Identifier

MA 126

Dates

1940-1946, 1978-2002

Extent

0.84 linear feet (2 document cases)

Abstract

Charles A. Lundquist (1928–2017) was a physicist and space science administrator whose career included research and leadership roles with the U.S. Army, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Born in Webster, South Dakota, he graduated early from high school in 1945 and enrolled at South Dakota State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in engineering physics. He later received a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Kansas in 1953. Lundquist held positions at Pennsylvania State University’s Ordnance Research Laboratory, the Army Ballistic Missile Agency, and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, where he contributed to early spaceflight initiatives including Explorer 1 and later directed the Space Sciences Laboratory. After retiring from NASA in 1981, he continued his academic and research work in Huntsville and conducted oral history interviews with early rocket scientists, later publishing Transplanted Rocket Pioneers. The papers consist primarily of personal journals dating from 1940 to 1946. Written from his sixth-grade years through his early college experience at South Dakota State College, the journals document Lundquist’s youth in Webster, South Dakota, including his academic life, extracurricular activities, family experiences, and reflections on national events. Entries describe school activities, Scouting, sports, work, and community involvement, while also recording local and personal responses to World War II, including rationing, war bond drives, Civil Air Patrol and Victory Corps activities, and reactions to major wartime events such as VE Day, the atomic bombings, and VJ Day. The journals provide a detailed first-person account of youth, education, and civic life in rural South Dakota during the 1940s and document the formative years of an individual who later contributed to American space science.

SDSU Archives and Special Collections

This document is a descriptive inventory of the collection in the SDSU Archives and Special Collections. It contains:

An overview of the collection, including information about the person or organization and a brief description of the materials and subjects found within.

A detailed inventory listing, organized by boxes and folders.

Information on how to access the materials, including any restrictions or special conditions.

In most cases, the materials in the collections have not been digitized and are not available online. If you would like to know more about the contents of the collection, please contact the SDSU Archives at:

Information request form: Ask Us! Telephone: 605-688-5094 Email: arcrefs@sdstate.edu

Language

English

Publisher

South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library, Brookings, South Dakota.

Rights

In Copyright: This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses, you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). Materials in this collection may be subject to Title 17, Section 108 of the United States Copyright Act. Users are responsible for ensuring compliance with copyright, privacy, publicity, trademark, and other applicable rights for their intended use. Obtaining all necessary permissions is the user's responsibility. Written authorization from the copyright and/or other rights holders is required for publication, distribution, or any use of protected materials beyond what is permitted under fair use.

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