Contents and Arrangement Expanded View
Online

Collection Overview

Creator:
Pendray, G. Edward (George Edward), 1901-
Title:
G. Edward Pendray papers
Repository:
Public Policy Papers
Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/6969z080m
Dates:
1829-1981 (mostly 1923-1971)
Size:
106 boxes and 2 items
Storage Note:
  • Mudd Manuscript Library (scamudd): Boxes 1-17; 19-107
Language:
English

Abstract

G. Edward Pendray was an early proponent of rocket power and space flight and co-founder Pendray and Company, a prominent public relations firm. The G. Edward Pendray Papers consist of correspondence, notes, memoranda, drafts, reports, photographs, and printed material related to Pendray's career in public relations and his life-long interest and involvement in aeronautics and astronautics.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

The G. Edward Pendray Papers consist of correspondence, notes, memoranda, drafts, reports, photographs, and printed material related to Pendray's career in public relations. The papers also document his life-long interest and involvement in aeronautics and astronautics. Also included are correspondence and published writings related to Leatrice M. Pendray's career as a syndicated columnist.

Please see series descriptions in contents list for additional information about individual series.

Collection Creator Biography:

Pendray, G. Edward (George Edward), 1901-

G. Edward Pendray was an early proponent of rocket power and space flight and co-founder of Pendray and Company, a prominent public relations firm. Born in Nebraska in 1901, Pendray grew up in Wyoming. He attended the University of Wyoming and graduated in 1924. He subsequently attended graduate school at Columbia University and received a Master's degree in 1925.

After completing his graduate work, Pendray joined the editorial staff of the New York Herald Tribune. He also served as the science editor of Literary Digest from 1932 through 1936. In 1936 he joined Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company as Assistant to the President. He was responsible for all external public relations, general and product advertising, educational relations, technical publications, and technical employment and training. While at Westinghouse, Pendray received national attention for the idea of preparing a time capsule for the New York World's Fair of 1939. The purpose was to preserve a cross section of contemporary life, literature, science, and philosophy by means of microfilm, sound motion pictures and actual articles of everyday use and interest. Pendray was responsible for its entire development, including coining the term "time capsule." Pendray left Westinghouse in 1945 to start his own public relations firm, Pendray and Company. The firm's clients included Westinghouse, the World Bank, the American Automobile Association, the Daniel and Florence Guggenheim Foundation, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, and many others. Pendray retired from the firm in 1971.

In addition to Pendray's primary employment in the field of public relations, he also maintained an interest in early rocket technology. Both he and his wife, Leatrice M. Pendray, were pioneer experimenters with liquid propulsion rockets. They helped found the American Rocket Society (ARS) in 1930. The ARS later merged with the Institute of the Aerospace Sciences to form the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) in 1963. The AIAA annually awards the G. Edward Pendray Award in recognition of his achievements in astronautics.

Commissioned by The Daniel and Florence Guggenheim Foundation in 1948, Pendray helped develop the Guggenheim Jet Propulsion Center at the California Institute of Technology, and the Guggenheim Laboratories at Princeton University. These were followed by the establishment of the Guggenheim Institute of Flight Structures at Columbia University. In 1958, he was a consultant to the Select Committee on Astronautics and Space Exploration of the House of Representatives. Here he aided in the establishment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

G. Edward Pendray married Leatrice M. Gregory in 1927. In addition to beginning involved with American Rocket Society activities and serving as a partner at Pendray and Company, Mrs. Pendray published a syndicated advice column on beauty under the name Jacqueline Hunt from 1929-1944. She died on October 7, 1971. G. Edward Pendray died on September 5, 1987.

Collection History

Acquisition:

The G. Edward Pendray papers consist of four separate donations. The bulk of the papers, which arrived on May 29, 1967 , and some additional photographs, which arrived on April 21, 1970 , were gifts from G. Edward Pendray. G. Edward Pendray and Leatrice M. Pendray added another gift of manuscripts and personal writings on March 26, 1971 . The final gift of additional correspondence from Annice Pendray was received on September 28, 1983 .

Appraisal

Duplicates of Pendray's book Time Capsule were separated from the collection in 2008.

Sponsorship:

These papers were processed with an operating support grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State.

Processing Information

No information about the physical processing of this collection is available. A finding aid was created in 2008 by Casey Babcock.

Lantern slides found in former Box 18 were rehoused in Boxes 100-107 in February, 2020. There is now no Box 18 in the papers.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Access to the lantern slides in Boxes 100-107 is restricted due to their fragility. Though digitization may not be possible for every slide, researchers may make requests to digitize material according to Mudd Library's policy on digitization of photographs

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

33 1/3 rpm and 78 rpm 10" acetates of radio interviews are located in Box 67.

Credit this material:

G. Edward Pendray papers; Public Policy Papers, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/6969z080m
Location:
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library
65 Olden Street
Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
(609) 258-6345
Storage Note:
  • Mudd Manuscript Library (scamudd): Boxes 1-17; 19-107