Phyllis Kaufman family papers

Collection

Identifier: MS 0840

Staff Only

Finding aid note: Forms part of the Houston Jewish History Archive. Stored offsite at the Library Service Center and require 24-hour notice for retrieval. Please contact the Woodson Research Center at 713-348-2586 or woodson@rice.edu for more information.

Scope and Contents

One box of materials from a large scrapbook containing correspondence, certificates, awards, diplomas, news clippings, patents, and photographs documents some of Phyllis Kaufman's father's (Norman Belasco) life from 1954 to 2005, including his twenty year career with NASA. Of particular interest are a copy of the patent for the "Medical Subjects Monitoring Systems" that Mr. Belasco co-created and Apollo 8-11 emblems silkscreened on the same glass fiber cloth that covered the crew's spacesuits. The collection also includes ten photographs from Phyllis's time as an instructor at I. Weiner Jewish Secondary School in Houston. Of particular interest is a panoramic photograph of a group of students on a trip to Washington D.C. in 1998 and two VHS tapes.

Dates

Creation: 1954 - 2005

Creator

Kaufman, Phyllis (Person)
Belasco, Norman (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This material is open for research.

Stored offsite at the Library Service Center and require 24-hour notice for retrieval. Please contact the Woodson Research Center at 713-348-2586 or woodson@rice.edu for more information.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish material from the Phyllis Kaufman Family Papers must be obtained from the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library.

The Woodson Research Center use policy is that researchers assume sole responsibility for any infringement of privacy, literary rights, copyrights, or other rights arising from their use of the archival materials. In addition to any restrictions placed by donors, certain kinds of archival materials are restricted for the life of the creator plus 50 years. These materials include, but are not limited to, student grades, transcripts, and any job applications or recommendations.

Biographical / Historical

Norman Belasco was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, August 26, 1923. He grew up in Philadelphia, graduating from Frankfurt High School in January 1941. Mr. Belasco joined the U.S. Army Air Forces after World War II began and served for four years. After leaving the military, he attended Drexel University where he earned a Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. The university named him Drexel Man of the Year fifteen years after graduating.

Norman married Bernice Knabel in Philadelphia in 1948. Their daughter, Phyllis, was born in 1953. In 1963, the family moved to Houston where Norman accepted a position with NASA at Johnson Space Center. He worked in the biomedical area at JSC, later becoming Deputy Chief of Medical Operations. While at JSC he co-created, and patented, the "flush toilet for zero gravity environments" and the "medical subject monitoring systems." Norman received many awards during his time at JSC and was widely recognized for his work on biomedical aspects of manned space-flight during his 20 year career with NASA. Norman died November 27, 2004 in Houston. He is interred at Beth Yeshurun Cemetery.

Phyllis Belasco graduated from Bellaire High School in 1970. Her husband, Sheldon Kaufman, is a 1968 graduate of Westbury High and a 1972 graduate of Rice University. Phyllis and Sheldon married in Houston on March 17, 1974. Phyllis taught at I. Weiner Jewish Secondary School from 1980-2001, with the exception of 1984-1986 when her children were born. She taught English, ESL, Bible, history, and speech and is now retired.

Extent

1.25 Linear Feet (2 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

This collection contains materials from a large scrapbook created, primarily, by Phyllis Kaufman's father, Norman Belasco, which documents some of his twenty year career with NASA from 1963 to 1983, including correspondence, certificates, awards, diplomas, news clips, patents, and photographs. The collection also includes ten photographs from Phyllis's time as an instructor at I. Weiner Secondary School in Houston, including a panoramic photograph of a group of students on a trip to Washington D.C. in 1998 and two VHS cassettes.

Arrangement

The materials in this collection have been arranged in two series as follows:

Series I: I. Weiner Jewish Secondary School; Series II: Norman Belasco NASA scrapbook; Series III: Media