MS184
Dr. Ralph Werner Brauer
Personal Papers

Born in Berlin in 1920, emigrated to the United States in 1937, Dr. Ralph Werner Brauer lived a multifaceted life. First and foremost a scientist, he spent his life pursuing knowledge in an adventurous manner. Brauer headed the program in marine biology at Wrightsville Beach and was a formative force in the founding of the marine biology program at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He was also a founding member of IRISC, a think tank organization whose goal was the study of the inter-relation of science and culture. A dynamic personality, Brauer was still actively conducting research when he died unexpectedly in the fall of 2000. He generously left UNCW, Randall Library and the Museum of World Culture his extensive estate, which included the History of Science  2000 volume book collection, and a multi-faceted artifact collection. These artifacts included oriental rugs, Chinese and Asian art, a 70 piece flute collection, numerous weapons and tools from South America, Central America and Africa and other varied and fascinating items.

His paper collection is supplemented by an earlier collection, MS 060, The Brauer Papers. This earlier collection focuses on the work of Brauer's father, Friedrich Brauer, and is a fascinating glimpse into the world of inter-war Germany and of the rise of Hitler and Fascism in Germany.

This collection of Brauer papers is organized in several series. The first series to be processed focuses on Brauer's early life, from birth through the late 1940s. In addition to documenting Brauers's early life, this series contain a large amount of material about pre-WWI Germany, with items dating from the early 1900s through 1920. It also includes documentation of the political situation in Germany during Hitler's ascent. Many rare, one-of-a-kind, ephemeral newspapers, leaflets, handouts, and other items are to be found in this series. Also included in this series are a number of translations of correspondence between Brauer and his father. This correspondence reflects the close bond between father and son and brings a touching personal note to the collection.

At this date, July 2002, the majority of the collection has not been processed. The remaining collection documents Brauer's achievements from circa 1950 to 2000. They include a government position in California, and the early days of UNCW's Marine Biology program. The inventories to these series will be posted as they are completed at a later date.

Jennifer Freitas
Wiebke Meyer-Scheel
Andrew Dutka

Summer 2001, Summer 2002

 

Box #1                        Naturalization and Education

           

File #1              Various documents pertaining to Dr. Frederick Brauer, including resume, Last Will and Testament, and registration cards

 

File #2              Identification documents for Dr. Ralph Brauer, including, passport, vaccination record, registration card, diver’s license, and naturalization certificate

 

File #3              International identification documents including, international driving permit, special passport, and copy of birth certificate

 

            File #4              Naturalization, handwritten notes

 

            File #5              Naturalization, articles, 1940-1942 (in German and English)

 

File #6              Naturalization, articles, 1941-1942 and undated items (in German and English)

 

File #7              Naturalization, documentation, 1940-1943

 

File #8              Naturalization, authorization for travel, January to February 1943

 

File #9              Naturalization, program and article, 28 October 1943

 

File #10            Customs certificates, dated April 1969 to July 1982

 

File #11            Tax forms, 1988-1989

 

File #12            Legal documents including, Last Will and Testament, insurance, and handwritten Power of Attorney

 

File #13            Bibliography, 1950-1962

 

File #14            Bibliography, 1986

 

File #15            Curriculum Vitae, late 1940s to 1952

 

File #16            Columbia University, admissions and activities, 1937-1943

 

File #17            Columbia University, transcripts, 1940

 

File #18            Columbia University, letters, 1937-1940

 

File #19            Columbia University, political flyers

 

File #20            Columbia University, political flyers

 

File #21            Columbia University, letter to Committee on Financial Assistance, 1939

 

File #22            Graduate Record Examination, 1940

 

File #23            University of Rochester, 1941-1944

 

File #24            University of Rochester, letters, 1940-1944

 

File #25            University of Rochester, Strong Personalities, 1940-1943

 

File #26            Release for employment, 1943-1944

 

File #27            Letters regarding employment, 1943-1944

 

File #28            Harvard, 1941-1947

 

File #29            Louisiana State University, 1948-1950

 

File #30            Louisiana State University, copies of articles, 1947-1950

 

File #31            Louisiana State University, letters, 1947-1950

 

File #32            University of California, 1953-1956

 

BOX #2           Naturalization and World War II

 

            File #1              Naturalization, correspondence, October 1939 to March 1942

 

            File #2              Naturalization, correspondence, April to May 1942

 

            File #3              Naturalization, correspondence, June to September 1942

 

            File #4              Naturalization, correspondence, October to December 1942

 

            File #5              Naturalization, correspondence, January 1943

 

            File #6              Naturalization, correspondence, February to March 1943

 

            File #7              Naturalization, correspondence, May to August 1943

 

File #8              Items listed under the original heading of “1942.”  This folder includes a collection of letters, advertisement for a fumigator and a series of humorous stories.

 

File #9              Items listed under the original heading of “30 Warren Street, Brookline, Mass.,” 1946-1947.  Included are a picture of the Brauer’s residence at that address, a picture from a magazine, a hand-drawn picture, and a postcard that notes acceptance into the American Chemical Society.

 

File #10            Assorted personal items from 1949, vaccination report and a “family tree” from the LSU student-faculty dinner in May 1949.

 

File #11            Absentee Ballot, County of Monroe, 7 November 1944

 

File #12            Assorted items from 1940s, includes items such as a clipping from the New York Times classifieds, a ticket form an illegal numbers game, a partial program from “Stadium Concerts Review,” and several labels.

 

File #13            Assorted patriotic and war related items. Includes a postcard, booklet on experiences of soldiers, notices regarding cutbacks due to wartime needs, cartoons, and a form for the national unemployment census, 1940s.

 

File #14            Assorted patriotic and war related items; ration and sales tax stamps, ration book identification stub and instructions, label to mail books to American troops overseas, fold-out history of the flag, information on what to do in case of a blackout, and a booklet entitled “Mrs. Brown goes to war.” 1940s.

 

File #15            Red Cross and World War II, letters and information

 

File #16            Ford Sunday Evening Hour, transcripts, 26 October 1941 to 14 December 1941

 

File #17            Magazine, “The United States and the Peace,” part I, 14 August 1941 to 5 March 1945

 

File #18            Magazine, “The United States and the Peace,” part II, April to June 1945

 

File #19            Magazine, “U.S. Navy at War,” March 1944-1945

 

File #20            Magazine, “Radio at War,” undated, but most likely published during World War II

 

File #21            Magazine, Pony edition of “Time,” 6 September 1943

           

Box #3                        1940s

 

            File #1              Draft, newspaper articles, 1941 (copies)

 

            File #2              Draft, newspaper articles, 1942 (copies)

 

            File #3              Draft, newspaper articles, 1943 (copies)

 

            File #4              Draft, newspaper articles, 1944 (copies)

 

            File #5              Draft, newspaper articles, 1945 (copies)

 

            File #6              Draft, newspaper articles, 1946 (copies)

 

            File #7              Draft, newspaper articles, 1947-1948 (copies)

 

            File #8              Draft, newspaper articles, undated (copies)

 

            File #9              Draft, handwritten summaries of articles, undated

 

            File #10            Draft, pamphlets relating to military service, 1940-1943

 

File #11            Draft, assorted items including registration documentation, articles (one in German with a translation), notes, and notices, March 1941-September 1942

           

File #12            Draft, assorted items including letters, documentation and articles, September 1942 – 1950

 

File #13            Draft, correspondence, 1940 to September 1942

 

File #14            Draft, correspondence, September 1942 to December 1942

 

File #15            Draft, correspondence, February 1943 to December 1944

 

File #16            Draft, correspondence and miscellaneous handwritten items, 1945

 

File #17            World War II, war bonds

 

File #18            World War II, global maps, 1943 and 1948

 

File #19            World War II, items relating to labor, particularly women in the labor force, 1943-1944 and undated

 

File #20            World War II, articles including descriptions of military ribbons and medals, 1943-1944 and undated

 

File #21            World War II, pictures taken from a newspaper of war in Italy, September 1943

 

File #22            Items taken from a folder titled, “1937 to World War II,” includes a variety of cards, pamphlets, and memorandums

 

File #23            U.S. Department of the Interior, 1938 (second item is most likely from 1939 or 1940, it was published while the United States was still neutral in regard to the war in Europe)

 

File #24            Atomic age, includes a stockholders’ bulletin from Dupont and a transcription of a series of four radio talks, 1945

 

File #25            Christmas collage created by Frederick Brauer for Ralph Brauer, 1944

 

Box #4                        Professional Career

 

            File #1              Symposia on Quantitative Biology, 1939

 

File #2              Chemistry, American Chemical Association and Wyndotte Chemicals Corporation, 1943

 

File #3              Distillation Products, Inc., 1973-1944

 

File #4              Journal article, “The autoxidation of beta-eleostearic acid. The application of the spectrophotometer to the study of the course and the kinetics of the reaction,” by Ralph W. Brauer and Luville T. Steadman, 1944

 

File #5              Radioactivity, articles, 1950 (copies)

 

File #6              Radiology, First Conference on Radiological Warfare, 12 August 1950

 

File #7              New Orleans Civil Defense, correspondence, 29 July 1950 to 3 August 1950

 

File #8              New Orleans Civil Defense, correspondence, 5 August 1950 to 25 August 1950

 

File #9              New Orleans Civil Defense, correspondence, 13 September 1950 to 11 October 1950

 

File #10            New Orleans Civil Defense, correspondence, 12 October 1950 to 15 December 1950

 

File #11            New Orleans Civil Defense, correspondence, 16 December 1950 to 8 February 1951

 

File #12            New Orleans Civil Defense, training information, undated

 

File #13            New Orleans Civil Defense, assorted items including meeting minutes, notes for radiology talk, application for radioisotope procurement, pamphlets and handwritten notes, 1950s

 

File #14            New Orleans Civil Defense, assorted items including handwritten notes and lists of names and addresses, undated

 

File #15            Liver Symposium, 1956-1958

 

File #16            Navy Radiological Defense Laboratory (NRDL), “Research opportunities for scientists and engineers,” 1950s

 

File #17            NRDL, information on building 815, undated

 

File #18            NRDL, employment forms, 1951

 

File #19            NRDL, “Noteworthy NRDLers,” focus on Dr. Ralph Brauer, 1953

 

File #20            NRDL, officer’s mess, 1952 and 1954

 

File #21            NRDL, information brochure, 28 June 1954

 

File #22            NRDL, assorted pamphlets, 1952-1955

 

File #23            NRDL, assorted items including pentagon map, work requests, and memorandums, 1952-1955

 

File #24            NRDL, annual report, 1956

 

File #25            NRDL, “Biomedical plans, problems, accomplishments: introduction,” 21 January 1957

 

File #26            NRDL, “Programs or investigations: reviews and lectures,” no. 27 by R.W. Brauer, 1 March 1957

 

File #27            NRDL, correspondence, 29 January 1951 to 30 April 1957

 

File #28            NRDL, articles, 1955-1958 (copies)

 

File #29            NRDL, Bulletin, January 1952 to October 1955

 

File #30            NRDL, Bulletin, April 1956 to July 1956

 

File #31            NRDL, Bulletin, August 1956 to December 1956

 

File #32            NRDL, Bulletin, January 1957 to December 1957

 

File #33            NRDL, Bulletin, January 1958 to April 1958

 

File #34            NRDL, Bulletin, June 1958 to May 1959

 

Box #5            United States Travel, most items in this box consist of pamphlets, maps and other tourist information.

 

            File #1              Arkansas, collection of maps and pamphlets, 1940s

 

File #2              Northeastern United States, Adirondacks and Niagara pamphlets, 1942

 

            File #3              Ontario, postcards and information on Circle M Ranch, 1944

 

File #4              Northeastern United States; Vermont, Maine and Massachusetts, 1945

 

File #5              Southeastern United States; Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, 1946-1947

 

File #6              Arizona, postcards and pamphlet, 1947

 

File #7              California, postcard and pamphlet, 1947

 

File #8              New Orleans, includes an invitation, pamphlets, articles, and a book cover, 1947-1950

 

File #9              Ozarks, collection of pamphlets, brochures and a newspaper article, 1948

 

File #10            Ozarks, maps, 1948

 

File #11            Texas, brochures and booklet on Big Bend Country, 1948-1949

 

File #12            Mexico, pictures and currency, 1949

 

File #13            Mexico, tourist information, 1949

 

File #14            Mexico, maps, 1949

 

File #15            Mexico, articles and hotel information, 1949

 

File #16            Louisiana, collection of letters, brochures, and maps, 1949-1950

 

File #17            New York, pamphlet on the Arden House, 1954

 

File #18            California, postcards and brochures, 1958

 

File #19            Oregon, postcard and brochures, 1958

 

File #20            Washington, brochures, 1958

 

File #21            Olympic and Mount Rainer National Parks, brochures, 1958

 

Box #6            European Travel, most items in this box consist of brochures, maps and other tourist information

 

            File #1              Europe, Travel orders, 1955

 

                File #2              Europe, Military Air Transport Services, 1955

 

            File #3              Europe, articles, 1955

 

File #4              Europe, blank postcards from Brussels, West Germany, Switzerland, France and Great Britain, 1955

 

File #5              Europe, coins and stamps from the Netherlands, Britain, Belgium, West Germany, and France, 1955

 

File #6              Europe, handwritten notes, 1955

 

File #7              England, brochures, 1955

 

File #8              England, Barclay’s Bank, 1955

 

File #9              England, brochures from Chester, 1955

 

File #10            England, Ely Cathedral, 1955

 

File #11            London, tourist map, 1955

 

File #12            West Germany, maps and brochures for Tubingen and Freiburg, 1955

 

File #13            West Germany, Frankfurt, 1955

 

File #14            West Germany, Der Spiegel magazine from 10 August 1955

 

File #15            Belgium, Guide to Chateau Fort de Beersel, 1955

 

File #16            Switzerland, brochures, 1955

 

File #17            Paris, brochure and map, 1955

 

File #18            Europe, postcards to Dr. Frederick Brauer, 11 July to 2 August 1955

 

File #19            Europe, postcards to Dr. Frederick Brauer, 6 August to 27 August 1955

 

File #20            Europe, letters from Dorothy to Ralph Brauer, 1955

 

File #21            Europe, letters from Dr. Ralph Brauer to his father, 11 July to 19 July 1955

 

File #22            Europe, letters from Dr. Ralph Brauer to his father, 20 July to 5 August 1955

 

File #23            Europe, letters from Dr. Ralph Brauer to his father, 6 August to 31 August 1955

 

File #24            Europe, letters to Dr. Ralph Brauer from his father, 13 July to 26 July 1955

 

File #25            Europe, letters to Dr. Ralph Brauer from his father, 28 July to 10 August 1955

 

File #26            Europe, letters to Dr. Ralph Brauer from his father, 13 August to 27 August 1955

 

Box #7                        Miscellaneous Items

 

            File #1              Dunn Case, articles (copies), 1950

 

            File #2              Dunn Case, correspondence, March 1950 to November 1950

 

            File #3              Dunn Case, Coroner’s report, January 1950

 

File #4              Dunn Case, question list (most likely for trial or deposition), undated

 

File #5              Dunn Case, transcript of the testimony of Dr. W.J. Core, 27 October 1950

 

File #6              Dunn Case, transcript of the testimony of Cassius L. Clay, 28 October 1950

 

File #7              Dunn Case, deposition of Dr. Foster Martin, undated

 

File #8              Dunn Case, deposition of Dr. Edward J. Ireland, undated

 

File #9              Dunn Case, deposition of Dr. Brauer, undated

 

File #10            Dunn Case, deposition of Dr. Brauer (copy), undated

 

File #11            Dr. Frederick Brauer, manuscript “The Part of Germany’s Economy in the Preparation for Total War,” undated

 

File #12            Dr. Frederick Brauer, correspondence (including the Department of Commerce, the War Manpower Commission, the Red Cross, the Department of Labor, and others), 1937-1949

 

File #13            Dr. Frederick Brauer, Tulane University (articles, letters, and schedule), 1948-1950

 

File #14            Dr. Frederick Brauer, letters from Ralph Brauer, 7 August to 16 August 1958

 

File #15            Dr. Frederick Brauer, assorted items (article, Department of Labor form, and handwritten address list), undated except for article – 1 August 1950

 

File #16            Christmas Cards, from the Brauers, undated

 

File #17            Christmas Cards, received by the Brauers, mostly undated, those with dates range from 1938 to 1948

 

File #18            Stamps, 1936 Olympics in Berlin, include postmarks

 

File #19            Ridgeview Congregational Church, article and thank you letter, 1939

 

File #20            Teething ring, most likely from colleagues at either Columbia or Rochester, 1940

 

File #21            Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, membership information, 1955

 

File #22            Sketches by Ralph Brauer, pictures of a popular German cartoon character drawn on napkins, late 1920s/early 1930s

 

File #23            Sketches by Ralph Brauer, 1939/1940

 

File #24            Sketches by Ralph Brauer, 1939/1940

 

File #25            Sketches by Ralph Brauer, Christmas, 1945-1948

 

File #26            Sketches by Ralph Brauer, 1949

 

File #27            Sketches by Ralph Brauer, designs for a patio cart, 1956

 

File #28            Sketches by Ralph Brauer, undated

 

File #29            Birthday cards, 1948

 

File #30            Gustov Schmo, Winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (copy of article and recording of speech), 1948

 

File #31            Items from folder originally titled “RWB Personal Memories Starting 1956,” includes sketches, cards, articles, journal article and emblem for the Institute for Research on the Interrelation of Science and Culture

 

File #32            Items from folder originally titles “RWB Personal Memories Starting 1956,” includes a handwritten letter, articles, and membership cards

 

File #33            Picture, from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, 1992

 

Box #8            Photo Album.  This album has been preserved in its original form.   It contains pictures form various trips taken by the Brauers, including the Isle of Ruegen, North Africa, Austria (or Bavaria), and several German cities.  A guide of places and corresponding page numbers is provided with the album.

 

Box #9            Photo Album.  Due to the deteriorating condition of the album, the pages and pictures have been preserved in plastic covers.  The original layout and order of the album have been maintained to the fullest extent possible.  Pictures that had fallen off the pages and could not be properly placed back into the album are placed at the rear of the album.  It appears as though the pictures in the album were taken during World War I in Poland.  The Second portion of the box consists of family pictures.  A more complete guide is provided inside the box.

 

Box #10          Photographs. This is a collection of various photographs that were found throughout the collection, primarily dated form the late nineteenth century to 1934.  Most of the pictures appear to be of family, although a majority of the pictures do not have names or dates.  Dates have been added to the back of the pictures when they could be ascertained either from other pictures or from documents found within the collection.  Pictures contained in this box are organized according to decades beginning with the late nineteenth century, with an exception made for undated photographs of Ralph Brauer’s parents and grandparents.

 

Box #11          Photographs. This box is the second part of the collection of assorted photographs.  The dates for these pictures range from 1935 to 1954.  Included in this selection is a series of photographs taken during Dr. Brauer’s employment at the Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory and a number of pictures taken on a trip through Germany, although the pictures lack dates and names of places. 

 

Box #12          Oversized Items

 

File #1              Articles, undated.  Includes a Legionnaire’s Map of New York and a series of reprints from the New Orleans States regarding the effects of radiation from the Atomic Bomb.

 

File #2              Lab pictures, 1954 and 1956.  Black and white pictures taken while Dr. Brauer worked at NRDL.

 

File #3              Poster, in German, undated.  Titled, “Students of the ‘eagle’ type-writing school for war casualties in Berlin”

 

File #4              Magazine Article, date and source unknown, although most likely the holiday edition of the Times-Picayune New Orleans State Magazine.

 

File #5              Magazine Articles, Times-Picayune New Orleans State Magazine, August through November 1947

 

File #6              Magazine Articles, Times-Picayune New Orleans State Magazine, February through May 1948

 

File #7              Magazine Articles, Times-Picayune New Orleans State Magazine, May through October 1948

 

File #8              Magazine Articles, Times-Picayune New Orleans State Magazine, November through December 1948

 

File #9              Magazine Articles, Times-Picayune New Orleans State Magazine, January through March 1949

 

File #10            Magazine Articles, Times-Picayune New Orleans State Magazine, November 1949 through January 1950

 

File #11            Newspaper Articles, 1938 to 1958.  There are a wide assortment of subjects and newspapers included in this folder.  There are several World War II era newspapers and some of the newspapers include The New York Times, the Columbia Spectator, Barron’s, the Benefactor, the San Francisco Naval Shipyard Drydocker, the Straits Budget (from 1955 trip to Europe) and the Tribune (Pacific County, Washington).

 

File #12            Newspaper Articles, 1915 to 1917, in German.  Of special interest is a paper dated 18 December 1915, which states that the daily issue cannot be published because of a ban.  Another one notifies the subscribers of the Vorwärtz that the paper cannot be published, on 8 October 1916.  Examples of these papers can be seen through 15 September 1917. (note: these papers have not yet been translated)

 

File #13            Newspaper Articles, 1924-1926, in German.  Papers included in this folder are Vorwärtz, Die Arbeit, and Nachrichtendienst. (note: these papers have not yet been translated)

 

File #14            Holiday greeting from Ralph Brauer to his father, 1933, in German.  (not yet translated)

 

File #15            Drawing of Frederick Brauer, dated 1925

 

Box #13          Oversized Items.  This particular box consists primarily of certificates, diplomas and newspaper articles.

 

File #1              Diplomas of Dr. Ralph Werner Brauer

-         Columbia University, B.A., no date

-         University of Rochester, M.S., 25 October 1941

-         Society of Sigma Xi, 27 April 1942

-         University of Rochester, PhD., 1 May 1943

-         New York Academy of Sciences, 13 September 1946

 

File #2              Diplomas of Dr. Frederick Brauer.

-         Trade University of Berlin (German), 15 April 1909

-         Doctorate of Philosophy (Latin), 1911

-         (Latin) 1911

 

File #3              - Poster – “Draw warn loans in the agencies, The Disconto Company (1) The North German Bank in Hamburg (2) the A. Schaaffhausen’schen Bank Society A.G. (3)

                        - Graph – “The Weight Curve for the first year of life,” for Ralph Werner Brauer, born on 18 June 1921

 

File #4              Newspaper Articles.

Item #1            “Japs declare war on U.S., bomb Hawaii, Guam, 300 die,” Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, 8 December 1941

 

Item #2            “German leader wins U.S. Citizenship,” [in reference to Dr. Frederick Brauer] Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, 28 July 1943

 

Item #3            “Invasion launched on French coast,” Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, 6 June 1941

 

Item #4            “Invasion!” Rochester Times-Union, 6 June 1944

 

Item #5            “Outstanding events and major trends of the Second World War,” The New York Times, 3 September 1944

 

Item #6            “Reds win Memel, rip 16 miles nearer Berlin, sweep Silesia,” The Boston Herald, 29 January 1945

 

Item #7            “Roosevelt dies; Truman sworn in,” Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, 13 April 1945

 

Item #8            “Capital pays tribute,” The Boston Traveler, 14 April 1945

 

Item #9            “Atom age at hand,” The Boston Daily Globe, 7 August 1945

 

Item #10          “Reds declare war on Japs,” The Boston Traveler, 8 August 1945