ELWYN B. ROBINSON DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
CHESTER FRITZ LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA
GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA 58202
COLLECTION: OGL#1433
DATES: 1901-2000
SIZE: 7 linear feet
ACQUISITION: The Schjeldahl Entrepreneur Records were deposited in the Orin G. Libby Manuscript Collection by Gilmore Schjeldahl, Lenox, Massachusetts (via Bruce Gjovig, UND Center for Innovation) on September 29, 2001 (Acc.#2001-2537).
ACCESS: Available for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Department of Special Collections.
The legacy of Gilmore T. Schjeldahl (Shelly) began in 1948 when he created a bag making machine in the basement of his Minneapolis home. Herb Harris invested $100 in the venture, which enabled Shelly to fill his first order for large bags to be used as barrel liners for pickles, beginning a new business called Herb-Shelly, Inc. In 1949, the company moved from Shelly's basement to a small shop in Farmington, MN. By 1954, the company had $500,000 annual sales and 100 employees. The company started experimenting with lamination at this time, researching adhesives for a new flexible Dupont polymer called Mylar. The company was also involved in the fabrication of a balloon for the Office of Naval Research at the University of Minnesota. In May of 1954, Herb-Shelly was acquired by Brown and Bigelow, a St. Paul advertising products firm. Shelly resigned and left the company on January 8, 1955.
On January 21, 1955, Shelly began making plans for a new company to be located in the basement of the Medical Arts building in Northfield, MN. The company secured a contract in April 1955 to create atmospheric research balloons made with Mylar polyester film, held together with an adhesive system that Shelly developed. On September 1, 1955, the G.T. Schjeldahl Company (the Company) went public. In addition to balloons, the Company manufactured bag-making machines and heat-sealing adhesive tape. Eventually the G. T. Schjeldahl Company began developing a line of adhesive tapes for polyester bonding called Schjel-Bond (GT100, GT200, GT300, and GT400). Early in the Company's history two key individuals were hired, Dick Slater as project engineer and Jim Womack as a salesman. In December 1955, the G. T. Schjeldahl Company shipped its first automatic side-weld polyethylene bag-making machine to the Chase Bag Company in Los Angeles.
During this time, the G. T. Schjeldahl Company was divided into the Mechanical (packaging machinery) and the Polyester Film (balloons, special fabrication, and Schjel-Bond) Divisions. It sold more than 40 Mylar polyester stratospheric balloons by February 1956. The Company's balloons received national acclaim when one balloon climbed 27 miles into the air (a record), beginning in Minnesota, and traveling over seven states for almost three days before landing in a field in Kentucky.
The plastics were developed for more commercial use in "Schjeldomes," which were air- supported buildings. They only cost 98 cents per square foot and could be seen covering a swimming pool at Lutsen Resort on Lake Superior, an office and display center, and a storage building at Dupont's laboratories, to name just a few. In 1958, the G. T. Schjeldahl Company moved to a new location at the north edge of Northfield, and built a 340 foot long air-supported factory called the "Schjel-Mile." Eventually, the entire 54 acre operations center was called "Schjel-Town," and contained two Schjel-Miles, a factory and other small buildings, and a general office and laboratory.
Many federal government sponsored programs, such as Echo, PAGEOS, Pegasus, ROBIN, and ROSE, depended on the Company's research for their success. Some of the processes that Shelly learned from working on these government projects are still used in the Company's circuitry and other products.
The G. T. Schjeldahl Company received national fame for designing and building Echo I, a communications satellite which bounced television and radio signals back to earth, making coast to coast transmission of televison possible. This "satelloon" was launched from Cape Canaveral on August 12, 1960, and was the largest object ever sent into orbit at that time. It was America's way of competing with the Russian satellite Sputnik; however, unlike Sputnik, Echo I could be seen from earth, and was followed by Americans and newspapers across the country. Echo I enabled America to create a satellite-based global telecommunications network.
The G.T. Schjeldahl Company also made the laminate and adhesive materials for the Polaris submarine missile program. These environmental seals, which were called diaphragms, kept water out of the sub until a missile was released.
G. T. Schjeldahl Company products and technology using vacuum deposition and lamination were used on the Pegasus satellite, putting the Company into the vacuum deposition business. Thermal control coatings for spacecraft, x-ray sensors, radar-absorbing films, Novaclad, and keypads for computer keyboards all were the result of vacuum deposition.
Balloons (Stratoscope II, ROBIN, Stargazer, and Voyager) continued to be an important part of the Company during the early 1960s. The most significant year was 1964. It was then that NASA launched Echo II. Arthur Hatch became President of the Company in 1964, but Shelly remained Chairman of the Board and Treasurer. The Company's Mechanical Division expanded into the European market. The Company also acquired a paper company in Rhode Island, and moved its packaging machinery operations there, making Jim Womack the head. It also acquired several electronic connector manufacturers.
By 1965, the G. T. Schjeldahl Company had three divisions, Advance Programs, (government research and marketing); Packaging Machinery (bag making); and, Electrical Products. From 1966 through 1971, the Company's Packaging Machinery Division expanded into shrink- wrapping and blow molding. In addition, the Company was considered a pioneer in flexible circuitry (created by using the Company's laminating technology). The Company supplied flexible circuitry for products such as Polaroid cameras and Ford's 1968 cars.
The weakening economy in 1967 caused government supported research to decrease. G. T. Schjeldahl Company sales decreased and net income decreased 60%. Arthur Hatch resigned as President in 1967, and was replaced by George L. Freeman. Shelly also resigned as Chairman of the Board, and started Giltech, a company which concerned itself primarily with making bottles through the blow molding process. The Giltech Company merged with another plastics company, Rainville, in 1972, and became Rainville, Inc. Eventually Rainville, Inc. merged with, and became, Universal Dynamics (UnaDyn), a company headquartered in Woodbridge, VA. In 1970, Shelly also created the Plastic Netting Machine Company. This company developed and produced devices for feeding and filling rigid plastic containers.
Meanwhile, the G. T. Schjeldahl Company struggled as sales continued to decline, down to 16.1 million from under 20 million in 1967, and continued to decline through 1970. In 1971, George L. Freeman resigned as Company President, and James Womack took over the helm. The Company and its products line then began to grow.
In 1974, the G. T. Schjeldahl Company changed its name to Sheldahl, Inc. (the Company or Sheldahl) because it was easier to spell, and it was hoped people would then pronounce it correctly. The Company achieved world-wide status for its materials technology. It was the nation's largest independent producer of flexible circuitry, and was also one of the largest suppliers of packaging material in the Western Hemisphere. Sheldahl also produced laminates and tapes, aerospace thermal control products, helicopter blade liners, flexible circuits, aerostats, membrane switches, aircraft keyboard instrumentation, and worked on products for solar energy programs.
Sheldahl built the bioshield for the unmanned spacecraft Viking which landed on Mars in 1975, and Sheldahl thermal control materials have been on every space shuttle mission since Columbia in 1981. The Company also supplied materials for the Alaska Pipeline.
In 1977, Sheldahl realized that it had branched out into too many areas and was too diverse. The Company decided to focus exclusively on materials and circuitry, and sold the businesses that did not fall under this umbrella. In the area of flexible circuitry, the Company invented the Flexswitch, which is used in microwaves and washing machines, as well as in office equipment, and supplied flexible circuitry to automobile manufacturers.
In the area of Packaging Machinery, Sheldahl's bag machine output was 5000 by 1980, beginning with only one in 1955. Any plastic bag that is used today was probably manufactured on a Sheldahl machine, or at the very least, a machine using Sheldahl technology. However, this division was sold in 1980 in order to focus on materials and circuitry.
In 1978, Shelly suffered a mild heart attack. During his recovery, he pondered techniques for opening up blocked arteries. This led to another business venture, the Cathedyne Corporation. Shelly worked with his cardiologist on improving coronary angioplasty catheters. The Cathedyne Corporation was sold to Angiomedics, Inc., a subsidiary of Pfizer, Inc., of Minneapolis, in 1983.
In 1987, Sheldahl signed an agreement with Sumitomo Bakelite Company of Tokyo, to manufacture and market flexible circuits and circuitry components. In 1988, James Womack stepped down as President and became Chairman of the Board, and James E. Donaghy became President. New products included Z-link, Novaclad in 1990, Novaflex in 1991, Novalink in 1993, and ViaGrid in 1994.
In 1993, Sheldahl led a consortium to help manufacture cheaper multichip modules (MCMs). Longmont, Colorado, was the site of the Company's pilot plant. The Longmont facility placed Sheldahl squarely into the data communications market. Sheldahl was also still active in aerospace during this time. Both the satellite Magellan (1989) and the Hubble telescope (1990) contained Sheldahl products and insulation materials. In 1989, the Company opened a flexible circuit finishing plant in Aberdeen, SD, and a second one was opened in Britton, SD, in 1993. Thermal control materials continue to be needed in spacecraft and satellites.
Sheldahl products and designs have been, and continue to be, used by all of us in our daily lives. In 2000, Sheldahl merged with International Flex Technologies, headquartered in New York.
Gilmore T. (Shelly) Schjeldahl died on March 10, 2002, in Lenox, Massachusetts.
Series I: Sheldahl, Inc.: General Business Records
This series contains the general business records of Sheldahl, Inc. (Sheldahl
or the Company), which are broken down into many subseries. The Company History
subseries contains four books describing the history of the Company from its
beginning in 1955, continuing through 1995; information about the Company's
40th anniversary celebration; and various magazine and newspaper articles about
Gilmore T. Schjeldahl (Shelly) and Sheldahl.
The Annual Reports subseries contains the annual reports of Sheldahl from 1957 through 1999, which include the Company's financial statements and other Company highlights for the year. The years 1964, 1966, 1974, and 1983 are missing; however, there is a photocopy of the cover of the 1964 book. Also included are undated profiles describing Sheldahl employees and products, a financial profile from 1987, and a market profile for the 1970s. A final file contains a book entitled, "Update on Sheldahl," from 1955 through 1974. It was actually James Womack's "pitch book" that he used when he described Sheldahl and its products to other individuals and companies.
The Meetings subseries contains information related to Sheldahl management and shareholder meetings and discussions, as well as reports to shareholders. Also included are Annual Meeting Summary Brochures for 1955-1974, 1980-1985, and 1990-1996. These brochures contain Company financial highlights for an entire year or part of a year, i.e., a fiscal quarter. There is also a file containing information from the mortgage and debt financing discussions from 1965 through 1966, detailing ways to finance the Company in order to alleviate long term debt, and discussions about building a new, larger office complex/building.
The Reports subseries contains the Securities and Exchange Commission Reports of Sheldahl from 1969, and 1996 through 1999.
Th Calendars subseries contains photocopies of three small spiral notebooks kept by Shelly, from 1963 through 1964, in which he wrote meetings, appointments, and brief summaries of the events happening and/or transpiring on a particular day.
The Check Registers subseries contains two check registers, one from 1961 through 1962, showing the expenses and purchases made by Shelly and Sheldahl. The other, from 1979 through 1983, is the check register of Sheldahl from the First Security State Bank.
The Expense Reports subseries contains expense reports and daily logs from 1977 through 1978, and 1990. These reports show not only Shelly's expenses but also give detailed accounts of Company-related activities each day.
The Miscellaneous Business Organization subseries contains items such as time cards of Sheldahl employees from 1968 through 1970; a mousepad with the Company logo on it; a business card of James S. Womack; a chart showing the product capabilities of the Company for 1955, 1963, and the future; a mailing list from 1970 to 1971 of those individuals wishing to receive Sheldahl brochures, financial statements, and other Company publications, such as its annual reports; memos from Sheldahl employees, particularly James S. Womack, from 1971- 1974; three undated organizational charts showing Company management and employees; and, a file containing information on the Center for Innovation and Business Development from 1989 through 1994, as it relates to Shelly and Sheldahl. Within this file, there is a biography of Shelly written by Bruce Gjorvig, the Director of the Center for Innovation and Business Development.
The Litigation subseries contains Shelly's affidavit related to litigation between Dupont and the Union Carbide Corporation, concerning polyethylene film. This file also contains the agreement between Shelly (doing business as Plastic Netting Machine Company) and Dupont from February 1, 1972, regarding payment, as well as two letters of correspondence from Dupont to Shelly, and other documents relating to Shelly's dealings with Dupont in the mid-1970s.
The Newsletters subseries contains Sheldahl newsletters and bulletins which were published monthly or quarterly. Some, such as "The Fine Line," were designed for employees only; however, most of the newsletters were designed for employees, as well as for the general public. The bulk of the newsletters are from the early 1970s through the late 1980s.
The Company Publications subseries contains publications by Sheldahl of its products, from the early beginnings of the Company through the late 1990s. The publications are separated into files according to the Company division which produced the brochure or booklet. Included are publications about Skydomes and “Schjeldomes,” as well as two spiral bound books showing thermal products and materials.
The Outside Publications About Sheldahl subseries contains publications about the Company. Of particular note is the Ghost (Global HOrizontal Sounding Technique) summary from May 1969, relating to the Ghost weather balloon and ATMOSAT 'America' (atmospheric satellite), also pertaining to ballooning. In addition, the Miscellaneous Outside Publications file contains brochures and magazine ads showing products with Sheldahl designs and innovations, such as the Kodak XL-55 movie camera; the Polaroid SX-70 land camera; Mylar used in the Project Echo satellite balloons; and, the Texas Instruments Model 733ASK silent teletypewriter. The final three files contain Craig Hallum Monthly Commentary Newsletters, which include stock and financial information about Sheldahl; Craig Hallum’s research reports on Sheldahl; and, Craig Hallum's billing to Sheldahl.
The Competitor publications subseries contains brochures, booklets, and other publications from 1981 to 1996 by individuals and companies who are competitors of Sheldahl.
The News Releases subseries contains press and news releases relating to Sheldahl products and developments, as well as other Company employees, including Shelly, from the early 1960s though the late 1990s.
The Newspaper Clippings subseries contains two files with newspaper clippings related to Shelly, his employees, and his companies, from 1954 through 2000. Part I has the actual newspaper clippings and Part II has copies of newspaper clippings.
The Interviews, Speeches, and Presentations subseries contains interviews with Shelly, as well as speeches made by him about the Company and/or himself. Of particular note is the "Keeping the Creative Fires Burning" Presentation file. It contains Shelly's presentation speech at an innovations workshop, as well as the overhead transparencies, pictures, brochures, and the Echo I skin samples that he used during the presentation.
The Correspondence subseries contains three files of correspondence letters. One is Shelly's correspondence from 1947 though 1997. The James Womack file contains his correspondence from 1971 through 1976, as well as the letter indicating the Company name change from Schjeldahl to Sheldahl. The Ford Motor Company file contains Shelly’s correspondence with them in 1974 through 1975 regarding retrofit energy saving devices used for cars, and other emission control devices which improve fuel economy and contribute to energy conservation. This file also has copies of newspaper articles related to emissions and energy conservation.
The Miscellaneous subseries contains correspondence, receipts, and other
documents from the mid-1950s though 2000, relating to the general business
records of the Company.
Box 1, Folder 1 through Box 3, Folder 9
Series II: Sheldahl, Inc.: Designs, Patents, and Products
This series is divided into five subseries: Designs, Patents, Products, Echo I
and II, and SARCS/SARRCS/SAURCS. The Designs subseries contains four files,
each which have drawings, sketches, and designs of Company machines and
products, including a sketch on a napkin made by Shelly during his visit to the
Dairy Expo in Atlantic City in 1976. The sketch is most likely of an ice cream
filling machine. There are also two business cards from Shamrock Industries
within this file. One is James V. Ostrum’s, an engineer with Shamrock
Industries, and the other is Shelly’s, who worked for them as a Packing
Systems Analyst consultant. The carrot packaging system file contains sketches
and drawings from 1983 of a machine which packages carrots. The G. T.
Schjeldahl files contains drawings and sketches made by Shelly in 1992, most
likely of a SARCS machine. And, the Miscellaneous file contains various
drawings and sketches from 1960 to 1983, made by Shelly and others within his
various companies.
The Patents subseries has three files which contain patents relating to the types of machines and products that Shelly worked with, as well as the patents of Shelly's designs from 1951 through 1986. The Shamrock Industries file contains legal documents relating to G. T. Schjeldahl’s work on machines for Shamrock Industries which could automatically fill ice cream containers of four- or five-quart capacities or smaller. The Windmoeller and Hoelscher Corporation file contains the patent and other documents for a reciprocally moving hot-wire, which could cut thermoplastic sheets into individual segments, for use in bag making machines. The Haugen and Nikolai, Patent 95 (1995) file has documents relating to Patent 95 of the SARRC/SAURC machines. The machines from 1995 forward had a new split drive rewind roll changer which permitted the unwind and rewind, respectively, to move forward or reverse at different rates.
The Products subseries contains files regarding products that have been designed or made by Shelly or Sheldahl, including polyethylene bags; samples of Novaflex adhesives; the Polaris Rupture Disc, used in the Polaris Mark XVII fleet ballistic missile; and, Schjelamel-10 laminate, developed for manned flights of spacecraft and for carrying very heavy loads, as well as a laminate book containing samples of all of Company's laminates.
The Echo I and II subseries contains literature and product samples related to these two satellite balloons, including the Echo I “communications for peace (postage) stamp," which was commissioned by WLOL radio in the Twin Cities. There are also government publications which relate to Echo I, such as the Measured Physical and Optical Properties of the PAGEOS and the Echo I, which was presented at the Symposium on the Use of Artificial Satellites for Geology, in Washington, D.C., on April 15-17, 1971, and the Project Echo II final report, which was a study commissioned by NASA and done at Sheldahl, in Northfield, MN. The Company was the primary contractor for the Echo II Program. There are also files which contain information about the Echo I and II satellite balloons, as well as samples of Echo I and Echo II skins, and a file containing information about an art exhibition by artist Les Levine in 1967, at the Architectural League in New York City, which featured rooms made of Sheldahl’s Mylar laminates.
The SARCS (Sheldahl Automatic Roll Changing System), SARRCS (Sheldahl
Automatic Rewind Roll Change System), and SAURCS (Sheldahl Automatic Unwind
Roll Change System) subseries contain files relating to the automatic roll
rewinding/unwinding machine. These machines were designed to rewind and unwind
rolls of any of the standard Sheldahl laminates or films. The LEM 909 files
contain correspondence with Richard Lemke (LEM) and Shelly, as well as other
documents, relating to problems with a model 909 SARCS machine. The JED 1128
file has similar information, i.e., James E. Donaghy (JED), model 1128, as do
the LEM 1019 files. The SARCS Project files contain general information and
design sketches of all of the different types (SARRCS, SAURCS, and Patent 95,
which combined the rewind and unwind components) and models of SARCS machines
from August of 1990 through June of 1995. The final file in this subseries has
the billing and correspondence information from attorneys Haugen and Nikolai.
Box 3, Folder 10 through Box 4, Folder 10
Series III: Sheldahl, Inc.: G. T. Schjeldahl's Other Companies
This series contains six files which have information pertaining to the other
companies Shelly started. The Herb-Shelly, Inc. subseries contains ledger
pages, correspondence, and other documents from 1940 through 1955, pertaining
to the Herb-Shelly, Inc., and to the Air Sick Bag which was developed by Shelly
in 1949.
The Gilmore T. Schjeldahl Investment Company subseries contains minutes of KitCab meetings. KitCab stood for Shelly's kitchen cabinet, and the company was formed in order to provide Shelly and his wife Charlene with a vehicle in which to express their common interest in an investment and business venture. Bernard Greesweig provided the professional management of the company in a combination advisory/administrative capacity. The meeting minutes include balance sheets and other financial documents and correspondence.
The Giltech subseries contains files related to the meetings, shareholders and stocks, and financial concerns of the Giltech Corporation, and Board of Directors Meetings files contain meeting minutes, correspondence, and other documents pertaining to meeting topics. The first file contains the Articles of Incorporation of the Giltech Development Company. Other files relate to studies with Bristol-Myers, concerning the making of Bufferin and Excederin bottles, as well as the Emhart/Giltech-Barex 210 study, which proposed to manufacture 10 fluid ounce capacity beverage containers employing heat sensitive resin such as Barex 210. One contains information pertaining to the Dubiner and Giltech agreement regarding the Gussoni Patent. This patent concerns the design of a machine that could manufacture bottles from thermoplastic materials. Legal files relate to billing and correspondence, as well as the Wheaton litigation, concerning a dispute over a patent on a blow molding machine that Wheaton claimed to have designed first.
Giltech: Blow Molding subseries contains files relating to blow molding patents, designs, and correspondence. Included are more designs for Bufferin and Excederin bottles, as well as quality control sample data of these bottles. Included also is information about the Nissei Company, a plastics company headquartered in Sakaki, Nagano, Japan, which also manufactures blow molding machines and equipment.
Giltech: Rainville Merger subseries contains files of brochures, correspondence, financial statements, meeting minutes, press releases, and newspaper articles relating to Giltech’s merger with the Rainville Company, located in Middlesex, NJ. Giltech became Rainville Company, Inc., in 1972. Also included are documents pertaining to Universal Dynamics (UnaDyn), with which Rainville Company, Inc. eventually merged, and files pertaining to the John J. Farrell litigation, concerning the Gussoni Patent. Included are two of Shelly's depositions.
The Cathedyne Corporation subseries contains Shelly's expense reports/daily logs from September 1978 through December 1981, financial and legal documents, shareholder meeting minutes, drawings and sketches, and other documents relating to the Cathedyne Corporation.
The Plastic Netting Machine Company subseries contains bank statements and bank deposit records of the company, as well as Shelly’s expense account records and a voucher file containing a telephone log and expenses, which describe some of his daily activities. Included also is Shelly’s billing of Dupont for consultant services and company machine designs from 1972 through 1978.
Shelly Design and Manufacturing Company subseries contains organizational
charts and the mission statement of the company, which was founded by Shelly,
Harry Carlson, Don Frisbie, Larry Frisbie, H.J. "Sco" Scofield, and
Brian Knutson. The company was intended to be an avenue by which the founders
could secure manufacturing of their designs and products through outside
vendors. The company's founders desired to be leaders in manufacturing and
design of "specialized machinery." It appears that the company's
focus and designs centered primarily around SARCS machines.
Box 4, Folder 11 through Box 6, Folder 10
Series IV: G. T. Schjeldahl, Personal
This series contains information pertaining to Shelly’s personal life. The
North Dakota State University file documents Shelly’s attendance at NDSU
from 1937 through 1943, the Alumni Achievement Award he received from NDSU in
1962, and the honorary Doctor of Science degree NDSU granted him in 1970. The
University of North Dakota file contains the Commencement Bulletin from 1993,
when Shelly received an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree. Two certificates
show Shelly’s membership in the National Flexible Packaging Association in
1961 and the Society of Plastics Engineers, Inc., in 1967. Also included is
Shelly’s address to the rotary club in Marshalltown, Iowa, in September of
1962, entitled “Echos of the Future,” newspaper clippings about
current world and domestic events, and letters and other correspondence from
friends, his children, former employees, and other acquaintances.
Box 6, Folder 11 through Box 6, Folder 17
The Separations Record contains 236 photographs which have been separated from the collection and added to the Orin G. Libby Photograph Collection. The photographs cover Schjeldahl’s business ventures and include photographs of Schjeldahl; balloons and satelloons; Schjeldomes and Schjelmiles; bags; Giltech blow molding machines, parts, and products; flexible circuitry products; ice cream filling machines; and, the Sheldahl Automatic Unwind Roll Change System.
Four films have been separated from the collection. One concerns projects from 1961 of the G.T. Schjeldahl Company, including the Polaris Missle Program, Air domes, and Echo II. The second film is from the Giltech Corporation, and concerns an analysis of a bottle discharge system on a Giltech-100 machine in 1969. The third film is probably from the Plastic Netting Machine Company, and is of the Wells Blue Bunny analysis by Schjeldahl and J. Ostrum. It is probably related to ice cream filling machines. The final film is from Schjeldahl’s personal life, and is of his family in 1961 and 1962. This film also contains footage of a trip taken in a mobile home to Washington State, which is undated.
Two books have also been separated from the collection, and placed in the North Dakota Book Collection. They include Woman into Space: The Jerrie Cobb Story, by Jerrie Cobb and Jane Rieker, published in 1963. This book has inscriptions on the inside front cover to Charlene and Shelly, from both Jerri Cobb and Jane Rieker. The second book is Heat Sealing, by Robert Farkas, published in 1964.
Box 1
Folder
SERIES 1: Sheldahl, Inc.: General Business Records
Company History
Annual Reports
Meetings
Reports
Calendars
Check Registers
Expense Reports
Box 2
Folder
Miscellaneous Business Organization
Litigation
Newsletters
Company Publications
Outside Publications About Sheldahl
Competitor Publications
News Releases
Newspaper Clippings
Box 3
Folder
Interviews, Speeches, Presentations
Correspondence
Miscellaneous
SERIES 2: Sheldahl, Inc.: Designs, Patents, and Products
Designs
Patents
Products
Echo I and II
Box 4
Folder
SARCS (Sheldahl Automatic Roll Changing System)/ SARRCS (Sheldahl Automatic
Rewind Roll Change System)/ SAURCS (Sheldahl Automatic Unwind Roll Change
System)
SERIES 3: Sheldahl, Inc.: G.T. Schjeldahl's Other Companies
Herb-Shelly, Inc.
Gilmore T. Schjeldahl Investment Company
Giltech
Box 5
Folder
Giltech: Blow Molding
Giltech: Rainville Merger
Box 6
Folder
Cathedyne Corporation
Plastic Netting Machine Company
Shelly Design and Manufacturing Company
SERIES 4: G.T. Schjeldahl, Personal
236 photographs were separated and added to the Orin G. Libby Photograph Collection.
Photographs of G. T. Schjeldahl
1433-1G. T. Schjeldahl, undated
1433-2G.T. Schjeldahl, sitting at his desk, undated
1433-3G. T. Schjeldahl, standing in front of grain elevators, undated
1433-4G. T. Schjeldahl, talking on the telephone, undated
1433-5G. T. Schjeldahl and an unidentified man (probably actor), standing in
Schjel-mile or Portable Plastic Bubble
1433-6G. T. Schjeldahl, sitting on a swing, and two unidentified individuals;
demonstration of Portable Plastic Bubble, circa 1961
1433-7G. T. Schjeldahl, standing next to parabolic antenna made by G. T.
Schjeldahl Company, 1964
1433-8G. T. Schjeldahl and Jerry Marcell, raising flag on Sheldahl Company,
Chrysler Garage, Northfiled, MN, undated
1433-9G. T. Schjeldahl and Jerry Marcell, Raising flag on Sheldahl Company,
Chrysler Garage, Northfield, MN, undated
1433-10 G. T. Schjeldahl, sitting at his desk, undated
1433-11 G. T. Schjeldahl, standing in front of blow molding machine, January
22, 1974
1433-12 G. T. Schjeldahl, standing in front of blow molding machine, February
15, 1974
1433-13 G. T. Schjeldahl, standing in front of blow molding machine, February
15, 1974
1433-14 G. T. Schjeldahl, pointing to a design sketch, undated
1433-15 G. T. Schjeldahl and an unidentified man, undated
1433-16 G. T. Schjeldahl, standing by office door, undated
1433-17 G. T. Schjeldahl, standing in front of drafting board, undated
1433-18 G. T. Schjeldahl, standing next to chartered plane, with an
unidentified man checking the plane, undated
1433-19 G. T. Schjeldahl (later years), undated
1433-20 G. T. Schjeldahl (later years), standing in a lab coat, undated
1433-21 Richard J. Slater, undated
1433-22 Marty Grover, artist from Kenneth Square, PA, standing next to bust of
G. T. Schjeldahl commemorating 40th Anniversary of Sheldahl, Inc., 1995
Balloons
1433-23 Balloon assembly, Edna Maban, Bill Lee, and Laura Quist, June 1955
1433-24 Balloon assembly, June 17, 1955
1433-25 Balloon assembly, June 17, 1955
1433-26 Balloon assembly, June 17, 1955
1433-27 Balloon assembly, June 17, 1955
1433-28 Load rings, June 17, 1955
1433-29 Load rings, June 17, 1955
1433-30 Load rings and retaining wires, June 17, 1955
1433-31 Register line, June 17, 1955
1433-32 Balloon assembly, June 21, 1955
1433-33 Inflated balloon, June 21, 1955
1433-34 Inflated balloon, June 21, 1955
1433-35 Inflated balloon, June 21, 1955
1433-36 Inflated balloon, June 21, 1955
1433-37 Close-up view of bottom of inflated balloon, June 21, 1955
1433-38 Close-up view of bottom of inflated balloon, June 21, 1955
1433-39 Inflated balloon outside, undated
1433-40 Balloon assembly, circa September 1956
Satelloon
1433-41 Four unidentified G.T. Schjeldahl Co. workers, believed to be making a
satelloon for Project Echo II, circa 1964
1433-42 Two men (one probably G. T. Schjeldahl), working on satelloon for
Project Echo II, April 15, 1964
1433-43 Six unidentified individuals, working on a satelloon for Project Echo
II, April 15, 1964
1433-44 Four unidentified individuals, working on a satelloon for Project Echo
II, April 15, 1964
1433-45 Four unidentified individuals, working on a satelloon for Project Echo
II, April 15, 1964
1433-46 Unidentified man, standing in front of machine, Project Echo II, April
15, 1964
1433-47 Four unidentified men, looking at materials for Project Echo II, April
15, 1964
1433-48 Six unidentified men (probably NASA and G. T. Sheldahl employees),
Project Echo II, April 15, 1964
1433-49 Inflated satelloon, Project Echo II, April 15, 1964
1433-50 One hundred thirty-five foot super satelloon; taken during inflation
tests at Weeksville, NC, undated
1433-51 Two unidentified workers and a surveyor positioning 50 layers of
material before cutting, undated
Schjeldomes and Schjelmiles
1433-52 Idea sketch for Schjeldome in Northfield, MN, undated
1433-53 G. T. Schjeldahl, standing with seven unidentified individuals in the
background and one unidentified caterpillar driver; Schjeldome is also in the
background; probably the site preparation for new building in Northfield, MN,
undated
1433-54 Schjeldome, with numerous individuals in the background, undated
1433-55 Unidentified man on a ladder climbing to the top of a Schjeldome; G. T.
Schjeldahl standing on top of the Schjeldome to demonstrate its toughness;
unidentified individuals standing inside of the Schjeldome, undated
1433-56 Probably close-up view of entrance to Schjeldome, undated
1433-57 Unidentified man (probably G. T. Schjeldahl), standing next to the side
of a Schjeldome, undated
1433-58 Air dome at Santa Claus town, Dundee, IL, undated
1433-59 Schjeldome, covering a swimming pool, probably at Lutsen Resort in
northern Minnesota, circa 1958
1433-60 Schjeldome Bubble Site, with a Volkswagen Beatle inside of it and one
unidentified man standing outside the bubble, and two standing inside (one of
them is probably G. T. Schjeldahl), undated
1433-61 Probably a Schjelevator, circa 1959
1433-62 Probably a Schjelevator with a car in front of it and an unidentified
man walking toward it, undated
1433-63 One Cargill 1000 caboose and one Union Pacific railcar, with elevator
in the background, undated
1433-64 Three unidentified men, looking at an elevator; probably the beginning
of a Schjelevator, undated
1433-65 Probably close-up view of the outside base of a Schjelevator, undated
1433-66 Probably close-up view of the outside base of a Schjelevator, undated
1433-67 Probably close-up view of the outside base of a Schjelevator, undated
1433-68 Probably close-up view of the outside base of a Schjelevator, undated
1433-69 Probably close-up view of stakes in the ground which help to suspend a
Schjelevator, undated
1433-70 Probably close-up of Schjelevator being inflated, undated
1433-71 Two unidentified men, putting stakes in the ground for most likely a
Schjelevator, undated
1433-72 Probably partially inflated Schjelevator with unidentified man standing
on top of it, undated
Bags
1433-73 Perforator, undated
1433-74 Perforator, undated
1433-75 Perforator, undated
1433-76 Perforator, undated
1433-77 Perforator, undated
1433-78 Machine which makes garment bags, undated
1433-79 Machine which makes garment bags, undated
1433-80 Machine which makes garment bags, undated
1433-81 Garment bag, undated
1433-82 Machine which makes slope shoulder bags, undated
1433-83 Machine which makes slope shoulder bags, undated
Giltech Blow Molding Machines
1433-84 Sketch of Giltech blow molding machine, undated
1433-85 Captioned sketch of Giltech blow molding machine, undated
1433-86 Close-up view of design sketch of blow molding machine, April 2, 1970
1433-87 Design sketch of blow molding machine, April 2, 1970
1433-88 Design sketch of blow molding machine, undated
1433-89 Giltech Twin 100 prototype machine, undated
1433-90 Giltech prototype machine on a flatbed truck being moved to storage at
7940 Chicago Avenue, South Minneapolis, undated
1433-91 Close-up view of Giltech prototype machine on a flatbed truck, undated
1433-92 Probably early blow molding machine, undated
1433-93 Giltech GT-100 blow molding machine, August 15, 1967
1433-94 Close-up view of a blow molding machine, August 15, 1967
1433-95 Close-up view of part of a blow molding machine, August 15, 1967
1433-96 View of controls of Giltech blow molding machine, February 28, 1968
1433-97 Giltech 120 blow molding machine, February 28, 1968
1433-98 Close-up view of Giltech blow molding machine, October 10, 1968
1433-99 Giltech blow molding machine, October 10, 1968
1433-100 Giltech blow molding machine, October 10, 1968
1433-101 Close-up view of Giltech blow molding machine, 1969
1433-102 One end of GT/120 blow molding machine with outer platen removed
showing tooling, 1969
1433-103 Close-up view of part of blow molding machine, 1969
1433-104 Bill Atherton, just completing new wiring of the front control panel
of GT/120 blow molding machine, May 26, 1969
1433-105 Representative samples of bottles from one of the qualifying test runs
of blow molding machine, June 10, 1969
1433-106 Control panel of blow molding machine, September 28, 1969
1433-107 Close-up view of control panel of blow molding machine, September 28,
1969
1433-108 Close-up of gages on blow molding machine, September 28, 1969
1433-109 Blow molding machine and an unidentified man, October 15, 1969
1433-110 Giltech 100 blow molding machine and an unidentified man (probably
Richard Slater), January 16, 1970
1433-111 Giltech 100 blow molding machine, January 16, 1970
1433-112 Giltech 100 blow molding machine and two unidentified men (one is
probably Richard Slater), January 16, 1970
1433-113 Giltech 100 blow molding machine and two unidentified men (one is
probably Richard Slater), January 16, 1970
1433-114 Giltech 100 blow molding machine and two unidentified men (one is
probably Richard Slater), January 16, 1970
1433-115 Blow molding machine and an unidentified man, January 16, 1970
1433-116 Blow molding machine and an unidentified man (probably Richard
Slater), January 16, 1970
1433-117 Close-up view of part of blow molding machine, January 16, 1970
1433-118 Close-up view of part of blow molding machine and two unidentified
men, January 16, 1970
1433-119 Close-up view of blow molding machine, January 16, 1970
1433-120 Blow molding machine and an unidentified man (probably G. T.
Schjeldahl), January 30, 1970
1433-121 Giltech 100 and an unidentified man, January 30, 1970
1433-122 Blow molding machine, undated
1433-123 Close-up view of part of blow molding machine, undated
1433-124 Blow molding machine and an unidentified man, August 1970
1433-125 Control panel of blow molding machine and an unidentified man, August
1970
1433-126 Close-up view of control panel of blow molding machine, August 1970
1433-127 Close-up view of part of blow molding machine, undated
1433-128 Close-up view of part of blow molding machine, undated
1433-129 Close-up view of part of blow molding machine, undated
1433-130 Close-up view of part of blow molding machine, undated
1433-131 Giltech TG 100-4 blow molding machine, undated
1433-132 Close-up view of part of Giltech TG-100-4 blow molding machine,
undated
1433-133 Close-up view of part of Giltech TG-100-4 blow molding machine,
undated
Blow Molding Machine Repair/Assembly
1433-134 Blow molding machine repair/assembly, status of the GT/60 production
model, October 30, 1968
1433-135 Blow molding machine repair/assembly, status of the GT/60 production
model, October 30, 1968
1433-136 Blow molding machine repair/assembly, status of the GT/60 production
model and two unidentified men, October 30, 1968
1433-137 Blow molding machine repair/assembly and three unidentified men (one
is probably Richard Slater), September 19, 1969
1433-138 Blow molding machine repair/assembly and one unidentified man, April
2, 1970
1433-139 Blow molding machine repair/assembly and one unidentified man, April
2, 1970
1433-140 Blow molding machine repair/assembly and one unidentified man, April
2, 1970
1433-141 Blow molding machine repair/assembly and one unidentified man, April
2, 1970
1433-142 Blow molding machine repair/assembly, April 2, 1970
1433-143 Blow molding machine repair/assembly, April 2, 1970
1433-144 Blow molding machine repair/assembly and one unidentified man, April
2, 1970
1433-145 Blow molding machine repair/assembly and one unidentified man, April
2, 1970
1433-146 Blow molding machine repair/assembly, April 2, 1970
1433-147 Blow molding machine repair/assembly, April 2, 1970
1433-148 Blow molding machine repair/assembly, April 2, 1970
1433-149 Blow molding machine repair/assembly, April 2, 1970
1433-150 Blow molding machine repair/assembly, April 2, 1970
1433-151 Blow molding machine repair/assembly, April 2, 1970
1433-152 Blow molding machine repair/assembly, April 2, 1970
1433-153 Blow molding machine repair/assembly, April 2, 1970
1433-154 Blow molding machine repair/assembly, April 2, 1970
1433-155 Blow molding machine repair/assembly, April 2, 1970
1433-156 Blow molding machine repair/assembly, April 2, 1970
1433-157 Blow molding machine repair/assembly, April 2, 1970
1433-158 Blow molding machine repair/assembly and one unidentified man, April
2, 1970
1433-159 Blow molding machine repair/assembly and one unidentified man, undated
1433-160 Partially assembled GT/60 production model in foreground with GT/120
prototype in background, undated
1433-161 Blow molding machine repair/assembly and two unidentified men, undated
1433-162 Blow molding machine repair/assembly, undated
1433-163 Blow molding machine repair/assembly, undated
1433-164 Blow molding machine repair/assembly, undated
1433-165 Blow molding machine repair/assembly, undated
1433-166 Blow molding machine repair/assembly and two unidentified men, undated
1433-167 Blow molding machine repair/assembly and three unidentified men,
undated
1433-168 Blow molding machine being pulled with a forklift and two unidentified
men, undated
Blow Molding Machine Parts
1433-169 Probably blow molding machine parts, February 1967
1433-170 Probably blow molding machine part, February 1967
1433-171 Rotating head with five core rods and neck ring collet assembly, 1969
1433-172 Typical bench test (25# pre-load) of a portion of the tooling, May 26,
1969
1433-173 Platens clamp, September 25, 1969
1433-174 Probably blow molding parts, January 16, 1970
1433-175 Probably blow molding part, January 30, 1970
1433-176 Probably blow molding part, January 30, 1970
1433-177 Probably blow molding part, January 30, 1970
1433-178 Probably blow molding parts, January 30, 1970
1433-179 Probably blow molding part, January 30, 1970
1433-180 Probably blow molding parts, January 30, 1970
1433-181 Probably blow molding part, January 30, 1970
1433-182 Tie-rod cross beam, March 8, 1971
1433-183 Reciprocating clamp for Giltech-100, 1979
1433-184 Probably blow molding machine parts, undated
1433-185 Probably blow molding machine parts, undated
1433-186 1 1/4" diameter camroll bearing, undated
1433-187 Probably blow molding machine parts sitting on a sketch of most likely
a blow molding machine, undated
1433-188 Probably blow molding machine parts sitting on a sketch of most likely
a blow molding machine, undated
1433-189 Probably blow molding machine parts sitting on a sketch of most likely
a blow molding machine, undated
1433-190 Probably blow molding machine parts sitting on a sketch of most likely
a blow molding machine, undated
1433-191 Probably blow molding machine parts sitting on a sketch of most likely
a blow molding machine, undated
1433-192 Probably blow molding machine parts sitting on a sketch of most likely
a blow molding machine, undated
1433-193 Probably blow molding machine parts, undated
1433-194 Probably blow molding machine parts, undated
1433-195 Probably blow molding machine parts, undated
1433-196 Probably blow molding machine part, undated
1433-197 Probably blow molding machine parts, undated
1433-198 Probably blow molding machine parts, undated
1433-199 Probably blow molding machine parts, undated
1433-200 Probably blow molding machine parts, undated
1433-201 Probably blow molding machine parts, undated
Bufferin and Excederin Bottle Designs, Bristol-Myers Products
Division
1433-202 Boxes of Bufferin and Excederin bottles and two unidentified men, 1966
1433-203 Bufferin and Excederin bottles on an assembly line and five
unidentified workers, 1966
Flexible Circuitry
1433-204 Schjel-Clad/Schjel-Flex laminate, Feb. 16, 1966
1433-205 Schjel-Clad/Schjel-Flex laminate, Feb. 16, 1966
1433-206 Schjel-Clad laminate, undated
Plastic Netting Machine Company
1433-207 Plastic netting machine, February 25, 1972
1433-208 Plastic netting machine, February 25, 1972
1433-209 Plastic netting machine, February 25, 1972
1433-210 Plastic netting machine, February 25, 1972
1433-211 Plastic netting machine, February 25, 1972
Ice Cream Dispenser
1433-212 Probably an ice cream dispenser, Model JPS, Nov. 1978
1433-213 Probably an ice cream dispenser, undated
1433-214 Probably an ice cream dispenser, undated
1433-215 Ice cream dispenser, undated
1433-216 Ice cream dispenser, undated
1433-217 Ice cream dispenser, undated
1433-218 Ice cream dispenser, Model PGM base feeder, January 24, 1980
1433-219 Ice cream dispenser, Model PGM base feeder, January 24, 1980
1433-220 Ice cream dispenser, Model PGM base feeder, January 24, 1980
1433-221 Ice cream dispenser, undated
1433-222 Ice cream dispenser, undated
SAURCS
1433-223 SAURCS machine repair/assembly, Oct. 1993
1433-224 SAURCS machine repair/assembly, Nov. 1993
1433-225 SAURCS machine repair/assembly and two unidentified men, 1994
1433-226 SAURCS machine repair/assembly, 1994
1433-227 SAURCS machine repair/assembly, 1994
1433-228 SAURCS machine repair/assembly, 1994
1433-229 Close-up view of SAURCS roll, 1994
1433-230 Close-up view of SAURCS roll, 1994
1433-231 SAURCS coating machine, 1994
Miscellaneous
1433-232 Addition to the north wing of the Gilmore T. Schjeldahl Company office
building in Northfield MN; one truck, one van, and one unidentified man, circa
1960
1433-233 Rear view of completion of north wing addition to Gilmore T.
Schjeldahl Company office building, circa 1960
1433-234 Gilmore T. Schjeldahl telephone switching gear, 1963
1433-235 Typical Mega-bar 180 degree wrap part from MEGA System Design LTD,
Scarborough, Ontario, undated
1433-236 Unknown photo, undated
Films
Four films were separated and added to the film collection.
F 1653Three Gilmore T. Schjeldahl Company projects (1961): Polaris Missle
Program; Air Domes; Echo II
F 1654High-speed movie analysis of bottle discharge system in Giltech-100
machine 1969
F 1655Wells Blue Bunny analysis by G. T. Schjeldahl and J. Ostrum (probably
concerning ice cream filling machines), April 24, 1976
F 1656Schjeldahl family, 1961 and May 1962, and footage of their trip in a
mobile home to Washington State, undated
Books
Two books were separated and added to the North Dakota Book Collection.
Cobb, Jerrie with Jane Rieker. 1963. Woman into Space: The Jerrie Cobb Story. Englewood cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Farkas, Robert. 1964. Heat Sealing. New York: Reinhold.
| Original Donation | First Addition: 2002 |
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