James Downey Collection

Collection

Identifier: MC-47

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Materials from the career of James A. Downey.

Dates

Creation: Majority of material found within 1952 - 2003

Creator

Downey, James (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research in the Archives & Special Collections reading room. Handling guidelines and use restrictions will be communicated and enforced by archives staff members.

Conditions Governing Use

This material may be protected under U. S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S. Code) which governs the making of photocopies or reproductions of copyrighted materials. You may use the digitized material for private study, scholarship, or research. Though the University of Alabama in Huntsville Archives and Special Collections has physical ownership of the material in its collections, in some cases we may not own the copyright to the material. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in our collections.

Biographical / Historical

James (Jim) A. Downey was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1930. He went to the University of Alabama and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering in 1952. In 1954, Downey graduated from North Carolina State University with a Master of Science in nuclear engineering.

In 1958, Downey started working for the Ballistic Missile Agency at Redstone Arsenal. In 1960, he was transferred to the Marshall Space Flight Center where he held increasingly responsible supervisory positions. He married Lu Yeilding, and together they had three children, James Patton, Howard Yeilding and Elizabeth Steele. James Downey died in 2010.

Extent

3 Linear feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of James Downey, 2009.

Related Materials

James Downey (Space History Interviews)

Processing Information

Collections are processed to a variety of levels, depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived research value, the availability of staff, and competing priorities. The library attempts to provide a basic level of preservation and access for all collections as they are acquired and does more extensive processing of higher priority collections as time and resources permit.