Spitzer: The Aftermath

[Part 3 of 3] Following the dismissal of both Ralph Spitzer and L. R. La Vallee, one newspaper described Oregon State College as “a battle ground” for the heavily debated topic of academic freedom. The newspaper explained that in the minds of many people, any alliance with the party of Henry Wallace was synonymous with [...]

Ralph Spitzer: The Firing

[Part 2 of 3] During Ralph Spitzer’s time as a professor at Oregon State College, he became increasingly interested in social problems, particularly concerning the atomic bomb.  In a letter, Spitzer informed his mentor Linus Pauling that ever since early September 1945, when Dr. George Kistiakowsky spoke to a group at Wood’s Hole about the [...]

The Story of Ralph Spitzer

[Part 1 of 3] Described by Linus Pauling as an “unusually able man,” Ralph Spitzer was a chemistry professor at Oregon State College (predecessor to Oregon State University) from 1946 – 1949. Spitzer met Pauling in 1937, when he was a senior undergraduate student at Cornell University, where Pauling was teaching at the time as [...]

Scenes from the Linus Pauling Science Center grand opening

(Video courtesy of Graham Kislingbury, Mid-Valley Newspapers) We were there when ground was broken in September 2009.  Now, just over two years later, it was our great pleasure to attend the grand opening of the magnificent Linus Pauling Science Center, new home to the Linus Pauling Institute and to components of the Department of Chemistry. [...]

A Sentimental Trip

In the final months of 1981, Ava Helen Pauling was slowing down and making her final public appearances. She was spending as much time as possible with her husband and children, but encouraged Linus to stay busy and travel because of his difficulty dealing with emotional distress. She had been diagnosed with a form of [...]

The Linus Pauling Science Center

Last Friday, September 25th, Oregon State University formally launched the construction of what will be the largest academic building on the OSU campus – the Linus Pauling Science Center.  Scheduled for completion in Spring 2011, the Pauling Science Center is a centerpiece of the on-going Campaign for OSU. Linus Pauling’s extraordinary career was defined in [...]

Ten Years of the Valley Library

Today marks the ten-year anniversary of the dedication of the Valley Library, home of the Oregon State University Libraries Special Collections. The importance of the Valley Library construction effort – a $40 million project that was at least five years in the making – is difficult to overstate.  The transformation from the old Kerr Library [...]

Pauling in the ROTC

As most of our readers are no doubt aware, this past Tuesday was Veterans’ Day in the U.S. and Remembrance Day in many other parts of the world.  In honor of this global occasion, we thought it appropriate to discuss a component of Linus Pauling’s story that may come as a surprise to many — [...]

A Virtual Tour of the OSU Libraries Special Collections

A seven-part virtual tour of the Oregon State University Libraries Special Collections is now available on the PaulingBlog. The videos, which were originally shot for use by Terra Magazine, are hosted by Cliff Mead, Head of Special Collections.  Viewers of the tour will receive fascinating insight into Dr. Linus Pauling and his legacy, and can [...]

Beaver Pep

“Q – What is your reaction to Sandy Koufax leaving the Dodgers?“ “A – I haven’t really developed a reaction to that.  Doesn’t the young man have some kind of a pain in his arm?“ -”Scientific Genius Dotes On Comic Strips, Miniskirts, But Can’t Cure Golfer’s Slice,” The (Portland) Oregonian, December 2, 1966. [Photo by [...]