Paul R. Hill Collection, 1936/1996

Access and use

Location of collection:
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
Newman Library
Virginia Tech
P.O. Box 90001
560 Drillfield Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24062-9001
Contact for questions and access:
Phone: (540) 231-6308
Fax: (540) 231-3694
Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Paul R. Hill Collection, Ms2010-068, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Summary

Extent:
5.6 Cubic Feet 6 boxes, 2 oversize folders
Creator:
Hill, Paul R., 1909-1990
Abstract:
The Paul R. Hill Collection contains material relating to the NASA career of Paul R. Hill. Materials include books, papers, newspapers, lantern slides, NASA publications and memos, overhead sheets, and notes from presentations and talks.
Language:
THe materials in the collection are in English.
Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Paul R. Hill Collection, Ms2010-068, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Background

Scope and content:

The Paul R. Hill Collection contains material relating to the NACA/NASA/Langely career of Paul R. Hill from 1939-1970. Materials include books, papers, newspapers, lantern slides, NASA publications and memos, overhead sheets, and notes from presentations and talks.

Many photographs portray Hill's design for a personal flight device. Other drawings reflect planetary orbits or space station models. Presentation notes accompany a few slide folders.

The collection also consists of various publications and papers written by Hill and other authors. Many of these publications are declassified official NASA reports, and others are NASA publications from award ceremonies and department memorandums. Wherever possible, bibliographies at the folder-level are included in the "Contents List" below. Other publications include drafts of papers reviewed by Hill. A number of books were removed from the collection to be catalogued (see "Separated Materials" below).

Also included in this collection are personal papers of Paul R. Hill. Some of these items include his 1936 voter registration, work evaluations, and correspondence regarding his personal projects. Newspaper and magazine clippings kept by Hill are also included in the collection.

Biographical / historical:

Paul R. Hill (1909-1990) was a renowned NASA engineer and UFO enthusiast. He received his B.S. in mechanical engineering from University of California, Berkeley in 1936. After teaching at the Polytechnic College of Engineering in Oakland, California, Hill began his career with the National Advisory Committee of Aeronautics (NACA) in 1939, which became the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1958. He worked at NASA until 1970, where he published numerous scientific and technical reports.

Hill was also an adamant UFO enthusiast. Based on his own personal sightings in 1952, Mr. Hill tried to use his scientific and engineering knowledge to understand how UFOs worked and eventually built his own flying platform. His book on the topic, Unconventional Flying Objects: A Scientific Analysis, was published post-humously in 1995.

Mr. Hill was married to Frances Hoback Hill (d. 1999) and had one daughter, Julie M. Hill. Hill died in 1990 at the age of 81.

Acquisition information:
The Paul R. Hill Collection was donated to Special Collections and University Archives in 2010 by Julie M. Hill of Norfolk, Virginia.
Processing information:

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Paul R. Hill Collection commenced in 2010 and was completed in January 2011. Additional description was completed in August 2021.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged in six series. Where possible, collection materials have been kept in original groupings. Other items, such as publications and clippings, have been grouped and arranged chronologically. Undated material is arranged alphabetically, where possible.

Series I: Paul R. Hill Materials - This series contains personal materials of Paul R. Hill, including correspondence, work evaluations, and his talks and lecture notes. It also contains papers written by Paul R. Hill. Series II: Subject Files - The files in this series are in original groupings by Hill and cntain papers, notes, correspondence.

Series III: NASA Reports and Publications - This series contains official publications from NASA, memoranda, and meeting agendas from Hill's time at NACA/NASA.

Series IV: Other Papers and Publications - These files contain other publications that were part of the collection. Some of these publications were copies from other sources. The series is arranged chronologically.

Series V: Images - This series contains slides, slide negatives, drawings, photographs, and photograph negatives. Series VI: Clippings - This series contains clippings from various sources, separated by magazine or newspaper sources.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard