Clyde W - Archives & Special Collections - New Mexico State ...

Flagstaff, Arizona. Although Tombaugh did not focus his later research on Pluto, as the planet's
discoverer he did make an effort to keep current with ongoing research on the ninth planet.
Correspondence, subject files, and printed matter all provide insight into the development of
scientific knowledge about Pluto, evolving theories, and the recurring debate on Pluto's status as
a major planet. Of particular note are the files from the conference "Pluto - The Ninth Planet's
Golden Year" held at NMSU in February 1980 to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of
Tombaugh's discovery.
The planet Mars sparked Clyde Tombaugh's imagination as a young man and continued
to be a primary interest for the rest of his life. Included in his papers are sketches and notes from
his observations of the red planet, as well as writings, research projects, printed matter, and
extensive subject files. The geology of Mars, and the question of the Martian canals, were of
significant interest to Tombaugh, and his papers reflect this focus.
The problem of constructing reflecting telescopes for astronomical use occupied
Tombaugh throughout his life. His work on telescopes for his own personal use, and for friends
and colleagues, is well represented by design sketches, log books, and related correspondence.
The "16-Inch Club" that Tombaugh formed for amateur telescope-makers who wished to obtain
the materials to grind large telescope mirrors is documented in his general personal
correspondence, as well as in the Telescopes and Optics subseries within the Personal Papers
series. An extensive set of design drawings exist for the tracking telescopes used to photograph
rockets and missiles at White Sands Proving Ground; these are supplemented by research files
and technical reports.
Also found in the Tombaugh Papers are descriptions of the NMSU Department of
Astronomy's first telescopes, the 12-inch Fecker and the 16-inch Rhodes telescope, and
information on their acquisition for Tombaugh's research projects and their eventual transfer to
the University for general research use. Tombaugh's active involvement in the design of other
telescopes acquired by the Department of Astronomy and in the planning of the department's
several observatories is illustrated through his correspondence, administrative files, files on the
telescopes and observatories, and in the drawings and blueprints found in the oversize materials.
The collection is an excellent source for studying the development of the astronomy
research program at NMSU and the formation of the academic Department of Astronomy, with
particular focus on Tombaugh's involvement in both of these areas. Tombaugh's satellite search
project, transferred to NMSU in 1955, can be viewed as the beginning of astronomy research at
the university, and this project and later ones, particularly the planetary patrol, are amply
documented in his research files. In the early 1960s as the astronomy research program became
firmly established, Tombaugh was asked to begin teaching some astronomy and geology courses.
These courses opened the way to the establishment of a full-fledged graduate level Department
of Astronomy, and correspondence and administrative files in the NMSU subseries of the
Professional Papers show the planning and development of the program.
An oral history project of Tombaugh's family, friends, and colleagues was carried out by
Herbert A. Beebe to preserve personal recollections of Tombaugh and his work at Lowell
Observatory, White Sands Proving Ground, and New Mexico State University. Those
interviewed were Patricia Tombaugh, Reta F. Beebe, Tom Bruce, Henry Giclas, Walter Haas,
Bernard McNamara, Robert Millis, Arthur Scott Murrell, Cecil Post, William L. Reitmeyer,
NMSU Library/Archives & Special Collections C. W. Tombaugh Papers / Ms0407
11