The Bloch papers document Felix Bloch's role in twentieth century physics as a scientist, teacher and administrator. The collection includes correspondence, grant proposals, lecture notes, minutes and accompanying documentation regarding departmental, university and national committees, research notebooks, grants, patents, and designs; files regarding organizations in which Bloch played an active role; publications (predominantly reprints) by Bloch; and photographs.

The Life and work of Felix Bloch[he] was apt to describe himself as an experimental physicist. If his own attempts to get actively engaged in laboratory experiments were not, in the opinions of his students, always crowned with success, he was an experimenter in a deeper sense, aware of the possibilities and limitations of experimental methods and apparatus and designing the experiments that his colleagues carried out.Felix loved nature, particularly mountains, and was a mountain climber in his younger days. He was very fond of skiing and even in his later years could be seen enjoying the slopes in his old ski suit and his old-fashioned and battered skis. He was also a lover of music and art and played the piano well and with tremendous satisfaction. Despite the extraordinary gifts that Felix gave to the world, he remained a basically modest person all his life. We do not mean quietly modest, for he held strong opinions and was usually outspoken in expressing them. No one had any doubt about what Felix was saying or where he stood on any issue. He enjoyed a good intellectual fight, and together with his colleagues at Stanford there were often many sparks flying. He had tremendous self-confidence and his firm and steadfast character opposed anything mean, petty, or base and he spoke out fearlessly against anything he thought politically or morally bad.

32 linear ft.

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