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George F. Beatty papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS-236

Scope and Contents

The George F. Beatty Research Collection primarily contains materials pertaining to research and work in India and geography, with the exception being a small section dedicated to Ball State sports. This collection includes academic materials, picture studies and clippings, projects, receipts, reports, and information about BSU athletics.

P77 includes photographs of India, including photographs used in Dr. Beatty’s master’s thesis.

OVC 24 includes related maps.

Dates

  • Creation: 1951 - 2003

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries, Muncie, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Archives and Special Collections.

Biographical Note

From 1942 to 1945, George F. Beatty served in China, India, and Assam as a staff sergeant with the meteorology section of the United States Army Air Force. After World War II, he attended Ball State, receiving his bachelor's degree in 1949. Beatty proceeded onto graduate study in geography and geology at the University of Illinois, where he received both his master's and PhD. While at Illinois, he returned to India on a Fulbright student scholarship from 1953 to 1954 and later on a Fulbright faculty scholarship from 1963 to 1964. Beatty's research concentrated on Calcutta and northeastern India. During his stays there, he worked with Indians to modernize their economy, enabling them to compete with their northern, communist neighbor: China. One such endeavor was the Damodar River Valley Project, which was patterned after the Tennessee Valley Authority.

In 1965, Beatty returned to Ball State as chairman of the geography-geology department, which was created that same year. In the summers of 1979 and 1980 and in the spring of 1981, he spent more time working and researching in India. After teaching 25 years as a professor at Ball State, he retired in 1983. George F. Beatty died in 2003.

Information obtained from The Muncie Star, August 16, 1964 and March 6, 1983

Extent

0.6 Cubic Feet (2 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in the following series:

Series 1: George F. Beatty academic materials, projects, reports and other materials, 1950-2003

Series 2: George F. Beatty photographs, 1944-1981

Series 3: George F. Beatty oversize materials and maps, undated

Custodial History

This collection was received by Archives and Special Collections as a donation from George F. Beatty on 2004/02/02.

Accruals

No further additions are expected.

Processing Information

Collection processing completed 2004/02/11 by A Stone. Collection processing revised 2007/07/17 by M Read. EAD finding aid created 2012/10/18 by Julie Hausknecht. EAD finding aid revised 2013/10/30 by Rebecca Marangelli.

Title
George F. Beatty papers
Status
Completed
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Repository Details

Part of the Stoeckel Archives of Local History Repository

Contact:
Alexander M. Bracken Library
2000 W. University Avenue
Muncie Indiana 47306 USA