Conditions Governing Use

Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection contains material which may be restricted related to personnel matters, student records, or other reasons. A Special Collections Research Center staff member must review the collection for restricted material before any researchers may use the collection. Consult a staff member for assistance. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Custodial History

Professor Hans von Baeyer stored this material in the projection room of the lecture hall in Small Hall to which records from the Dept. of Physics were later added for storage as well. The material was removed from Small Hall and transferred to Professor von Baeyer's temporary office in Millington Hall in May 2010 during the renovation of Small Hall at which time it was transferred to the Special Collections Research Center.

Preferred Citation

Hans C. von Baeyer Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Acc. 2010.271 was donated by Prof. Hans Von Baeyer on May 5, 2010.

Processing Information

Accessioned by Steven Bookman, University Archives Specialist, in May 2010.

Biographical / Historical

Hans Christian von Baeyer is Chancellor Professor of Physics , Emeritus, at the College of William & Mary . He has received the Thomas Jefferson Award , the Thomas Jefferson Teaching Award , and the Thomas Ashley Graves, Jr. Award .

Professor von Baeyer first came to William & Mary from McGill University in 1968. He served as Physics Department Chair from 1972 to 1978. In 1979, von Baeyer took the role of director at the Virginia Associated Research Campus (VARC) in Newport News. As director, he led the successful effort to bring a particle accelerator to the campus. Today, the facility that houses that accelerator is known as the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab).

Also in 1979, Professor von Baeyer published an award-winning article on Einstein's theory of relativity in the William & Mary Alumni Gazette . This success launched his career as an author of books on science for the general public. Von Baeyer's most recent popular publication is Information: The New Language of Science (Harvard University Press, 2004).

Professor von Baeyer collaborated with John McKnight for a lecture tour on the history of American science to coincide with the U.S. Bicentennial. In 1983, they adapted their lecture for A Glorious System of Things , a videorecording (and now DVD) available from Colonial Williamsburg .

Professor von Baeyer is also noted for reviving the William & Mary tradition of the Raft Debate .

Scope and Contents

The bulk of this collection contains subject files, correspondence, reports, and committee files created and collected by William and Mary Physics Professor Hans Von Baeyer while he was Director of the Virginia Associated Research Campus (VARC) from 1979-1984. Included in this material are: correspondence and reports of Board of Visitors Meetings; reports of the William and Mary Self-Study committee in 1983; and correspondence with various William and Mary offices and departments. The papers also include other professional, administrative, and personal material of von Bayer such as material related to a book, his involvement with Elderhostel, and Physics courses he taught at William and Mary.

Arrangement

This collection is not yet fully arranged and described. Researchers may wish to consult with a staff member for further information in advance of using the collection.

Related Material

Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF), Jefferson Laboratory Records (UA 175); Virginia Associated Research Campus (VARC) Records (UA 81); F.H.C. Society Collection (UA 7.042); University Archives Audiovisual Collection (UA 58); University Archives Photograph Collection (UA 8)

Information about related materials is available at http://guides.swem.wm.edu/wm

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Associated and Branch Campuses--Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF)
• Associated and Branch Campuses--Virginia Associated Research Campus
• College of William and Mary--Faculty and Staff
• College of William and Mary. Dept. of Physics
• Correspondence
• Course work
• Minutes
• Physics--Study and teaching
• Reports
• Vertical Files