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Jerome P. Keuper Papers

 Collection
Identifier: UA-JK014

Scope and Contents

The Jerome P. Keuper Papers contain materials dating from 1921-c.2000s compiled primarily by Florida Tech’s founder and first president Jerome P. Keuper. The materials were generated by the personal and professional activities of Dr. Keuper. They consist of personal records from his early life and military service, collected objects from his travels to East Asia and South America, regalia, memorabilia related to Florida Tech, photographs, publications, publicity related to himself and the University, scrapbooks, speeches, professional documents and correspondence related to the administration of the school, and accolades. The collection also contains digital files and some of Keuper’s personal library collection. The materials highlight Keuper’s integral role in founding and leading the University from 1958 to 1986. Some items are restricted in accordance with University policy.

Dates

  • 1921-c.2000s

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research, with some records restricted in accordance with university policy and applicable law. Consult repository for details. A few items in Series 2 sub-series 1 are restricted due to the physical characteristics of their materials. A few materials in the collection, namely VHS tapes and slides, may require additional equipment in order to view their content, however some are available digitally.

Conditions Governing Use

Photocopies, photographs, and scans of items in this collection may be made by users or by library staff on behalf of users for the following purposes: personal, research, scholarly, educational, and other nonprofit use. It is the responsibility of the user to abide by any and all applicable copyright laws in their use of material from the Harry P. Weber University Archives and Special Collections. Florida Tech is not responsible for any copyright infringement resulting from improper use of research copies or scans created by or provided to users. See Reproductions and Use Policy. Copyright of these materials is held by Florida Tech and others. It is the responsibility of the user to determine and satisfy copyright. Users must seek written permission from both the Harry P. Weber University Archives and the original copyright holder regarding use of the material and to distribute, publish, post, or display in any way either in print or electronically.

Biographical / Historical

Jerome Penn Keuper was born in 1921 to Clarence and Aileen Keuper and grew up in Ft. Thomas, Kentucky. He attended Highlands High School, graduating in 1938. Keuper attended Eastern Kentucky State College until 1941 when he joined the Army to serve in WWII. Initially Keuper was in Field Artillery, Motor Transport, and Communications, but was transferred to the newly created intelligence agency called the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). His service in the OSS took him through the “China-Burma-India” theater of the war , sparking a life-long interest in East Asian culture. Post-war, Keuper used the GI bill to further his education. He was awarded his B.S. in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1948, his M.S. in Physics from Stanford in 1949, and his Ph.D. in Physics at the University of Virginia in 1952. Keuper married Natalie Packard Snow in 1948, and the couple had two children: Melanie and Philip Keuper. After graduating, Keuper’s early career (1952-1957) consisted of both research and teaching positions in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He was a senior research physicist at the Remington Arms Company and chairman of the mathematics department at the Bridgeport Engineering Institute. In 1957, Keuper received an invitation for a job interview with the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) Missile Test Project in Cape Canaveral, Florida. He accepted a position as a senior engineer at RCA , one of many young scientists to relocate to Florida’s Space Coast during the height of the space race.

Keuper had enjoyed his teaching position at the Bridgeport Engineering Institute, so when he noticed the lack of higher educational institutions in the Melbourne area he was inspired to create one. With the help of several other RCA scientists, namely George Peters, Donya Dixon, Robert Kelly and Harold Dibble, Keuper founded the Brevard Engineering College (BEC) in 1958. BEC (later Florida Institute of Technology) was initially designed with the educational needs of the area’s “missile men” in mind , and grew from there. Keuper served as president until 1986, working to expand and develop Florida Tech into the academic institution that it is today.



Keuper was involved in numerous professional and personal activities throughout his career, aside from serving as president of Florida Tech. He was a major proponent of the Florida-Columbia partnership, an alliance designed, “to promote goodwill, develop mutual educational programs, stimulate trade and agriculture, and generally build an economic and cultural bridge between the southern and northern hemispheres, and more particularly the state of Florida and northern coast of South America.” He served as president of the International Palm Society , and his interest in palms on campus contributed to what is now the Joy and Gordon Patterson Botanical Garden at Florida Tech. Keuper served as Chair of the Council of Presidents for the State Board of Colleges and Universities, Director of the Federal Reserve of Independent Colleges and Universities, and Director of Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He was a Mystic Shriner, dedicating time to community service. Keuper was a member of the Florida Council of 100, collector of antique MG cars, and world traveler.



Jerome P. Keuper received numerous accolades and honorary degrees. A few of these include Florida Tech’s President's Medal, Daughters of the American Revolution Medal of Honor, Honorary Doctorate of Science from the Bridgeport Institute, Honorary Doctor of Science from Eastern Kentucky University, and an Honorary Doctor of Civil Law from Jacksonville University. After battling with illness, Keuper passed away in March 2002.



The eclectic life of Jerome Keuper is highlighted throughout his collection. In it, the personal and professional worlds of Keuper are intertwined. Jerome Keuper responded to the educational needs of a growing community on the space coast and left an impact on that community beyond the classroom.

Extent

27 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Jerome P. Keuper Papers contains documents and correspondence, photographs, awards/certificates, news clippings, scrapbooks, publications, books, travel artifacts, university ephemera, regalia, and home videos compiled primarily by Florida Tech’s founder and first president Jerome P. Keuper. The collection spans Keuper’s life, c.1921-2000s, and contains both personal and professional materials. A few topics highlighted in this collection are the history and founding of Brevard Engineering College (BEC), Keuper’s involvement in the Florida-Columbia Alliance and International Palm Society, Keuper’s travels to Asia and South America, and Keuper’s love of MG cars.

Arrangement

Series 1 Biographical Information and Personal Activities (Some restricted materials)

Series 2 Memorabilia Sub-series 1: Travel Objects Sub-sub-series: South America (some restricted materials) Sub-sub-series: East Asia Sub-series 2: Regalia Sub-series 3: University Collectibles Series 3 Photographs Sub-series 1: Personal Sub-series 2: Professional Series 4 Collected Publications Sub-series 1: Outside publications Sub-series 2: University Publications Sub-series 3: Books Series 5 Publicity Sub-series 1: News clippings Sub-series 2: Scrapbooks Sub-series 3: Publications Series 6 Professional Activities Sub-series 1: Speeches Sub-series 2: Correspondence Sub-series 3: Accounts on the founding of FIT Sub-series 4: Organizations Series 7 University Administration Records Sub-series 1: Documents and Correspondence (Some restricted materials) Sub-series 2: Student groups Sub-series 3: ephemera Sub-series 4: BEC Series 8 Accolades

Accruals

Further accruals are possible.

Related Materials

OSS Personnel Files. https://www.archives.gov/files/iwg/declassified-records/rg-226-oss/personnel-database.pdf

Keuper, Jerome P. "An Investigation of the Photoelectric Effect with High Energy Polarized Quanta." 1952.

Hereford, Frank L. and Jerome P. Keuper. "The Azimuthal Distribution of Photoelectrons Produced by 0.5-Mev Polarized Photons." Physical Review 90, no. 6 (1953): 1043-1046. https://journals.aps.org/pr/abstract/10.1103/PhysRev.90.1043.

Bibliography

“Biographical Sketch Dr. Jerome P. Keuper, March 19, 1970.” Jerome P. Keuper Papers, UA-JK014. Harry P. Weber University Archives and Special Collections, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL. Bradford, Duane. “Adams Fascinated by Columbia Alliance.” Gainesville Sun, March, 23, 1970. Delaney, Robert W. “Q and A”. Florida Today, Nov. 20, 1983. Florida Institute of Technology. “Florida Tech Founder and President Emeritus Dies.” News Release, March 26, 2002. Florida Institute of Technology. Jerome P. Keuper Papers, UA-JK014. Harry P. Weber University Archives and Special Collections, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL. Erin Mahaney, “Jerome P. Keuper, Founder: Making Dreams Reality President from 1958- 1986,” Legacy of Leadership exhibit, Harry P. Weber University Archives and Special Collections (2016). Patterson, Gordon. “Countdown to College: Launching Florida Institute of Technology.” The Florida Historical Quarterly, (Fall 1998).
Title
Finding Aid of the Papers of Jerome P. Keuper
Status
In Progress
Author
Rosemary DeFrancisci
Date
2019-08-15
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Harry P. Weber University Archives Repository

Contact:
Evans Library
Florida Institute of Technology
150 West University Blvd.
Melbourne FL 32901-6975 USA
(321)-674-7632
(321) 724-2559 (Fax)