Skip to main content

Search the Special Collections and Archives Portal

Alfred J. O'Donnell Jr. oral history interview (OH-01409)

Abstract

Oral history interview with Alfred J. O'Donnell Jr. conducted by Kenneth "K. J." Evans on October 20, 1998 for the Las Vegas Review-Journal First 100 Oral History Project. In the interview, O'Donnell discusses his parents, his early life in Boston, Massachusetts, and his education at Northeastern University. He then talks about serving in World War II and his work with Dr. Herbert Grier and EG&G, formally known as Edgerton, Germeshausen, and Grier, Inc. O'Donnell recalls the corporation's creation, its function as a United States national defense contractor, and his experiences arming and performing final checks and connections for atomic bombs at the Nevada Test Site. He also discusses public opinions on atomic testing and the transition from atmospheric testing to underground testing.

Finding Aid PDF

Date

1998-10-20

Extent

2 digital_files (0.079 GB) MP3

Scope and Contents Note

Oral history interview with Alfred J. O'Donnell Jr. conducted by Kenneth "K. J." Evans on October 20, 1998 for the Las Vegas Review-Journal First 100 Oral History Project. In the interview, O'Donnell discusses his parents, his early life in Boston, Massachusetts, and his education at Northeastern University. He then talks about serving in World War II and his work with Dr. Herbert Grier and EG&G, formally known as Edgerton, Germeshausen, and Grier, Inc. O'Donnell recalls the corporation's creation, its function as a United States national defense contractor, and his experiences arming and performing final checks and connections for atomic bombs at the Nevada Test Site. He also discusses public opinions on atomic testing and the transition from atmospheric testing to underground testing. Digital audio available; no transcript available.

Access Note

Collection is open for research. Where use copies do not exist, production of use copies is required before access will be granted; this may delay research requests. Advanced notice is required.

Publication Rights

Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish. Some transcripts do not exist in final form, therefore any editing marks in a transcript (deletions, additions, corrections) are to be quoted as marked.

Preferred Citation

Alfred J. O'Donnell Jr. oral history interview, 1998 October 20. OH-01409. [Cite format consulted: Audio recording or Transcript.] Oral History Research Center, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

Acquisition Note

Materials from this interview project were donated by Kenneth Evans in 2000.

Processing Note

Interview materials were processed by UNLV Libraries Special Collections and Archives in 2017. Jimmy Chang wrote the collection description. The audio cassette(s) for this interview have been reformatted by an external vendor into a digital format. MP3 files of the audio are available for research use. The audio has been minimally reviewed and all readily available information has been included in the description.

Collection Type

EAD ID

US::NvLN::OH01409

Finding Aid Description Rules

Describing Archives: A Content Standard
English