Mehra, Jagdish

In 1952, a 15-year-old boy received a letter from Albert Einstein. That letter formed the first item in what would become a major personal library. Today, The Jagdish Mehra Collection is a premier research center within the University of Houston Libraries. It is rich in primary archival and secondary research materials. In 1990, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization appraised the collection at considerably more than $10 million and termed it "absolutely unique as a scientific and cultural resource."

This compilation does not concentrate solely on science. Dr. Mehra's intellectual interests in literature, philosophy, and history are reflected in the collection. The collection includes recorded conversations with famous literary and philosophic figures such as T.S. Eliot, Louis Aragon, Simone de Beauvoir, Carl Gustav Jung, Jean Paul Sartre, Aldous Huxley and many more.

From an early age, Dr. Jagdish Mehra realized his passion to study physics. In 1952, Dr. Mehra won the Adams Essay Prize of the International Council of YMCAs for his paper on Albert Einstein's philosophy of science and life. That paper also won a congratulatory letter from the famous physicist himself.

After earning a bachelor's degree and two master's degrees elsewhere, Dr. Mehra earned his Ph. D. in Theoretical Physics from Universite de Neuchatel in Switzerland in 1963. He then taught there as a visiting professor of theoretical physics for one year.

Dr. Mehra has lectured in Belgium, England, Israel, Holland, Germany, France, and Denmark. In the United States, Dr. Mehra has lectured at the California Institute of Technology, Cornell University, Georgetown University, Purdue University, Rice University, the University of California at Irvine, and the University of Houston. He also has earned numerous awards and grants from prestigious foundations, including the Henschel Fellowship and the U.S. Distinguished Senior Scientist Award of the Humboldt Foundation.

From the guide to the Jagdish Mehra Collection 1995-003., 1924-2001, (Special Collections University of Houston Libraries)