Ted Carlson Papers: Abstract

Ted Carlson worked in the gas lab for the top secret atomic energy project known as the Manhattan District, housed at the Chrysler Corporation, Detroit, Michigan from August 1944 - August 1945. The Ted Carlson Papers 1944 - 1947 include correspdence with family and friends and administrative papers related to school and his military service. Most of the correspondence includes letters home documenting his personal life.

Ted Carlson Papers: Biographical Note

Ted Carlson, from Middleton, Connecticut, graduated with High Distinction, Phi Beta Kappa, from Wesleyan University with a degree in Chemistry. He was member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. Ted went on to pursue a Master's Degree in Chemistry from Iowa State and, shortly thereafter, was inducted into the U.S. Army on August 1, 1944 at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. He was immediately transferred to the Enlisted Reserve Corps and ordered to the Chrysler Corporation, Detroit Michigan, to work as a Laboratory Engineer for the Manahattan Engineer District, also know as the Manhattan Project, from August 1944 - August 1945. Ted was recalled to active duty at Fort Sheridan, Illinois on October 15, 1945 and sent to basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. From there, Ted was ordered to Oak Ridge, Tennessee in November of 1945, then assigned to the Monsanto Chemical Company in Dayton, Ohio. He applied for a military discharge March 11, 1946 on the basis of having a degree in Chemistry and a civillian job offer from Monsanto. On March 26, 1946, Ted Carlson was promoted from Private to Technician 4th Grade. He was formally discharged from the U.S. Army on April 7, 1946. Ted left Monsanto in September of 1946 to attend Cornell Medical School, with aid from the G.I. Bill of Rights.

As a member of The Dayton Association of Scientists, Ted was an advocate for the Macmahon Bill, also known as the The Atomic Energy Act of 1946, which was passed.

His main hobby was philately.