John Bewley Derieux Papers
MC 00048
Special Collections Research Center
2.0 Linear feet
1902 - 1961
The John Bewley Derieux Papers, 1902-1961, contain records relating to Derieux's personal and professional life. The papers include correspondence, certificates, newspaper articles, research notes, graphs, charts, reprints, and photographs, chiefly relating to his research while in the North Carolina State College Physics Department and his involvement in Methodist church work.
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the
Special Collections Research Center Reference Staff.
Derieux, John Bewley
Restrictions to Access
This collection is open for research; access requires at least 24 hours advance notice.
Acquisitions Information
The John Bewley Derieux Papers were a gift of Elizabeth Bentley, July 23, 1970; and Richard L. Murray, April 4, 1980.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], John Bewley Derieux Papers, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
Copyright Notice
The nature of the NCSU Libraries' Special Collections means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The NCSU Libraries claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials.
The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
Processing Information note
Stephanie A. Horowitz,
April 2005
Stephanie A. Horowitz,
April 2005
Biographical Note
John Bewley Derieux was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on June 26, 1881. Derieux taught mathematics, physics, and manual training at
Farragut High School in Concord, Tennessee, before taking a job in 1910 as chief electrician for the
United States Census Bureau. Derieux received his bachelor of science degree (1908) and master of science degree (1914) in electrical engineering from the
University of Tennessee. He then attended the
University of Chicago, where he received a doctorate in physics in 1916 while serving as a laboratory assistant there. Derieux began teaching physics at the instructor level at North Carolina State College in 1916. He taught theoretical physics at NC State through 1947, when he retired from the faculty.
Derieux's research topics included a mysterious light on
Brown Mountain, North Carolina; the effect of the tread on the resistance to skidding of automobile tires; the mileage of different grades of gasoline at different speeds; and the charge of the electron. Derieux served as president of the
North Carolina Academy of Science, the physics section of the State Academy of Science and the Engineering Society of the University of Tennessee. He was a lecturer for Phi Kappa Phi, an academic honor society. Derieux was an active member of
Fairmont Methodist Church in Raleigh and served on its board of trustees.
Derieux married Elizabeth Tipton, a Knoxville, Tennessee native. They had no children. Derieux died on March 18, 1948. After his death, his wife established a memorial award in physics in his honor, to be given annually to an NC State junior or senior.
Scope and Content Note
The John Bewley Derieux Papers, 1902-1961, contain records relating to Derieux's personal and professional life. The papers include correspondence, certificates, newspaper articles, research notes, graphs, charts, reprints, and photographs, chiefly relating to his research while in the North Carolina State College Physics Department and his involvement in Methodist church work. They also include a small amount of information about Derieux's relatives.
Organization of the Collection
The collection has been arranged into four series:
- MC 48 Series 1. Professional
- MC 48 Series 2. Personal
- MC 48 Series 3. Photographs
- MC 48 Series 4. Oversized Records
Derieux, John Bewley
North Carolina State College. Dept. of Physics.
North Carolina State College.
Photographs
Physics--Research
Physics--Study and teaching--North Carolina
Professional
MC 00048 Series 1
0.25 Linear feet
1909 - 1947
Scope and Contents note
This series contains records relating to Derieux's professional life. It mainly concerns his research while in the North Carolina State College Physics Department, but also contains a small amount of information regarding his jobs as a high school teacher in Tennessee and as an engineer for the United States Census Bureau.
Correspondence
1
1
1934 - 1947
Course Schedule
1
2
1947
Farragut High School, Concord, Tennessee
1
3
1909, n.d.
Memberships
1
4
1926, 1929, n.d.
Memberships, North Carolina Academy of Science
1
5
1927 - 1947
Newspaper Articles
1
6
1930 - 1931, n.d.
Research, Brown Mountain, North Carolina
1
7
1927
Research, Charts and Graphs
1
8
1937, n.d.
Research, Correspondence
1
9
1925 - 1926
Research, Newspaper Articles
1
10
1922 - 1939, n.d.
Research, Notes
1
11
1926, n.d.
Research, Reprints and Manuscripts
1
12
1918 - 1946, n.d.
Retirement
1
13
1947
United States Census
1
14
1910 May 5
Personal
MC 00048 Series 2
0.25 Linear feet
1903 - 1961
Scope and Contents note
This series includes records relating to Derieux's personal life. Records of particular significance include his involvement with Methodist churches in Raleigh, North Carolina and Knoxville, Tennessee, his personal correspondence with former students, and his schooling at the University of Tennessee and the University of Chicago. This series also contains a small amount of information relating to other members of Derieux's family.
Articles, Former Students, World War II
1
15
1944, n.d.
Correspondence
1
16
1925 - 1933, n.d.
Correspondence, Former Students, World War I and II
1
17
1918 - 1945, n.d.
Death
1
18
1948 - 1949
Derieux Family, Obituaries
1
19
n.d.
John Bewley Derieux Memorial Award
1
20
1949 - 1961, n.d.
Memberships
1
21
1932, n.d.
Methodist Church, Edenton Street, Raleigh, North Carolina
1
22
1919 - 1933
Methodist Church, Fairmont Methodist Church, Raleigh, North Carolina
1
23
1948 - 1952, n.d.
Methodist Church, Knoxville, Tennessee
1
24
1907, 1946
University of Chicago
1
25
1916 - 1953, n.d.
University of Tennessee
1
26
1903 - 1944
Photographs
MC 00048 Series 3
1.25 Linear feet
1902 - 1909
Scope and Contents note
This series contains photographs of John Bewley Derieux. It also contains some photographs of his family, his professional research topics, the Fairmont Methodist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the North Carolina State College Physics Department.
John Bewley Derieux
2
1
1902, n.d.
Family Photographs
2
2
1909, n.d.
H. A. Mickelson
2
3
n.d.
Brown Mountain, North Carolina
2
4
n.d.
Fairmont Methodist Church, Raleigh, North Carolina
2
5
n.d.
Farragut High School, Concord, Tennessee
2
6
n.d.
North Carolina State College Physics Department
2
7
n.d.
Unknown
2
8
n.d.
Oversized Records
MC 00048 Series 4
n.d.
1 folder
Scope and Contents note
This series contains three cross-section drawings.
Drill Cross-Sections
1
n.d.