Oral history interview with W.W. Morgan, 1978 August 8 and 9.

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Oral history interview with W.W. Morgan, 1978 August 8 and 9.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/82694769

Childhood and father's influence; high school in Washington, DC. Enters Washington & Lee University, 1923; becomes assistant at Yerkes Observatory, 1926, while continuing courses; B.S., 1927. Marriage to Helen Barrett. Contacts with Otto Struve, Mario Schoenberg, Dmitri Mihalis. Invention of UBV system; work on A-type stars, MK system, Ph. D. Work during 1930s on effects of metals in spectra; revision of HR Diagram, work on "spottedness" of stellar surface; changes of interest, paper on two-dimensional arrays, 1937. Problems of promotion and tenure at University of Chicago. Struve's administration, departure, and experiences at National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Decision to stay at Yerkes; effects of World War II, including Yerkes Optical Bureau and Greenstein-Henyey camera. Work on spiral arms, work with Walter Baade, William Pendry Bidelman, Jason Nassau; use of Case Schmidt telescope, and Case Survey for OB stars; paper on "natural groups"; recognition of spiral arms, 1951; physical collapse, 1952. Yerkes administration under Struve, Bengt Strömgren, 1950-1957, and Gerard Kuiper. Problems at Kitt Peak. Editor at Astrophysical Journal until 1952. Work with William Pendry Bidelman, Harold Johnson on UBV system. Associate at Lick, 1955; interest in forms of galaxies and classification schemes. Visiting professor at Caltech, 1956; contacts at Mt. Wilson; Edwin P. Hubble. Recognition of supergiant galaxies, 1960. Alfred. Joy's review of Yerkes Spectral Atlas. Director of Yerkes, 1960-1963; creation of Astronomy Department at University of Texas; plans for Southern Hemisphere Observatory, eventually taken over by Associated Universities for Research in Astronomy. Younger staff departs Yerkes, courses moved to Chicago. Chairman of Astronomy Department, 1960-1966. Wife's illness and death; own illness in 1966. Also prominently mentioned are: Nathaniel Apter, Geoffrey R. Burbidge, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, G.K. Chesterson, Agatha Christie, Louis Henyey, Lou Hobbs, Henry James, Phillip Keenan, Oliver J. Lee, Aden Meinel, H.R. Morgan, Henry Norris Russell, Alice Weatherspoon, Benjamin Wooten; Marvin College, McDonald Observatory, and Sky and Telescope.

Transcript, 105 p.

American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library

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SNAC Resource ID: 8287549

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