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Manuscript Group 381
Papers, 1928-1974
4.0 cubic feet
The records of Allen Janssen were transferred to the University of Idaho Library by the Department of Civil Engineering between March 1989 and August 1992. They were processed by Judith Nielsen in March 1997.
Allen Sheeley Janssen was born in Boise, Idaho, September 12, 1907, the son of Alfred E. and Edna M. (Sheeley) Janssen. After graduating from Boise High School he attended the University of Idaho, earning a B (Arch) in 1930, a B.S. in Civil Engineering in 1933, and his M.S. in Civil Engineering in 1937.
Following his graduation in 1930, he worked for the Idaho Department of Highways. In 1931 he returned to the university as an instructor in the Civil Engineering Department. He continued teaching at the university for over forty years, becoming dean of the College of Engineering in 1946. He resigned as dean in 1967, but continued to teach half-time until his retirement in 1972. While at the university he served on the Academic Council, Research Council, Research Foundation, Patent Committee and Water Resources Committee; he was also faculty advisor to the Delta Tau Delta Fraternity from 1936 to 1956.
While teaching he also acted as consultant and designer on many civil engineering projects, with emphasis on highway work, materials of construction, and construction and analysis research. He also worked as a field draftsman for the Idaho Department of Highways from 1930 to 1946. After his semi-retirement from the university he worked part-time as an office engineer for Pacific Consultants.
He interrupted his teaching during World War II (1942-1946) when, as part of the 55th Naval Construction Battalion, Civil Engineering Corps. he spent two and a half years in the Seabees constructing overseas bases in the South Pacific, and a year and a half in research and development work with the Bureau of Yards and Docks in Washington, D.C.
He was the author of a dozen published works and a member of numerous professional organizations and fraternities, holding regional offices in many of them. His honors and awards include a Distinguished Service Certificate from the National Council of State Boards of Engineering Examiners (1957), Engineer of the Year award given by the Idaho Society of Professional Engineers (1959), Engineer of Merit commendation from the Spokane Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (1965), and Outstanding Service to the Community award given by the Moscow Chamber of Commerce. In 1972 the new engineering building at the University of Idaho was named after him.
In 1947 he was elected to the Idaho State Board of Engineering Examiners to fill the unexpired term of Jesse Buchanan, who resigned upon assuming the Presidency of the University of Idaho. Janssen continued on this board until his resignation in May 1968.
He was also active in community affairs, serving as chairman of the Transportation Committee of the Chamber of Commerce (1969-1972), on the Board of Trustees of the Moscow School District (1948-1953), as a member of the Board of Directors for the Highway District, and on the Technical Advisor Committee for the Regional Airport (1969-January 1972). He was active in the Republican Party and was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution.
He married Ada Jones on July 14, 1930, in Logan, Utah; they had two children, a son Alfred and a daughter Sheila. Janssen suffered from Alzheimer's Disease and died at the Good Samaritan Village in Moscow on December 26, 1983.
The papers of Allen Janssen span the years 1928 to 1974, with the bulk of the material covering the years 1930 to 1960. Included are papers related to his activities at the University of Idaho, personal papers, including military service, and papers concerning investigations and research.
Additional papers of Allen Janssen, totaling 11 cubic feet, are located in MG 149.
The papers of Allen Janssen were in labeled file folders which were removed from file cabinets in the Department of Civil Engineering. Using the file drawer labels as guides, the papers were easily divided into three series: University Related, Personal, and Reports, Investigations, Research. Although the contents were transferred to acid neutral folders, all folder headings were retained. The folders retain their original alphabetical sequence, and no attempt was made to rearrange the material within the folders.
Series one contains university related material. Included are reports from committees on which Janssen served, correspondence, financial and other records from the Delta Tau Delta fraternity to which he was faculty advisor, material concerning the department of civil engineering, and talks which Janssen gave to other classes about the importance of engineering.
Personal papers are contained in series two and include material on his time in the navy, military courses taken in later years, and correspondence with organizations to which he belonged.
The third series contains materials related to research on the use of asphalt and concrete, primarily as used in road building, as well as other areas of interest.
Printed books and documents, both state and federal, and duplicates of near print material were removed from the collection; this reduced the records by two cubic feet.
I. University Related Papers, 1928-1974 1-2 II. Personal Papers, 1930-1971 3 III. Reports, Investigations, Research, 1931-1949 3-4
Box Folder Description Items
1 1 Academic Council, 1959-1950 35 2 Accrediting committee (NICE inspection trip), 1946 3 3 All University Day, 1942-1951 5 4 Alpha Phi wall, 1940 3 5 Alumni, 1938-1940 2 6 American Society for Testing Materials, 1937-1940 7 7 American Society of Civil Engineers, 1934-1942 28 8 Architects, State Board of Examiners, 1941-1943 9 9 Asphalt Institute, 1937-1942 25 10 Beta Chi Corporation, 1947-1958 105 11 Building loan fund ledger, 1925-1933 1 12 Catalog changes, 1957 1 13 Civil Engineering 160, n.d. 1 14 Civil Engineering 203, 1947-1952 5 15 Civil Engineering 241, 1948 2 16 Civil Engineering curriculum, 1946 3 17-18 College of Engineering, 1941-1943 79 19 Administrative memos, 1939-1946 9 20 Alumni letters, 1928-1941 4 21 Alumni news and addresses, 1946 4 22 Applications for work, 1947 7 23 Budget requests, 1945 6 24 Letters, 1934-1939 50 25 Miscellaneous, 1935-1935 5 26 Notes, 1946-1947 1 27 Delta Tau Delta Fraternity. Delta Mu chapter by-laws, November 1946 1 28 Financial (Beta Chi bond), 1936-1946 21 29 Pledges, 1949-1954 14 30-39 General, 1946-1959 482 40 Dormitory Planning Committee, 1947 2 41 Emergency Classroom and Office Space Committee, 1946 15 42 Engineering inspection trip, 1935 11 43 Engineering report grading, 1939-1947 9 44 Engineering student activities, 1933-1936 15 45 Engineering student list, 1930-1936 9 46 Engineer's show, 1933-1942 5 47 Examinations and absences, 1952-1953 8 48 Exams, 1929-1938 20 49 Extension and short courses, 1939-1956 6 50 Faculty personnel reports, 1954 31 51 Farm Electrification Committee, 1968 1 52 Fluorescent lighting, Engineering drawing building, 1946-1947 15 53 Freshman conferences, 1944-1960 25 54 Freshman students, Carnegie tests, 1940-1944 22 55 Graduate picture display, 1947 13 56 Guidance - Testing, 1938-1948 32 57 Highway conference, 1940 4 58 History - College of Engineering, 1920-1946 9 59-60 Idaho Society of Engineers, 1938-1942 100 2 61 Publications, Idaho Engineer, 1939-1942 71 62-63 Northern Section, 1940-1942 196 64 Informal Engineering faculty meetings, 1947-1948 14 65 In-service training, 1939-1950 21 66 Letters to high school students & parents, 1941-1956 31 67 Library, 1938-1941 25 68 List of officials, 1939-1946 12 69 Materials school, 1948 17 70 Materials testing lab, CE 103 manual, n.d. 4 71 Mechanics special committee, 1957-1960 53 72 Nuclear engineering, 1950-1952 6 73 NYA, 1951 6 74 Patent policy, 1947 4 75 Personnel records, 1941 15 76 Pre-engineering testing program, 1947-1954 16 77 President Buchanan matters to discuss, 1952-1954 46 78 President's committee, area IV, 1957 31 79 Radio talk, 1951 1 80 Recommendations, 1937-1961 152 81-92 Registration, 1936-1951 329 93 Student personnel practice, 1941-1951 6 94 Salary data, 1946-1955 19 95 Sigma Tau, 1939-1947 3 96 Sigma Xi, 1949-1950 36 97 Sigma Xi, 1969-1974 20 98 Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education, Reports, 1936-1939 9 99 Northwest meeting, Moscow, April 24-25, 1936 16 100 Idaho, 1936 18 101 Oregon, 1940 5 102 Speech training survey, 1951 2 103 Student employment, 1938-1941 21 104 Student Union Building Committee, 1950 13 105 Statistical data, 1935-1945 9 106 Suggestions from seniors, 1946-1963 63 107 Talk to Dr. Giles guidance institute, 1961 2 108 Talk to education classes, 1952 3 109 Talks to high school students, 1954 3 110 Teaching loads, 1937-1948 33 111 Testimonials, 1952-1954 11 112 Transfer students, 1951 1 113 Water and sewage short course, 1947-1948 9 114 Water Resources Research Institute, 1965 3
3 115-116 Aerial bombardment protection course, New York University, 1942 22 117 American Concrete Institute, C-115 committee, 1938-1971 19 118 American Institute of Steel Construction, 1938-1942 7 119-120 American Society of Civil Engineers, 1949-1971 118 121 Applications, work experience, 1930-1942 11 122 Certificates, 1968 2 123-125 Correspondence, 1934-1942 135 126 Industrial Committee, Chamber of Commerce, 1948 4 127 Miscellaneous, 1949-1973 29 128 Moscow School Board, 1948 7 129 National Society of Professional Engineers, 1950-1952 17 130 Navy: Application, 1942 38 131 55th review, 1945-1956 103 132 55th Seabees reunion, 1954 2 133 Civil Engineer Corps, 1947-1963 39 134 Civil Engineer Officers School, 1948-1950 47 135 Naval law - correspondence course, 1949 1- 136 Office of Naval Research, 1948-1949 9 137 Orders, 1942-1946 60 138 Seminar, Port Hueneme, CA, November 1949 9 139 Separation papers, 1946-1948 16 140 Northwest Scientific Association, 1939 4 141-142 Sons of the American Revolution, Idaho Society, 1948-1971 118 143 Talks to various groups, 1946-1961 15
144 Airports, 1938-1939 9 145 Moscow, 1947-1948 15 146 Alkali content - cement, 1940-1941 5 147 Asphalt, 1937 2 148 Asphalt mixtures, 1939 2 149 Base stabilization correspondence, 1939-1940 5 150 Bearing test, 1937-1938 17 151 Boise laboratory reports, 1940-1941 5 152 Byers, A.M. & Co. (wrought iron), 1941-1944 10 153 Cement, 1935-1942 5 154 Cement for Umatilla ordnance depot, 1941 22 155 Cement, heat of setting, 1933 2 156 Codes, 1933 6 157 Concrete: Durability, 1931 14 158 General, 1932-1940 10 159 Mix design chart, 1933-1942 23 4 160 Proportioning, 1939-1941 13 161 Proportioning, bibliography, n.d. 3 162 Properties, 1941 3 163 Strength, relationship - 7 & 28 days, 1939-1940 1 164 Design notes, 1935-1936 43 165 Duthie Co. warehouse, Lewiston, 1935 10 166 Geological classification, 1941 7 167 Highway Research Board, 1939-1943 7 168 Highway study committee, Chamber of Commerce, 1948-1950 57 169 Highway district reorganization, 1945-1949 12 170 Memorial Gym stone and miscellaneous, 1928 3 171 Mine tailings, 1938-1939 8 172 Miscellaneous projects, 1932-1933 2 173 Mud Mountain Dam (Boyd Walter), 1940-1941 14 174 National Board of Fire Underwriters, 1941-1942 4 175 Oil - Aggregate, 1939 3 176 Oil mix design, 1942 7 177 Paving (concrete) study, Report 2A, 1937-1941 14 178 Portland Cement Association, 1934-1942 11 179 Proctor test (Reference CE 112), 1939-1941 12 180 Research cylinder capper soil compression device, 1935 1 181 Sands, Commercial, 1936-1939 8 182 Soil-cement airports, n.d. 2 183 Soil conservation service, shear test, 1940 4 184 Soil mechanics conference, Purdue, 1940 15 185 Soils: Mechanical analysis, 1937 40 186 Specifications: Road oils, 1940 2 187 Special investigations and reports, 1941 1 188 Slide investigation, 1937 16 189 Stripping: Furfural article, 1940-1941 12 190 Furfural correspondence, data, 1940-1942 38 191 Stripping tests: Jacobs' thesis, 1939-1940 5 192 Miscellaneous, 1936-1940 6 193 Surveys, n.d. 3 194 Timber Engineering Company, 1938-1942 23 195 Waterproofing, 1938-1945 9 196 Welding, Bibliography, n.d. 4 197 West Coast Lumberman's Association, 1942 5 198 Wood: drying of wood, n.d. 2
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