Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust, Allison Branch collection
Collection — Folder: S2307
Identifier: S2307
Scope and Contents
This collection contains several items ranging from 1946 to 2011 from the Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust/Allison Branch archives of Indianapolis, Indiana. The items include a "Fact Sheet" about the Allison Gas Turbine Division, General Motors Corporation, a copy of "History of Allison Engine School Locations," and a copy of "Allison - The Man, the Name, the Tradition," a history of the Indianapolis operations, all from the 1980s; a copy of "James A. Allison Story," an undated two-page biography; a May 1, 1990 memo from Terry R. Gonser, New Business Development Manager, that was sent with the Allison Engine Family Tree chart; a copy of the chronology of the company from 1913 to 1949 showing management, number of employees, and products; a copy of "Jet Age Take Off: Jet Engines, 1921 to 1945," an essay written by Dave Kriplen and sent to the Heritage Trust in May 2010; copies of the operating reports for the Allison Division of General Motors Corporation dated August 1, 1946 and March 1, 1947; and a brief overview of the company and its name changes and a sixty-three-page history that documents significant events of the company from 1915 to 1983 that was supplied to the author of the overview by the Heritage Trust in December 2011.
Dates
- 1946-2011
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights resides with the creators of the documents or their legal heirs and assigns. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.
Historical Note
James A. Allison founded the Indianapolis Speedway Team Company in September 1915 to support his Indianapolis 500 racing activities. In 1917, the firm was incorporated as the Allison Experimental Company and applied its automotive engineering expertise toward the United States war effort during World War I. Following the war, the company's name was changed to the Allison Engineering Company, and though it was recognized for its Liberty aircraft engines, it continued to be more of an experimental than production organization. The company was purchase by General Motors (GM) in 1929 and became the Allison Division of GM. In 1970, GM merged the Allison Division and the Detroit Diesel Division to form the Detroit Diesel Allison Division (DDA). The merger was not beneficial to Allison, so the DDA was reorganized in 1983 into two separate division, the Detroit Diesel Allison Division, which included the transmission operations of Allison, and the Allison Gas Turbine Division. In 1993, Allison Gas Turbine was sold to senior company managers backed by a New York investment firm for a reported $310 million and the company became the Allison Engine Company. In March 1995, the company was sold again, this time to Rolls-Royce for $525 million.
Sources:
Information found within collection.
O'Malley, Chris. "Now It's Allison Engine Co." Indianapolis Newsr (IN), December 1, 1993. https://www.newspapers.com.
O'Malley, Chris. "Rolls-Royce Closes Deal on Allison." Indianapolis News (IN), March 24, 1995. https://www.newspapers.com.
Willis, Wanda Lou. "Allison Divisions, General Motors Corporation." Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, edited by David J. Bodenhamer and Robert G. Barrows, 249-250. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1994.
Sources:
Information found within collection.
O'Malley, Chris. "Now It's Allison Engine Co." Indianapolis Newsr (IN), December 1, 1993. https://www.newspapers.com.
O'Malley, Chris. "Rolls-Royce Closes Deal on Allison." Indianapolis News (IN), March 24, 1995. https://www.newspapers.com.
Willis, Wanda Lou. "Allison Divisions, General Motors Corporation." Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, edited by David J. Bodenhamer and Robert G. Barrows, 249-250. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1994.
Extent
0.03 Cubic Feet (1 folder)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
This collection is arranged by subject.
Custodial History
This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Processing Information
Collection processing completed 2022/04/13 by Laura Eliason. EAD finding aid created 2022/04/13 by Laura Eliason.
- Allison, James A. (James Asbury), 1872-1928
- Automobile industry and trade
- Business enterprises
- Business enterprises -- Indiana
- Business enterprises -- Indiana -- Indianapolis
- Engineering
- General Motors Corporation. Allison Gas Turbine Division
- Indianapolis (Ind.)
- Industries -- Indiana -- Indianapolis
- Manufacturing industries -- Indiana
- Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust
- Title
- Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust, Allison Branch collection
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository
Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
