These digitized collections are accessible for purposes of education and research. Due to the nature of archival collections, archivists at the Caltech Archives and Special Collections are not always able to identify copyright and rights of privacy, publicity, or trademark. We are eager to hear from any rights holders, so that we may obtain accurate information. Upon request, we’ll remove material from public view while we address a rights issue.
Paul B. MacCready Papers
Paul B. MacCready (1925–2007) came to Caltech as a graduate student, initially obtaining his Master’s degree in physics in 1948 and then a PhD in aeronautical engineering in 1952. He was a visionary, an inventor, and an entrepreneur who pioneered alternative energy solutions through his company, AeroVironment.
The collection documents most aspects of MacCready’s personality and career through a diverse array of documents, media, objects, manuscripts, and printed material spanning over seventy years (ca. 1930-2002). Especially prevalent within the collection are papers and ephemera from 1977 to 1985 during which time MacCready was working on his human-powered airplanes, the Gossamer Condor and Gossamer Albatross. The papers also document his work in alternative energy solutions.