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Ray Penn Papers

 Collection
Identifier: SC-RAD011

Scope and Contents

The Ray Penn papers consist of textual, photographic, and three-dimensional objects from 1954-1983 (bulk 1960-1975), relating mostly to the administrative and marketing aspects of Radiation, Inc.’s business during this period. The collection consists of two letter-sized document boxes, including approximately 25 folders, and one small box of name tags.

Dates

  • 1950-1983
  • Majority of material found within 1954-1970

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions to access.

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.

Biographical / Historical

Homer Denius and George Shaw founded Radiation, Inc. in 1950, originally operating out of an old Naval building at the Melbourne Airport. The engineers of Radiation, Inc. were pioneers in electronic design for space and defense industries, particularly advanced radio communications involving PCM telemetry, satellite earth stations, spacecraft electronics, electronic surveillance and satellite reconnaissance applications critically important to the nation's security. In 1967, only seventeen years after Radiation, Inc. was founded, the company had grown to 5,000 employees and was acquired by Harris Corporation.

During their active years, Radiation, Inc. developed equipment and fulfilled orders for many secret and classified projects for organizations such as Bell Telephone Laboratories, NASA, Ford Motor Company, and the Department of Defense. Some prominent Radiation, Inc. projects include Boeing’s Minuteman Missile, NASA’s Apollo and Gemini missions, Project Nimbus, and early satellite and multiplexing equipment. Many of these projects have been declassified over time as technology developed and progressed, allowing for their unrestricted inclusion in the archives.

Extent

0.56 Cubic Feet (Two (2) archival document boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Ray Penn papers consist two document boxes of textual, photographic, and physical materials from 1954-1983 (bulk 1960-1975), relating mostly to the administrative and historical aspects of Radiation, Inc.’s business throughout this time period. Radiation, Inc. and its engineers made major contributions to technological developments of the early U.S. Space Race and wireless communications projects. The company and its employees were also a major foundation for the growth and development of the surrounding community of Melbourne, Fla.

Arrangement

The folders are arranged topically by series, followed by subseries of format or type. All folders are arranged chronologically by earliest date within their respective series.


Series 1: Administrative

    Sub-series 1: Financial
    Sub-series 2: Internal correspondence
    Sub-series 3: Publications



Series 2: Technical
    Sub-series 1: Publications
    Sub-series 2: Photographs

Series 3: Personal


Related Materials

Similar materials may also be held in other collections within the Radiation, Inc. Archives:

Title
Collection Guide of the Ray Penn Papers
Status
In Progress
Author
C. DeSimone
Date
Oct. 2019
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Repository

Contact:
307 Evans Library
Florida Institute of Technology
150 West University Blvd.
Melbourne FL 32901-6975 USA
(321) 674-8571
(321) 724-2559 (Fax)