02-28-07

Media Release

Pauling Birthday Marked with Release of Catalog

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Wednesday (Feb. 28) marks the 106th anniversary of the birth date of Linus Pauling – the only individual to win two unshared Nobel Prizes – and Oregon State University is commemorating the birthday of its most famous graduate with the release of a full catalog of the items marking his extraordinary career.

Pauling left his papers, research notebooks, correspondence and other memorabilia – and that of his wife, peace activist Ava Helen Pauling – to OSU. He died in 1994 at the age of 93.

The OSU Libraries Special Collections has released the completed “Pauling Catalogue,” a huge six-volume reference work of nearly 1,800 pages. The product of nearly 20 years of work, the catalog describes in detail the 500,000 items that comprise the Ava Helen and Linus Pauling Papers.

Richly illustrated, with more than 1,200 images, the catalog includes several introductions written by historians of science and members of the Pauling family. A 45-page illustrated timeline provides background information on both Linus Pauling and his wife of nearly 60 years, Ava Helen Pauling.

The catalog also includes a reproduction of Linus Pauling’s 1917 personal diary, which affords a revealing glimpse into the personality of a scientific genius as he began his higher education.

More information on the Ava Helen and Linus Pauling Papers is available at: http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/specialcollections/coll/pauling/index.html

The new catalog is available for $125, plus $15 shipping and handling. Sample pages, ordering information, and additional details are available at: http://paulingcatalogue.org/

For more information, contact the OSU Libraries Special Collections offices at 541-737-2075.