Collection Summary
Homer Sarasohn Papers 1936-2001
1936-2001
MSS85412
Sarasohn, Homer, 1916-2001
800 items
5 containers
2 linear feet
English
Japanese
Collection material in English and Japanese
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
Engineer and pioneer in industrial quality
management. Correspondence, biographical material, course book, and miscellaneous
articles written by Sarasohn and others concerning industrial quality
management.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Hopper, Kenneth, 1926- --Correspondence.
Matsushita, Masaharu, 1912-2012--Correspondence.
Protzman, Charles W., Sr., 1900-1987. The Fundamentals of Industrial Management. 1949.
Sarasohn, Homer, 1916-2001.
Sarasohn, Homer, 1916-2001. The Fundamentals of Industrial Management. 1949.
Tribus, Myron--Correspondence.
Organizations
International Business Machines Corporation.
Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers. Civil Communications Section.
Subjects
Communication and traffic--Japan.
Executives--Training of--Japan.
Industrial management--Japan.
Industrial management.
Quality control--Japan.
Quality control.
Places
Japan--History--1945-1989.
Occupations
Engineers.
Provenance
The papers of Homer Sarasohn, engineer and pioneer in industrial quality management
and control, were given to the Library of Congress by his daughters, Laura Kingdon
and Lisa Sarasohn, in 2008.
Transfers
Audio and video tapes containing interviews with Sarasohn have been transferred to
the Library’s Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division, where they
are identified as part of these papers.
Copyright Status
Copyright in the unpublished writings of Homer Sarasohn in these papers and in other
collections in the custody of the Library of Congress is reserved. Consult a
reference librarian in the Manuscript Division for further information.
Access and Restrictions
The papers of Homer Sarasohn are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact
the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site
and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information:
Container number, Homer Sarasohn Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress,
Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1916, May 24
Born, Chicago, Ill
1938
B.S. in physics, Wayne University, Detroit, Mich.
1939
Married Shirley Fenster
1940
Studied radio engineering, RCA Institute, Chicago, Ill.
1940
1941
Radio engineer, Aircraft Accessories Corp., Kansas City, Kans.
1941
1943
Project manager, Crosley Corp., Cincinnati, Ohio
1943
Assistant chief engineer, Research Construction Co., MIT Radiation Laboratory,
Cambridge, Mass.
1943
1944
Private, 161st Airborne Engineers, U.S. Army
1944
1945
Assistant Chief Engineer, Research Construction Co., MIT Radiation Lab,
Cambridge, Mass.
1945
1946
Senior Research Engineer, Raytheon Manufacturing Co., Waltham, Mass.
1946
1950
Chief, Industry Branch for the Civil Communications Section, serving under the
Supreme Command for the Allied Powers, Tokyo, Japan
1950
1957
Principal consultant for Booz, Allen & Hamilton, New York, N.Y.
1957
1977
Employed in several capacities before retiring as director of engineering
communications, International Business Machines Corp., Armonk, N.Y.
1978
1980
Technical advisor, assistant secretary for science and technology, U.S.
Department of Commerce
1980
Retired, independent consultant
2001, Sept. 28
Died, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Homer Sarasohn (1916-2001) span the years 1936-2001 and cover a variety of
topics concerning industrial quality control. The papers are organized into the
following series: [
Civil Communications Section
](ccs), [
Personal File
](pers), and [
Speeches and Writings
](sw). Recruited by the
Headquarters of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, Sarasohn served with the
Civil Communications Section, which sought to restore communications manufacturing in
Japan after World War II. Sarasohn led training courses for executives in Japanese
manufacturing, which influenced management and quality control principles in Japan for
the following decades. Japanese material is included in this collection.
The[
Civil Communications Section
](ccs) series contains copies of the course training
book,
Fundamentals of Industrial Management
, with copies of the original
version, the personal copy of Yukio Maeda, a Japanese translated copy, and an updated
typed copy of the course. Other material includes copies of memoranda from the
Headquarters of the Supreme Command for the Allied Powers, photographs of Sarasohn and
his classes, and other publications born out of the CCS training courses.
The [
Personal File
](pers) contains primarily biographical material and
correspondence. Included in the biographical material are Sarasohn’s employment history,
military documents such as discharge papers, and material collected while employed at
International Business Machines Corporation and post-retirement. Years after his CCS
courses, Sarasohn reestablished contact with one of his students, Masaharu Matsushita,
and included in his correspondence with him are photographs of the two during a
conference in Arizona. Sarasohn’s correspondence with Kenneth Hopper and Myron Tribus
relate primarily to Hopper’s and Tribus’s articles, while his miscellaneous
correspondence covers a variety of topics. The interviews are related to quality control
management and Japan.
The [
Speeches and Writings
](sw) file contains articles and speeches by Homer Sarasohn
which cover a number of topics relating to Japan, the CCS, and quality control
management. Sarasohn also collected material covering the same topics by other
authors.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged in three series:
-
[
Civil Communications Section (CCS), 1946-1998
](ccs)
-
[
Personal File, 1936-1997
](pers)
-
[
Speeches and Writings, 1994-2001
](sw)
Catalog Record: [https://lccn.loc.gov/mm2008085412]
Container List
Container
Contents
1-2
Civil Communications Section, 1946-1998
1946-1998
Course books written in English and Japanese, memoranda, photographs, and publications.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material.
1
Fundamentals of Industrial Management
1
Japanese Translation, circa 1949
circa 1949
(2 folders)
1
Maeda, Yukio personal copy, circa 1949
circa 1949
1
Original version, 1949
1949
(3 folders)
1
Typed scripts
1
Draft 1997
1997
1
1 of 2
2
2 of 2
2
Final, 1998
1998
2
Memoranda, 1946-1950
1946-1950
(2 folders)
2
Photographs, 1946-1950
1946-1950
2
Publications
2
Industrial Application of Statistical Quality Control,
circa 1950
circa 1950
2
Management seminar, 1993
1993
3-4
Personal File, 1936-1997
1936-1997
Correspondence, interviews, and biographical material such as school transcripts
and military documents.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material.
3
Biographical
3
Employment history, 1969-1993
1969-1993
3
International Business Machines Corp.,
1940-1965
1940-1965
3
Military papers, 1943-1950
1943-1950
3
Photographs, 1936-1991
1936-1991
3
Post-retirement, 1978-1994
1978-1994
3
School transcript, 1977
1977
Correspondence
3
Hopper, Kenneth, 1982-1999
1982-1999
3
Matsushita, Masaharu, 1984-1996
1984-1996
3
Miscellaneous, 1985-2000
1985-2000
3
Tribus, Myron, 1982-1997
1982-1997
(2 folders)
4
Interviews, 1989-1990
1989-1990
4
Miscellany, 1946-1995
1946-1995
(3 folders)
4-5
Speeches and Writings, 1944-2001
1944-2001
Articles and speeches by Sarasohn and others.
Works by others organized seperately according to topic, occasion, or category.
4
By Sarasohn
4
Articles, 1995-1997, undated
1995-1997, undated
(2 folders)
4
Speeches, 1984-1995
1984-1995
5
By others
5
Biographies of Sarasohn, 1967-2001
1967-2001
(2 folders)
5
Conferences, 1989-1999
1989-1999
5
General interest, 1944-1995
1944-1995
(3 folders)
5
Japanese authors, 1984-1993
1984-1993