Robert Charles, Sr Perpall Oral History Interview
Interviewed by Shirley K. Cohen
Interview Sessions from 1999
- November 15, 1999
Abstract
Robert C. Perpall was born and raised in Los Angeles. He entered Caltech in 1948 and earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1952, and a master’s in 1956. Perpall is the historian of Caltech’s Gnome Club and a member of the board of SURF [Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships] program. This 29-page interview with Shirley K. Cohen covers Perpall’s undergraduate years at Caltech, including his memories of Lee DuBridge, Rodman Paul and George Beadle. As well as discussing his involvement with the SURF program, Perpall’s reminiscences include the history of the Gnome Club at Caltech–its early history as a fraternity (Kappa Gamma) and its later revival as a social club.
Archival record in collection guide
PDF version of transcript [0.24 MB]
Preferred Citation
Robert Charles, Sr Perpall Oral History Interview, interviewed by Shirley K. Cohen, Caltech Archives Oral History Project, November 15, 1999, http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechOH:OH_Perpall_R.
Oral history interviews provide valuable first-hand testimony of the past. The views and opinions expressed in them are those of the interviewees, who describe events based on their own recollections and from their own perspective. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the Caltech Archives and Special Collections or of the California Institute of Technology.