Collection inventory

Overview of the Collection
Creator:	Weir, Irvin Reed, 1897-1980
Title:	Irvin R. Weir Collection
Inclusive Dates:	1932-1970
Bulk Dates:	1942-1952
Quantity:	1.0 linear ft.
Abstract:	Scrapbook, photographs, and printed material related to American electrical engineer Irvin R. Weir
Language:	English
Repository:	Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Ave., Suite 600 Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center/university-archives

Biographical History

Irvin R. Weir (1897-1980) was an American electrical engineer who worked in radio and television.

Born in Prairie Creek, Indiana, Weir received his BS and EE from Rose Polytechnic Institute (now Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology) in Terre Haute, Indiana. He joined General Electric in 1921, initially in their test department in Schenectady, New York and then in the transmitter division of GE's Radio Department in Syracuse, where he worked on the development of high power radio and television transmitters. Weir was project manager for production of the first microwave radar equipment for gun control during World War II, and directed installation of some television stations that led to the development of microwave relay systems for pipeline control and communications. Weir remained with GE until his retirement in 1962. He died in Jacksonvile, Florida on 28 Oct 1980.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Irvin R. Weir Collection consists of photographs, printed material, and a scrapbook.

Photographs, all but two of which are black and white, consist of images taken during a television transmission test by DuMont Laboratories and photographs taken at an RCA Victor television production facility.

Printed material consists of clippings, newspapers, brochures, and assorted other items.

The Scrapbook contains photographs, clippings, maps, Chamber of Commerce programs and other printed items, and church-related material.

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Arrangement of the Collection

Series are arranged alphabetically; material within each series is in no particular order.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advance notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Corporate Bodies

Subjects

Places

Genres and Forms

Occupations

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Irvin R. Weir Collection,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Purchase, 2025.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: Michele Combs
Date: 30 Jan 2026
Revision history:

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Inventory

	Photographs
Oversize 1		Television signal images, Mt. Greylock 1944
			According to handwritten information on the back, these fuzzy images were made from the signal of television station WNBT at a receiver on top of Mt. Greylock (3,489 feet) in the Berkshires area of Massachusetts, as part of a test by DuMont Laboratories. Several of the photographs feature a man idenfied on the back as Oscar Brandt, an engineer at DuMont Laboratories and later at Lockheed.
Oversize 1		RCA television factory [circa 1945?]
			These images appear to have been taken at an RCA Victor television production facility. They show various areas of the facility, including an assembly line and a testing setup. Many of the pictures feature women employees.

	Printed material
Oversize 1		Miscellaneous [1932], 1944, 1966, 1970, undated
			Clippings include an article about DuMont Laboratories' Oscar Brandt with a photo, and a group portrait of "The 77 Club," a group of GE engineers who were instrumental in moving the company to the forefront of research in radio, television, sonar, radar, and other electronics. Weir is 9th from left. There is an issue of the Terre Haute Tribune with coverage of Rose Poly's 1966 homecoming week, and an issue of Operation Breadbasket News with Martin Luther King Jr. on the front page. There is also a brochure about the Teleplex method of learning Morse Code, with additional typed instructions.

	Scrapbooks
Oversize 1		[Volume 1] Scrapbook circa 1942-1962 (2 folders)
			Pages are extremely fragile/brittle. Exercise great care in handling.
			Contents of the scrapbook include clippings, photographs, and assorted.printed and handwritten items. Much of the first half of the scrapbook pertains to GE's announcement and construction of its new Electronics Park facility in Syracuse, New York, and associated business and union issues. Photographs are all technical in nature, and relate to television research and production. The second half of the scrapbook includes a number of handwritten quotations, prayers, poerms, and stories.

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