Guide to the Robert D. Miller Papers,
[ca. 1933-1998]

Collection Number: 21-13-3960

Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections
Cornell University Library

Contact Information:
Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections
2B Carl A. Kroch Library
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
(607) 255-3530
Fax: (607) 255-9524
rareref@cornell.edu
http://rmc.library.cornell.edu
Compiled by:
Yuezhou Huo
Date completed:
May 2012
EAD encoding:
Yuezhou Huo, May 2012
Date modified:
RMC Staff, May 2012

© 2012 Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library


DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY

Title:
Robert D. Miller papers, [ca. 1933-1998]
Collection Number:
21-13-3960
Creator:
(Robert Demorest), Miller 1919-
Quantity:
5 cubic feet.
Forms of Material:
Correspondence, course materials, research.
Repository:
Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library
Abstract:
Collection includes personal and professional materials regarding his travels and work at Cornell
Language:
Collection material in English


BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Professor of Soil Science. Robert Demorest Miller grew up in Columbia, Mo., earned a B.S. from the University of Missouri in 1940, an M.S. from the University of Nebraska in 1941, and a Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1948. During 1944-1945, he served as an air traffic and air defense controller in the Pacific in the Army Air Corps. On August 28, 1945, he was a member of a small advance party sent to Atsugi Air Base near Tokyo to prepare for the major American landings beginning the occupation of Japan. Shortly after landing, he raised the first American flag over Japan, on the radio mast of a C-47, two days before American combat troops began the actual armed occupation. He wrote about his wartime experiences in the book: "Descent from Niitaka, 1941-1945: First Flag Over Japan." After the war, he worked at the University of California at Berkeley, returning to Cornell in 1952 where he remained until his retirement in 1987. From 1964 to 1965, he served as assistant to the Provost Dale Corson and from 1967 to 1971 as dean of the faculty, in which position he played a role in the peaceful resolution of the Cornell '69 crisis, remaining a lifelong friend of President James Perkins. He is considered by his colleagues to be a "Founding Father" of soil physics. Robert Miller died on April 11, 2011.

COLLECTION DESCRIPTION

Collection includes personal and family materials including an "auto log" travel diary kept by Miller's mother Flora Grace Ernst Miller from the family's 1933-1934 trip to Germany; materials relating to Miller's World War II experiences and the preparation of his book about them titled Descent from Niitaka; correspondence as Dean of the Faculty and later (to 1975); Cornell '69 materials; scientific correspondence, 1975-2010; materials relating to trips to Russia, 1973 and 1982; letters from James Perkins; slides and photograph albums from scientific trips; and publications and conference papers. course preparation material; material, photos, and slides relating to trips to Takutsk, Moscow, and others; awards; also business correspondence; publications and reprints.

SUBJECTS

Names:
Miller, R. D.1919-
Miller, Flora Grace Ernst.
Perkins, James Alfred, 1911-1998.
Cornell University.Dean of Faculty.
New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.Dept. of Crop and Soil Sciences.

Subjects:
Airmen--United States.
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Pacific Ocean.
Military meteorologists--United States.
Soil science.
Germany--Description and travel.
Germany--Politics and government--1933-1945.
Russia--Description and travel.
College students--Political activity.
Willard Straight takeover, 1969.

Places:
Japan--History--Allied occupation, 1945-1952.


INFORMATION FOR USERS

Restrictions on Use:
Restricted in part.
Cite As:
Robert D. Miller papers, #21-13-3960. Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library.

RELATED MATERIALS

See also the Robert D. Miller. Oral Histories, #13-6-1285.

SERIES LIST

Series I. Cornell University Material and Correspondence
Box 1
Material and Correspondence on Cornell '69
James Perkins
Series II. Correspondence (Academic, Scientific, and Personal)
Box 1-2
Series III. Reprints
Box 3
Series IV. Courses
Box 3
Agronomy Course 607 R.D. Miller-Overheads-Soil Physics Part 1 Statics
Agronomy Course 607 R.D. Miller-Overheads-Soil Physics Part 2 Dynamics
Agronomy Course 607 R.D. Miller, Course Materials
Series V. Manuscripts
Box 3
Series VI. Slides
Box 3
Yakutsk, Ice, Students
Doctoral Students' Slides, Work, Scaling, RDM's Slides
Other Slides
Series VII. Trips
Box 3-4
Series VIII. Awards
Series IX. Personal and Family Materials
Box 4-5
Series X. World War II Materials
Box 5

CONTAINER LIST

Date
Description
Container
Events of 1969 at Cornell
Box 1 Folder 1
Contains disks, photos, journals, and notes
Cornell Post '69 Materials 1
Box 1 Folder 2
Cornell '69 Liberalism and the Crisis of the American University by Donald A. Downs, with comments by R.D. Miller
Cornell Post '69 Materials 2
Box 1 Folder 3
Newspaper Clippings about '69 and Letter Correspondence with Cornell Faculties
Cornell Post '69 Materials 3
Box 1 Folder 4
The Chimes of Freedom Flashing by Caleb S. Rossiter. Removed and catalogued separately.
1971-1995
Cornell Post '69 Materials 4
Box 1 Folder 5
Transcript of Statement, Correspondence James Perkins (1995), and others
1991-1995
Cornell Post '69 Materials 5
Box 1 Folder 6
Includes"A Failure to Communicate: James Perkins, COSEP, and Black Power at Cornell" Honors Thesis by Eric Rauchway and An Article by Keith R. Johnson
Cornell Post '69 Materials 6
Box 1 Folder 7
Miscellany, contains calender (1967-1968),a thesis draft by unknown author, Cornell University Student Faculty Board on Student Conduct Notice of Hearing(1968), a photo, notes, and a letter from Davis (2003)
1969-1971
Cornell '69 Post-event
Box 1 Folder 8
1989-1999
Cornell '69 More Post-event Materials: Downs, Rossiter, others
Box 1 Folder 9
1989
Collection of Newspaper on the 20th Anniversary of the Willard Straight Hall Takeover and Speech Draft
Box 1 Folder 10
1969
WSH 1989, 1, WSH Aftermath
Box 1 Folder 11
WSH 1989, 2
Box 1 Folder 12
1968-1969
WSH 1989, 3
Box 1 Folder 13
Newspaper and Journal Collection
1967-1972
General Legislation of the University Faculty and Extracts from Its Records
Box 1 Folder 14
1970-1998
Copy of Correspondence of James A. Perkins and Robert D. Miller
Box 1 Folder 15
1970-2003
Correspondence with James A. Perkins
Box 1 Folder 16
1974
Correspondence between James A. Perkins and John R. Silber (President of Boston University), and Newspaper Clippings about Them
Box 1 Folder 17
1992-2006
Invitations, Photos, and Pamphlets for James A. Perkins Prize for Interracial Understanding and Harmony
Box 1 Folder 18
1956-1966
Correspondence with Cornell University and Some Other Institutions
Box 1 Folder 19
1967-Spring 1971
Scientific Correspondence with Dean of Faculty
Box 1 Folder 20
Fall 1971
Correspondence
Box 1 Folder 21
Spring 1972
Correspondence
Box 1 Folder 22
Spring 1973
Correspondence
Box 1 Folder 23
Fall 1973
Correspondence
Box 1 Folder 24
Spring 1974
Correspondence
Box 1 Folder 25
Fall 1974
Correspondence
Box 1 Folder 26
Spring 1975
Correspondence
Box 2 Folder 1
Fall 1975
Correspondence
Box 2 Folder 2
Spring 1976
Correspondence
Box 2 Folder 3
Fall 1976
Correspondence
Box 2 Folder 4
Spring 1977
Correspondence
Box 2 Folder 5
Fall 1977
Correspondence
Box 2 Folder 6
Spring 1978
Correspondence
Box 2 Folder 7
Contains Correspondence with Frank H.T. Rhodes and Alfred E. Kahn
Fall 1978
Correspondence
Box 2 Folder 8
Contains Correspondence with Alfred E. Kahn
Spring 1979
Correspondence
Box 2 Folder 9
Fall 1979
Correspondence
Box 2 Folder 10
Spring 1980
Correspondence
Box 2 Folder 11
Fall 1980
Correspondence
Box 2 Folder 12
1980-1981
Correspondence
Box 2 Folder 13
1965-1977
Dean of the Faculty Correspondence (Not Related to Cornell '69) 1
Box 2 Folder 14
Contains a sub-series of National Science Foundation
1967-1971
Dean of the Faculty Correspondence (Not Related to Cornell '69) 2
Box 2 Folder 15
1985-1989
Scientific Correspondence
Box 2 Folder 16
1988-2009
Scientific Correspondence
Box 2 Folder 17
1974
John A. Crowl
Box 2 Folder 18
1994
Thomas W. Jones
Box 2 Folder 19
1992
Frank H. T. Rhodes
Box 2 Folder 20
Personal Correspondence and Photos
Box 2 Folder 21
1940-1952
Business Correspondence
Box 2
1949-1971
Robert D. Miller, Articles on > 0°
Box 2 Folder 22
1971-
Robert D. Miller, Articles and Papers on < 0°, 1
Box 3 Folder 1
1971-
Robert D. Miller, Articles and Papers on < 0°, 2
Box 3 Folder 2
Includes some slides
1971-
Robert D. Miller, Articles and Papers on < 0°, 3
Box 3 Folder 3
Robert D. Miller, Repints: Extra Copies
Box 3 Folder 4
1998
Review Copy of Capillary Thermodynamics in Serially Porous Media, with Implications for Randomly Porous Media
Box 3 Folder 5
Soil Particles, Mechanical Analysis, Representative Samples, Textual Triangle, Closely Packed Spheres
Box 3 Folder 6
Soil Composition, Definitions, Idiosyncrasies
Box 3 Folder 7
Water Contend, Bulk Density, Neutron Probe
Box 3 Folder 8
Forces, Ideal Gas Law, Properties of Water, Static Equilibrium in Force Field
Box 3 Folder 9
Surface Tension, Capillary Rice, Bubbles, Phase Barriers
Box 3 Folder 10
Wetting and Drying, Hysteresis, Air Entry, Independent Domains
Box 3 Folder 11
Haines and Fisher Analyses, Terzaghi Equation, Aitchison's Concept, Synder's Work
Box 3 Folder 12
Clay Minerals, Electrophoresis and Electroosmosis, Helmholz-Schmolvchowski Equation, Ideal Diffuse Electrical Double Layer, Dispersion
Box 3 Folder 13
Recapitulation, Component Potentials, Adsorption Versus Capillary Space
Box 3 Folder 14
Flow in Saturated Soils, Darcy's Law, Kozeny Equations, Geometric Mean Diameter
Box 3 Folder 15
Miscible Displacement, Dispersion and Diffusion
Box 3 Folder 16
Method of Images, Electrostatic Analogue, Flow Nets, Dupuit Equation
Box 3 Folder 17
Flow in Unsaturated Soils, Equation of Continuity, Diffusivity, Available Water Range
Box 3 Folder 18
Scale Modelling, Grain, Substance and Forle Analogues, Scaling Statics, Scaling Dynamics
Box 3 Folder 19
Coupling of Transport Processes, Frost Heave, Freezing and Thawing Versus Wetting and Drying, Schofield's Work
Box 3 Folder 20
Course Materials 1
Box 3 Folder 21
Course Materials 2
Box 3 Folder 22
1993
Papers at '93 SSA Meeting
Box 3 Folder 23
1952
Capillary Conductivity of A Plate Perforated with Cylindrical Holes
Box 3 Folder 24
1979
Draft of A Revision to Hillel
Box 3 Folder 25
Prepared as an addendum to a revised version of Hillel's Soil and Water, Physical Principles and Processes
1993-1994
Calculations on Various Topics
Box 3 Folder 26
Secondary Heaving HRB, Loch, Torrance, Cass, Hoekstra, Koopmans
Box 3 Folder 27
Swelling Soil, Colbeck, Calgary 79, Dirksen
Box 3 Folder 28
Field Photos, Caldwell F, Taber, Beskow, Miller Baker Kiolian, Römkens
Box 3 Folder 29
Phase Barrier, Massive Ice, O'NGM; Sunder, Scaling
Box 3 Folder 30
P.Black, Horiguichi, Perfect, Massive Ice, Seminar 1981
Box 3 Folder 31
Slides of RMD Experimental Apparatus
Box 3 Folder 32
Chahal, Gypsum
Box 3 Folder 33
1978
Permafrost III. Edmanton, Canada, Pictures of Experimental Apparatus, Pictures of Freezing-related Phenomena
Box 3 Folder 34
Slides
1980-1983
Pipeline Consulting Trips
Box 3 Folder 35
Slides
1978
Correspondence with Northwest Alaskan Pipeline
Box 4 Folder 1
Slides
1973
Slides from Yakutsk Siberia Trip
Box 4 Folder 2
Negatives of Many Presentation Slides and Yakutsk Trip Pictures, 1
Box 4 Folder 3
Negatives of Many Presentation Slides and Yakutsk Trip Pictures, 2
Box 4 Folder 4
July, 1973
Photos of Trip to Siberia and Permafrost Conference, Album 1
Box 4
Also contains pictures of Moscow
July, 1973
Photos of Trip to Siberia and Permafrost Conference, Album 2
Box 4
Also contains pictures of Moscow
July, 1973
Materials Related to Trip to Siberia and Permafrost Conference, 1
Box 4 Folder 5
Photos, Correspondence, Meeting Notes
July, 1973
Materials Related to Trip to Siberia and Permafrost Conference, 2
Box 4 Folder 6
Correspondence, Memorandum, Schedule, and Guidebooks
1982
Moscow, 1
Box 4 Folder 7
Correspondence, Travel Materials
1982
Moscow, 2
Box 4 Folder 8
Correspondence, Slides
1982
Photos of Trip to Moscow
Box 4 Folder 9
1982
Moscow Lectures Materials
Box 4 Folder 10
Film of Trip
Box 5 Film F-365
Slides
Box 5
Unidentified Travel Photos
Box 4 Folder 11
June 28, 1983
Certificate of Appreciation - The Federal Inspector
Box 5
September 21, 1973
Faculty-Alumni Award - Alumni Association of the University of Missouri-Columbia
Box 5
Faculty-Alumni Award - University of Missouri-Columbia
Box 5
June 28, 1983
Recognition of Outstanding Achievement in Agronomy - American Society of Agronomy Northeastern Branch
Box 5
The papers of Prof. Miller's father Merritt Finley Miller are in the University of Missouri archives and the Missouri State Historical Society archives
High School Columbia
Box 4 Folder 12
This is Prof. Miller's high school. The folder includes his correspondence with the school, speech to 1961 class, and a German song book.
Prof. Miller's writings
Box 4 Folder 13
Humorous (re: neighbor's dog), letter re '82 trip to Moscow, notes and account of '73 trip to Siberia, Retirement of Nile Brady-Sketch
Family Photo
Box 5
2011
Obituaries
Box 5
1960
Article on Robert D. Miller and Edward E. Miller: "The Agronomy Brothers"
Box 4 Folder 14
1907
Family History, Newspaper copy of a report on Edward Mix, First Cousin of Merritt F. Miller
Box 4 Folder 15
2011
East-Central Illinois Landforms and Ecosystems in the Making 20,000 Years by Elisabeth M. Hanson
Box 4
Elisabeth Hanson is Prof. Miller's sister.
Europe Autolog, 1
Box 4 Folder 16
Records family's 1933-34 sabbatical trip to Germany throughout Europe, kept by Prof. Miller's mother Flora Grace Ernst Miller. Front page picture drawn by youthful Prof. Miller
Europe Autolog, 2
Box 4 Folder 17
Records family's 1933-34 sabbatical trip to Germany throughout Europe.
Europe Autolog, 3
Box 4 Folder 18
Records family's 1933-34 sabbatical trip to Germany throughout Europe.
1986
Letter from Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart
Box 4 Folder 19
A Photograph of Obama, with the Signature of Joe Biden Printed
Box 4 Folder 20
1996
Statement of Elisabeth Hanson (Prof. Muller's sister) regarding Being on the Andrea Doria
Box 4 Folder 21
Autobiography of Carl Julius Ernest (Prof. Miller's Maternal Grandfather)
Box 4 Folder 22
Carl Julius Ernst's Papers are in the Nebraska Historical Society
1965
Correspondence with Paul R. Day
Box 4 Folder 23
Copy of Note Scrap and Remark Book of Edward Eddy Miller (Prof. Miller's Grandfather), with Prof. Miller's Introduction
Box 4 Folder 24
E.E.Miler served in Ohio regiment. The original is in Ohio Historical Society collection.
1978-1985
Prod. Miller's Address and Appointment Books 1-3
Box 5
Prof. Miller's Name Card
Box 5
A Small Electrical Piece of Lab Equipment with A Brass Part Machined by Prof. Miller
Box 5
Framed Photo
Box 5
Explosion of American B 24 bomber, taken by Prof. Miller beside foxhole
Material Prepared for History Classes at Ithaca High School
Box 4 Folder 25
2001
Correspondence with D-Day Museum
Box 4 Folder 26
Slides
Box 5
Slides and Negatives from Pacific
Box 5
Materials Prepared for the Book Descent from Niitaka
Box 3 Folder 36
Appendix, First Draft
Box 3 Folder 37
Appendix, Set-Asides
Box 3 Folder 38
Memorandum and Agreement of Descant from Niitaka, Responses Received after the Publication
Box 3 Folder 39
Correspondence in Search of Information and Responses
Box 3 Folder 40
CDs of photographs related to WWII
Box 5 CD-1423-1425
Niitaka photos (raising flag, Nagasaki), Interview Circus, Museum Presentation (D-Day)

SEPARATED MATERIAL

Books Removed From Collection, Cataloged Separately:

Books Removed From Collection