In the Beginning

My memories of the NBS go back even before I started to work there. In June 1923 my father, Bourdon W. Scribner, was appointed Chief of the Paper Section of the Bureau of Standards, as it was called then. The Bureau, mainly devoted to the physical sciences, was also heavily engaged in technological research, although the word technology did not appear in its title. Examples were Sections on Paper, Textiles, Leather and Rubber.  Also Pottery, Glass, Lime, Cement and Stone --down to earth subjects you might say. For details of the organization and the story of the Bureau see R. G. Cochran’s “Measures for Progress, a History of the National Bureau of Standards”, published in 1966.

The Paper Section had a paper making machine, not as large as the production unit at the plant we had left in western Maryland (located at Luke), but equivalent in producing the same final product. The research of the Paper Section in the years to come led to refined standards for papers and improved papers for the currency, military maps, high permanence records and unusual products such as glass-fiber paper.

The Bureau appeared to me to be a friendly place with an annual picnic held on the grounds in front of the South Building and tennis courts available for use by employees. It was a great place to visit, especially for a teenager who was interested in science and had his own chemical laboratory at home.

I learned that, in addition to its Scientific Papers, the Bureau published Circulars of practical interest to the public. One that I obtained, the first of a series on radios begun in 1922, was No. 120 on “Construction and Operation of a Simple Homemade Radio Receiving Outfit” (price 5 cents). After winding the tuning coil on a round Quaker Oats box and buying the crystal detector and earphones, (total cost less than 10 dollars) I completed the set and it worked! This, our first radio set, greatly impressed my family especially my mother. She was an avid baseball fan and sat glued to the set to listen to the 1924 World Series which was won by the Washington Senators.