Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434) 560 Drillfield Drive Newman Library, Virginia Tech Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 Business Number: 540-231-6308 specref@vt.edu URL: http://spec.lib.vt.edu
The description of this collection was updated as part of the project, "Piercing the Veil: Creating Access to the Archives
of American Aerospace Exploration at Virginia Tech," funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) from 2022 to 2024.
Special Collections and University Archives Staff; Tyler Williams, Student Assistant; and LM Rozema, Archivist
Repository
Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Identification
Ms.1988.021
Title
Henry J. Kelley Papers 1948-1988
Quantity
14.8 Cubic Feet, 40 boxes
Creator
Kelley, H. J. (Henry Joseph), 1926-1988
Language
The materials in the collection are in English.
Abstract
The Henry J. Kelley Papers include correspondence, notes, drafts and offprints of publications, teaching materials, and research
reports from 1948-1988 documenting the career of Kelley (1926-1988), an aerospace engineer and authority on flight optimization.
The majority of the collection consists topic based subject/research files, files on individuals (correspondence, resumes,
and papers), teaching/course materials, and conference/professional organizational files. There are drafts and final copies
of papers by Kelley and others on a range of aerospace and other engineering topics. The collection also includes slides and
transparencies, most of which depict equations, charts, graphs, and occasional text.
The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University
Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.
Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization
form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition
form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with
forms or to submit a completed form.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder],
Henry J. Kelley Papers, Ms1988-021, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
Source of Acquisition
The Henry J. Kelley Papers were donated to Special Collections and University Archives in 1988.
Processing Information
The processing, arrangement, and description of the Henry J. Kelley Papers was completed in 2012. Original folder titles and
physical order of Series I were retained. Series II was organized by archivists. Minimal description was completed in 1988.
Updates were made to the description in 2023.
The description of this collection was updated as part of the project, "Piercing the Veil: Creating Access to the Archives
of American Aerospace Exploration at Virginia Tech," funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) from 2022 to 2024.
Henry Joseph "Hank" Kelley was born to Bernard Joseph and Margaret (nee McKillop) Kelley in New York City on February 8, 1926.
He married Maureen Youngkin on October 26, 1958, and they had two children Henry Bernard and Maureen E.
Kelley was an aerospace engineer and authority on flight optimization. He earned a B.Ae.E. in 1948, M.S. in 1951, and an Sc.D.
in 1958, all from New York University. From 1948-1963, he worked for Grumman Aircraft as a researcher and as assistant chief
of the Research Department. In 1963, he founded Analytical Mechanics Associates, which worked with NASA on parameterized steering
approaches for Apollo mission planning. From 1978 until his death in 1988, he served as a professor of Aerospace and Ocean
Engineering at Virginia Tech and held the Christopher C. Kraft, Jr. Chair of the department.
The Henry J. Kelley Papers include correspondence, notes, drafts and offprints of publications and research reports. The majority
of the collection consists topic based subject/research files, files on individuals (correspondence, resumes, and papers),
teaching/course materials, and conference/professional organizational files. There are drafts and final copies of papers by
Kelley and others on a range of aerospace and other engineering topics.
The collection also includes slides and transparencies, most of which depict equations, charts, graphs, and occasional text.
For the most part, these visual materials are unidentified.
The collections is arranged into two series based on material type, Series I: Papers and Series II: Audiovisual Materials.
Series I: Papers remains physically in the order in which it was brought to Special Collections and University Archives. It
is unclear if this was Henry Kelley's original order. Kelley's original folder labels were maintained when the collection
was rehoused in 2012. In the inventory below, the series is intellectually organized alphabetically to facilitate searching.
Series II: Audiovisual Materials contains slides and transparencies, Although the slides are unidentified, most were grouped
with rubber bands. Those groups were retained within the box of slides. Identified transparencies were left in their original
groupings, and unidentified transparencies are grouped together.
This box contains transparencies related to the following topics: Differential Turns Energy Model, Singular Perturbations,
Variable Metric Projection, and Second Order Variational Approximation (SECVAR).
![[logo]](https://static.lib.vt.edu/images/logo/lockup-color-347x75.png){kind=logo}