Albert Godfrey Conrad papers

The Albert G. Conrad Papers consist of office files from the first quarter-century of his career as an instructor of electrical engineering at Yale. The papers have been arranged in a single alphabetical sequence; materials include correspondence, writings, printed matter, photographs and memorabilia, the latter including drawings, blueprints, charts, and a record of a speech by Conrad.

The bulk of the papers concerns the Department of Electrical Engineering at Yale, during the chairmanships of Charles F. Scott (1920-1933), Robert E. Doherty (1933-1938), and Samuel W. Dudley (Acting Chairman, 1938-1943), and the beginning of Conrad's tenure as chairman. These papers document the department's administrative and financial affairs, and the research and testing conducted at Dunham Laboratory. Much of Conrad's own research concerned electro-physiology, and particularly a treatment for athlete's foot involving electrolysis. There are also course materials, including early materials of some of Conrad's older colleagues at Yale, among them Charles F. Scott, Russell G. Warner and Archer E. Knowlton. One folder of material (in box 5), concerning student evaluations and grades, is restricted until 2018.

The collection is especially rich in materials concerning life at Yale during World War II. Conrad was chief of the Timothy Dwight Fire Fighting Squad, and saved a number of materials concerning this group and general air raid drills and defense measures at Yale, including printed matter produced by the New Haven Defense Council. The collection also contains papers concerning courses taught as part of the Engineering Defense Training Program, printed matter concerning student preparation for war service, and papers documenting Conrad's efforts to obtain surplus equipment for Dunham Laboratory after the war.

Other materials in the collection concern electrical engineering professional organizations, the manufacture of Timothy Dwight College paperweights and other artifacts, and the estate of Charles F. Scott. The provenance of the papers is unknown.

For further papers concerning Conrad and the Department of Electrical Engineering during this period, readers should consult the School of Engineering Records, YRG 23, especially Series II, and the Charles Felton Scott Papers, MS #779.