Sol Lutwak Papers
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Biographical / Historical
Sol Lutwak was born in Brooklyn, New York on March 27, 1928. He attended Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn where he was editor-in-chief of the Polytechnic Reporter and a member of the wrestling and tennis teams. In 1950, he graduated magna cum laude with a degree in aeronautical engineering. After graduation, Sol moved to California where he would go on to receive a Master's in Applied Mechanics from University of California, Los Angeles. He first worked at McCulloch Motors Corporation and then Hughes Aircraft Company, where he was an engineer for heavy-lift helicopters. He was one of the earliest employees at Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation in its division Space Technology Laboratory (STL) which later became TRW, Inc. Here he worked on satellite development through the American space shuttle and Apollo programs. While at TRW, Inc. he co-invented a structural computer program. Sol retired in 1992, and passed away on January 7, 2020.
Arrangement
This collection comprises six boxes donated by Sol Lutwak's daughter, Ellen Lutwak, and grandson, Benjamin Waldow. Original order was maintained when possible. The collection is arranged into these seven series: Series I: Brooklyn Poly, 1940-1950 Series II: Hughes Aircraft Company, 1952-1953 Series III: McCulloch Motors Corporation, 1949-1950 Series IV: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), 1960-1970 Series V: Other/Personal Materials, 1939-1993 Series VI: Space Technology Laboratories, 1957-1962 Series VII: TRW Inc., 1953-1992 and Series VIII: University of California, Los Angeles, 1953-1987.
Scope and Contents
The Sol Lutwak Papers contain documents from 1939 to 1993. These documents were assembled by Lutwak throughout his academic career at Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute and University of California, Los Angeles as well as his professional career at McCulloch Motors Corporation, Hughes Aircraft Company, and TRW, Inc. The collection contains professional documents such as reports and manuals, academic material such as exams and coursework, and personal materials such as books and memorabilia. The collection is six linear feet, located on bay 26, shelves 5B, 6B, and 7B.
Subjects
Organizations
Conditions Governing Use
Any rights (including copyright and related rights to publicity and privacy) held by Polytechnic University in all its forms are maintained by New York University. Permission to publish or reproduce materials in this collection must be secured from the Poly Archives. Please contact the Poly Archives, polyarchives@nyu.edu, 646-997-3530.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Sol Lutwak Papers; RG 054; box number; folder number or item identifier; Poly Archives at Bern Dibner Library of Science and Technology, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection was donated to the Poly Archives by Sol Lutwak's daughter, Ellen Lutwak, and grandson, Benjamin Waldow, in September 2022.
