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Thedford P. Dirkse Collection, 1800-1999

Collection Overview

Title: Thedford P. Dirkse Collection, 1800-1999

ID: COLL/483

Creator: Dirkse, Thedford P. (1915-2006)

Extent: 5.5 Cubic Feet. More info below.

Arrangement: Folder level description

Abstract

Professor of chemistry at Calvin College. The collection details his research work in the field of electrochemistry (development of high power density batteries, the silver-zinc alkaline cell) with research materials, articles, references, evaluations, manuscripts, reports, papers, books, correspondence, and bibliography.

Biographical Note

Thedford (Ted) P. Dirkse was born on January 5, 1915 in Holland Michigan.  Dirkse attended Calvin College, graduating in 1936. He furthered his education at Indiana University, earning his masters and doctorate degrees.  In 1939, Iowa State University hired him as an instructor. After two years in Iowa, he spent another two as an assistant professor at Hamline University in St. Paul Minnesota.

From 1942 to 1946, Dirkse worked on battery research for the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington D.C. Once World War II ended, he returned Hamline University for a year.  In 1947, Dirkse got the opportunity to return to Calvin College, not as a student, but rather as a faculty member. For 33 years, Dirkse served as a chemistry professor at Calvin, where he taught courses in analytical and physical chemistry as well as general and nursing chemistry. He was involved in many college committees such as educational policy, long-range planning, and academic standards committee. Dirkse also kept busy by writing articles in scientific journals like the Journal of the Electrochemical Society. Dirkse retired from Calvin College in 1980.

Dirkse’s research topic of choice was battery chemistry. In 1962, he even earned the prestigious Research Award from the Battery Division of the Electrochemical Society. Dirkse later became the chairman of the Battery Division in 1964. Much of his research in battery technology was sponsored by the U.S. Office of Naval Research. One time even NASA depended on professor Dirkse’s extensive knowledge of electrochemistry when the Apollo 13 was in trouble. NASA sought Dirkse’s advice on how to get the most performance out the zinc batteries on the space shuttle for the astronauts to return safely home.

Dirkse also faced hardship in his life as well. His first wife was Frances Miller and together they had two daughters. Sadly, Frances passed away during childbirth, and their twin sons died soon after as well.  Dirkse was remarried to Ruth Imanse and together they had another two daughters. After 43 years of marriage, Ruth passed as well due to breast cancer.  He then married Theresa Vroon in 1995. Dirkse was a member of the Mayfair Christian Reformed Church where he served as an elder and deacon. At the age of 91, Ted Dirkse passed away on October 23, 2006.

Box and Folder Listing

Series 1: [General Materials]
Box 1
Folder 1: Research material on zinc --- 1901-1920
Folder 2: Research material on zinc --- 1921-1929
Folder 3: Research material on zinc thru --- 1952
Folder 4: Research material on zinc --- 1953-1962
Box 2
Folder 1: Research material on zinc --- 1963-1967
Folder 2: Research material on zinc --- 1968-1972, 1977
Folder 3: Research material on zinc --- 1980s
Folder 4: Research material on silver --- 1800-1900
Box 3
Folder 1: Research material on silver --- 1930-1949
Folder 2: Research material on silver --- 1950-1959
Folder 3: Research material on silver --- 1960-1962
Folder 4: Research material on silver --- 1963-1966
Box 4
Folder 1: Research material on silver --- 1967-1968
Folder 2: Research material on silver --- 1969-1975
Folder 3: Research material on silver --- 1976-1986
Folder 4: Research material on silver --- 1987-1991
Box 5
Folder 1: Research material on copper
Folder 2: Research material on copper
Folder 3: Research material on copper
Folder 4: Research material on conductance
Folder 5: Research material on ion hydration
Folder 6: Ion hydration references
Folder 7: Research material on silver oxides
Box 6
Folder 1: Research project on metal formates, pages 1-170
Folder 2: Research project on metal formates, pages 171-326
Folder 3: Articles on alchemy --- 1931-2002
Folder 4: Articles on copper --- 1901-1928
Folder 5: Articles on copper --- 1929-1942
Folder 6: Articles on copper --- 1942-1998
Box 7
Folder 1: Articles on conductance --- 1979-1990
Folder 2: Articles on cadmium --- 1964-1982
Folder 3: Articles on cadmium1928-1962
Folder 4: Cadmium evaluations --- 1982-1991
Folder 5: Articles on gold --- 1924-1985
Folder 6: Articles on mercury --- 1897-1951
Folder 7: Articles on mercury --- 1942-1971
Folder 8: Articles on silver oxides --- 1949-1989
Folder 9: Articles on zinc --- 1927-1949
Box 8
Folder 1: Articles on zinc --- 1899-1925
Folder 2: Articles on zinc --- 1950-1964
Folder 3: Articles on zinc --- 1964-1981
Folder 4: Silver evaluation material --- 1985-1988
Folder 5: Mercury evaluation material --- 1981-1986
Folder 6: Copper evaluation material --- 1989-1990
Folder 7: Metal Formates manuscript, pages 1-60
Folder 8: Metal Formates manuscript, pages 61-326
Box 9
Folder 1: Report of committee on battery additives
Folder 2: Technology Reports:  Battery Zinc Electrode Kinetics Investigation Zinc Electrode Kinetics Research
Folder 3: Technology Report:  Silver Migration and Transport Mechanism Studies in Silver Oxide Batteries
Folder 4: Unidentified manuscript, pages 1-190
Folder 5: Unidentified manuscript, pages333 --- 191-
Folder 6: Conductance data
Folder 7: Paper:  The Use of AgO as a Cathode in Aqueous Salt Solutions --- 1965
Folder 8: Paper:  Evidence for Trivalent Silver --- 1970
Folder 9: Alcohol impairment tests conducted with the Grand Rapids Police Department
Folder 10: Correspondence --- 1967-1969
Folder 11: Correspondence --- 1970-1977
Folder 12: Correspondence --- 1980-1989
Folder 13: Correspondence --- 1990-1991
Folder 14: Correspondence with N. Jonas and Co. --- 1993
Box 10
Folder 1: Biographical sketch of the Dirkses - --- 1989, 1999
Folder 2: Class notes - Indiana University --- 1938
Folder 3: What Does the Bible Say? by Thedford Dirkse --- 1990
Folder 4: Papers by Thedford Dirkse --- 1938-1991
Folder 5: List of papers/publications by Thedford Dirkse --- 1978
Folder 6: American Chemical Society Certificate --- 1989
Box 11
Folder 1: Articles published in the Journal of the Electrochemical Society --- 1950-1970
Folder 2: Calvin Forum articles --- 1954
Folder 3: Paper, The Conductance of Salts in Monethanolamine [partial fulfillment of PhD requirement] --- 1939
Folder 4: Miscellaneous published articles --- 1946-1977
Folder 5: Articles published in Electrochimica Acta --- 1971-1991
Folder 6: The Society of Sigma XI --- 1937
Folder 7: Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data, vol. 27, no. 6, pp. 1289-1470: "IUPAC -NIST Solubility Data Series 66. Ammonium Phosphates"
Folder 8
Item 1: Lyts Frysk Wirdboek --- 1934
Item 2: Frysk Rymsnoer --- 1925
Item 3: Ta Nocht en Nut in Sangboekje --- 1939
Item 4: Us Fryske Psalmen
Item 5: De Fryske Husfrneon --- 1904
Box 12
Folder 1: Solubility Data Series (volume 23):  Copper, Silver, Gold and Zinc,Cadmium, Mercury Oxides and Hydroxides, edited by T.P. Dirkse, et al [HERH QD543.S66 V.23] --- 1986
Folder 2: Solubility Data Series (volume 30):Alkali Metal Halates, Ammonium Iodate and Iodic Acid, edited by T. P. Dirkse [HERH QD543.S66 V.30] --- 1987
Folder 3: Solubility Data Series (volume 31): Alkali Metal Orthophosphates, edited by T. P. Dirkse, et al [HERH QD543.S66 V.31] --- 1988
Folder 4: Zinc-silver Oxide Batteries (contributor: T. P. Dirkse) [HERH TK2921 .S95 1968] --- 1970
Folder 5: The Primary Battery (contributor: T. P. Dirkse) [HERH TK2921 .P75 V.1] --- 1971
Box 13
Folder 1: Research Material and Progress Reports for Investigation of the Silver Oxide-Zinc-Alkali Primary Cell --- 1947-1955
Folder 2: Clippings and Photographs
Folder 3: Misc. Research Papers