Head of Public Services for forwarding. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and the copyright. Preferred Citation [Identification of item], Varian Associates Records, BANC MSS 73/65 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley. Related Collections Varian Associates group portrait from the Varian Associates records, BANC PIC 1988.072-PIC Eitel-McCullough records, BANC MSS 77/110 c Separated Material Photographs have been transferred to the Pictorial Collections of The Bancroft Library. Audiovisual materials have been transferred to the Microforms Collection of The Bancroft Library. Printed materials have been transferred to the book collection of The Bancroft Library. Indexing Terms The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog. Varian, Russell Harrison, 1898-1959. Varian Associates--Archives. Electronics--Research--California. Radar transmitters. Medical instruments and apparatus--Design and construction. Linear accelerators. Microwave tubes. Medical instruments and apparatus industry--California--San Francisco Bay Area. Klystrons. Vacuum-tubes. 0 Electronic industries--California--Palo Alto. Electronic industries--California--San Francisco Bay Area. Santa Clara Valley (Santa Clara County, Calif.). Varian, Russell Harrison, 1898-1959. History of science and technology collection. Provenance The Varian Associates Records were given to The Bancroft Library by Francis P. Farquhar on October 25, 1972. Additions were made between 1998 and 2006. Varian Associates was formed in San Carlos, California in 1948 by Edward L. Ginzton, William W. Hansen, Richard M. Leonard, Leonard I. Shiff, H. Myrl Stearns, Dorothy Varian, Russell H. Varian, Sigurd F. Varian, and Paul B. Hunter, with $22,000 of capital and six full-time employees. In founding Varian Associates, the directors wanted to create a science-based company, managed by scientists, where the decisions would be made by the scientists and engineers who carried out the work. The founding members had worked together for years, first on the klystron at Stanford University and later at the Sperry Gyroscope Company laboratory in Garden City, NY. during WWII. They chose the name "Varian" as Russell Varian was well known in the scientific community as the inventor of the klystron, a specialized vacuum tube, in 1937. The klystron, with its extremely focused electron beam, was a key element in the development of airborne radar. Even though the articles of incorporation stated that the directors wanted to "conduct research in the fields of physical science of every kind and nature," it would be several years before Varian branched out from its original role as a microwave tube plant. One of the company's first departures from tubes came about when they obtained patent rights for NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance), capitalizing on William Hansen's pioneering work in the subject at Stanford. Eventually, this venture into NMR became one of Varian's most profitable ventures, leading to the development of its successful spectrometer and medical instruments divisions. In 1953 Varian moved from its original leased facility in San Carlos to a new building on Stanford land, becoming the first corporation in what was to become the Stanford Industrial Park. Soon after the move, Varian began expanding, opening a plant in Canada, launching S-F-D Laboratories in New Jersey, and making its first acquisition, Bomac Laboratories in Finding Aid to the Varian BANC MSS 73/65 c 3 Associates Records, 1948-1998 Massachusetts. Acquisitions continued through the 1960s and 1970s, first under the leadership of Ed Ginzton, then Norman Parker. These acquisitions, together with continued innovative research, helped to further broaden and diversify Varian's product line. Varian's profitable klystron contracts with the military were severely cut back in 1964, causing the company to finish out the fiscal year with its largest net losses up until that date. By 1966, however, Varian had restructured its finances and fully recovered, ending the year with record profits. Financial problems sprang up again in 1971, forcing Varian to put an end to acquisitions and begin selling some of its costlier operations, including Varian Data Machines, Syva, and its CT scanning business. The sale of these subsidiaries enabled the company to focus its resources on the core product lines of vacuum technologies, medical equipment, and spectrometers. In the 1980s Varian had a succession of four presidents. Then in 1990, J. Tracy O'Rourke came on board as chairman and CEO, the first Varian outsider to hold those posts, and quickly started the company on its long-awaited turnaround, reducing the corporate staff by more than 20% and creating 3 divisions based upon marketing similarities instead of technological similarities. Within five years, earnings rose and profits were at an all-time high. With this reorganization came a shift in priorities, from number of patents obtained and papers published, to marketing and customer service. Varian Associates formally divided into three companies in 1999, turning each of its divisions into a separate public enterprise. The three resulting corporations were Varian Medical Systems, Varian, Inc., and Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc. Scope and Content of Collection The Varian Associates Records, 1948-1998, document the corporate history of this innovative and successful Silicon Valley pioneer from its inception in 1948 until just prior to its division into three separate companies in 1999. The bulk of the collection consists of minutes from the meetings of the board of directors. Also included are reports to the board, acquisition and joint venture studies, writings by Russell Varian related to the company, presentations by the board, files on subsidiary companies, company publications, and promotional and marketing materials. The board of director's minutes date primarily from Varian's first 23 years (1948-1971). They also include minutes from meetings of shareholders and committees as well as monthly progress reports from subdivisions, strategic planning documents, and some budget reports. Photographs of the board of directors have been removed from these files and transferred to the Pictorial Collections of The Bancroft Library. Management materials also include legal papers, acquisition and joint venture studies, reports to the board, presentations by the board, as well as materials relating to Russell Varian, stockholders, and employees. Reports to the board include budget reports, financial performance reports, a corporate long-range plan, a management compensation plan, marketing outlooks, and a study of prospective expansion sites in the Bay Area. The joint venture studies document Varian's rapid growth and expansion in the 1960s. Of note among them are studies of Decision Control, Inc., the Syntex/Varian joint venture Syva, and Wilkins Instrument and Research,
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