The RCA Solid State Division (SSD) records consist of the papers of scientists and administrators from the division’s facilities in Somerville, New Jersey and Findlay, Ohio. Research records, photographs, and promotional materials provide evidence of SSD’s research, development, and manufacturing of solid state components and devices.

This collection is arranged in thirteen series: Billie Joe Call papers; Thomas Chesek papers; Sidney Cooper photographs; J. Thomas Croasmun papers; Pauline D'Andrea retirement scrapbook; Richard Klein photographs; Rob Kleppinger papers; William R. Linke papers on RCA Findlay dedication; Max Malchow photographs; Joel Oberman photographs; Somerville hourly workers collection; C. Frank Wheatley, Jr. papers; and General.

The Billie Joe Call papers are composed of schematics, notes, correspondence, and user manuals related to the research and development of systems that employed RCA’s COSMAC microprocessor. These included what RCA scientists called “FRED,” or flexible recreational and educational devices, such as Studio II, III, and IV, VIP, and Microtutor.

The Thomas Chesek papers include promotional material for electronic components including linear integrated circuits, transistors, and analog-to-digital converters. Also included are publications from RCA, GE, and Harris Semiconductor including company newsletters and product guides. The papers also include internal correspondence from the RCA Solid State Division in Somerville, New Jersey along with handbooks, manuals, and directories for RCA employees from 1967 to 1981.

The Sidney Cooper photographs contain 47 prints, both color and black and white, as well as a handful of paper documents. These images and documents illustrate work done in the 1960s and 1970s on audio amplifiers, Spectra 70, and the ICBM Minutemen Computer.

The J. Thomas Croasmun papers relate to Croasmun’s position as a human resources employee. Files include new employee information, photographs and stories of plant events, informational blurbs and motivational cartoons that Croasmun used as editor of weekly plant newsletters and its edition of the monthly magazine RCA Family. The papers also include approximately 100 idea files submitted by employees to the plant’s suggestion program in the early 1970s. Of special note is the large collection of clippings, photo cards, and newsletters related to the Voyager programs.

The Pauline D’Andrea retirement scrapbook includes photographs, notes from her co-workers, friends, and family, and her retirement party guest list. Also included in the scrapbook are some of her working tools and a certificate of completion for the Pre-Retirement Planning Program sponsored by RCA Solid State Division.

The Rob Kleppinger papers are composed of articles, notes, photographs, and prototypes related to Kleppinger’s work on transistors for the RCA Solid State Division. Of particular interest are the mounted diode displays and the photograph albums of RCA’s transistor models.

The William R. Linke papers are composed of correspondence, news clippings, memoranda, photographs, and one very flat balloon related to the grand opening ceremonies at RCA’s plant in Findlay, Ohio.

The Max Malchow photographs contain 6 black and white prints and 1 negative. These images depict work done on Semiconductors at RCA Somerville in the 1960s.

The Joel Oberman photographs contain 21 black and white as well as color photographic prints, 1 negative, and a handful of paper documents. These images depict work done on solid state microprocessors in the 1970s.

This collection contains a variety of images and documents that pertain to the hourly workers at RCA Somerville. These images can be broken down into a few categories that include the strike of 1970, years of service and retirement dinners from about 1970-1988, employee trips to Florida and Detroit in the 1970s-1980s, an employee picnic, group photographs, and the Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) group. There are also a few documents from an in-house publication that highlights employee suggestions and achievements.

The C. Frank Wheatley, Jr. papers are composed of reports, articles, correspondence, and patents relating to his work on insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBT) and semiconductors at RCA. The papers also include instruction manuals and publications on power transistors and microprocessors.

The General series includes selection and product guides from RCA, Harris Semiconductor, and GE. It also contains videos, technical reports, newsletters, and lecture notes.

Of note is the video “RCA's Solid State Technology Center: Where the Future is Happening Today” which shows the materials created by this unit as well as giving a tour of the facilities.