I. PERSONAL MATERIALS. 0.5 cubic feet

Materials largely from Leo Christensen’s high school and college days. Includes commencement programs, college handbook, banquet and event programs, report cards, papers, valentines, Christmas cards, fraternal/honorary organizational materials, as well as the wedding invitation to Eva (Patterson) and Leo Christensen’s wedding.

Arranged largely chronologically.

II. CORRESPONDENCE. 4.0 cubic feet

This series is broken down into two subgroups: personal and professional. Personal correspondence runs 1918-1939, 1950-1959, n.d. The majority of the personal correspondence contains the courtship letters between Eva and Leo while she taught graded school in Nebraska while he pursued further education in Iowa. Their correspondence continues through their early years of marriage and the birth of children while Leo traveled on work-related concerns. Other personal correspondence involves various extended family members and college friends of Leo. Professional correspondence deals solely with Leo’s Chemurgic consulting and investment interests. It spans 1940-1955, 1959.

Both the personal and professional subgroups are arranged first alphabetically by correspondent, then chronologically.

III. NOTEBOOKS. 3.5 cubic feet

Research notebooks of Christensen. The dates of the materials found span from his college years through the twilight of his career. The majority of the work centers on 1920-1940. Topics cover a wide range of chemurgic subjects, but emphasis is given to the topics of alcohol and fermentation. Due to the deteriorated state, some of the materials have been removed from their original notebooks.

Arranged alphabetically.

IV. PUBLISHED MATERIALS. 7.0 cubic feet

Articles and excerpts of larger works on various chemurgic subject areas. The series is further divided into the following subject areas: Agricultural crops; Agricultural Products and Processing Operations; Alcohol-Gasoline; Chemical Uses of Agricultural Products; Chemistry and Chemical Engineering; Christensen, Leo; Congressional Hearings; Enzymatic Processes; Fermentation Processes; General; Industrial Plant Design; Industrial Alcohol; Memorandum; Microorganisms; Synthetic Rubber.

The subgroup “Christensen, Leo,” contains publications where he was the sole or principal author. Other materials within various subgroups in the series may contain materials written by Christensen as a secondary author or researcher. All subgroup materials were collected to aid in Christensen’s own work, with the dominant subject area being alcohol-gasoline.

Arranged alphabetically by subgroup then alphabetically by publication title within each subgroup.

V. PATENT MATERIALS. 3.0 cubic feet

A collection of summaries, applications, forms, correspondence and other related materials for patents held in fields and processes in relation to activity within the Chemurgic movement. Some of the materials relate to patents applied for, rejected and held by Christensen in both his individual research and commercial consulting work. Christensen collected patent materials for many processes held by researchers world-wide.

Arranged alphabetically.

VI. REPORTS. 0.5 cubic feet

Miscellaneous published and unpublished reports on various Chemurgic subjects, including farm industrial companies with which Christensen had an interest.

Arranged alphabetically.

VII. MANUSCRIPTS AND DRAFT MANUSCRIPTS. 6 Folders

Various drafts of materials authored by Christensen, dated in the late 1940s.

Arranged alphabetically.

VIII. GENERAL SUBJECTS. 2.0 cubic feet

Files of materials not identified by content for placement in other series. Subjects vary and relate to subjects within other series, sometimes abstractly. Of interest is a 13 folder set of congressional hearings materials on industrial alcohol and synthetic rubber. Collection of theses by other students of chemurgy is noteworthy.

Arranged alphabetically by folder title.

IX. [MISCELLANEOUS]. 0.25 cubic feet

An artificial series created by the archivist to place stray and loose materials not readily identifiable with other series materials.

Arranged alphabetically.

X. FARM CROPS PROCESSING CO. 5 folders

A notebook containing the business function of the Farm Crops Processing Co., an enterprise in which Christensen had an interest. Due to the deteriorated condition of the notebook, the materials have been removed and placed into five consecutive folders maintaining the original order of the notebook as it came to the archives.

XI. AUDIO-VISUAL MATERIALS. 5 folders

Photographic images of Christensen, his wife, his children, his cats, and unidentified individuals.