American Scientific Affiliation (ASA) Records

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: SC-026

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The American Scientific Affiliation Collection, part of the Wheaton College Special Collections, contains a detailed record of the workings and development of this Christian professional organization. The collection includes photographs, brochures, minutes, papers, books, manuscripts, and articles from the origin of the organization in 1941 up to the early 2000s.

Pieces of correspondence dating from prior to the foundation of the Affiliation are also included. All material has been arranged alphabetically by subject folder titles. The collection was received in the order given it by the ASA historian. This order was maintained in part, but in cases where the folder title did not accurately represent the content of the folders, the material was combined or new folder titles were created.

Due to a fire in the ASA office in May of 1979, materials from the 1960's and 1970's are lacking as well as many papers concerning the incorporation of the organization which were destroyed in the fire. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence (1940-1986) with the greatest amount in the years between 1948 and 1951. Letters between Executive Council officers, letters to ASA members, and business letters consititute the major types of correspondence included in the collection.

Creative Works form another important section of the collection. This includes manuscripts, brochures, articles, and monographs written by various ASA members. Some of the prominent authors in this section include Peter Stoner, William Tinkle, and George Horner. A manuscript and a bound volume of the completed work by Alton Everest, "The American Scientific Affiliation: It's Growth and Early Development" are also contained in this section. Besides the cited works of individual authors, the creative works section consists of reviews, outlines, and correspondence for the ASA compiled book Modern Science and the Christian Faith. Books concerning science and Christianity donated by the ASA are also housed with the collection.

Official publications of the American Scientific Affiliation are available to researchers. Holdings of the The Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation (later Perspectives of Science and Christain Faith) and ASA News (later Newsletter) run from their inceptions through 1984, and from mid 1987 to the present. An effort is being made to secure the lacking numbers. Current subscriptions to these journals insure that the collection is up to date in these areas. A bound volume of "Miscellaneous ASA Publications" from 1946 1948 is also held.

Dates

Created: 1940-2019
Other: Majority of material found in 1940-1986
Other: Date acquired: 1986

Creator

American Scientific Affiliation (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

There are no specific restrictions on this collection.

Conditions Governing Use

Duplication may be restricted if copying could cause damage to items.

Extent

82 boxes

32 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement Note

The collection is arranged by series with folder level control.

Source of Acquisition

Gift

Method of Acquisition

The records of the ASA were officially consigned to Wheaton College in 1986.

Other Descriptive Information

The American Scientific Affiliation is a professional organization dedicated to the integration of Christian faith with all areas of science. Wheaton College received the materials relating to the ASA in 1986 from Dr. F. Alton Everest, the ASA historian. Everest obtained correspondence, minutes, articles, photos and other ASA material from various ASA members during research for his book, "The American Scientific Affiliation: Its Growth and Development." The dates for material in the collection range from 1940 to the early 2000s with the bulk of the holdings found in the late 1940s and early 1950s.