| | LEVEL OF DESCRIPTION: | Fonds | | No.: | PR0680 | | TITLE: | Robert R. and Faust R. Gonsett fonds | | CREATOR: | Gonsett, Faust R. | | DATE RANGE: | 1918-1965 | | EXTENT: | 0.08 m of textual records. – 60 photographs. – 5 negatives | | ADMINISTRATIVE | | HISTORY/BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: | Robert Roman Gonsett was born in the Ukraine in 1891 and immigrated to eastern Canada in 1907. He married Irene Stefanyna of Chipman, Alberta and in 1914 they settled in Edmonton, Alberta where Gonsett set up a laboratory to work on his numerous inventions. The family moved to California in 1916 and Gonsett established the Gonset Company in Burbank, California to manufacture electronic equipment. In later years Gonsett’s son, Faust R. (Robert) Gonsett, joined him in manufacturing various inventions. Robert R. Gonsett also established the Gonsett’s Waterproof Electric Company with his son and the company supplied electrical equipment to the United States Navy during World War II and to the United States government after the war. Gonsett died June 25, 1951, survived by his wife and son. In 1956 they donated $1000 to the University of Alberta to establish the R.R. Gonsett Memorial Ukrainian Library, and also established a Bursary in his name, and together continued the family business until it was sold to L.A. Young Spring and Wire Corporation in 1958. Faust Gonsett became president and majority owner of Minitron Incorporated for a brief period in 1960, and in 1963 he formed Sideband Engineers Incorporated. | | CUSTODIAL HISTORY: | The University of Alberta deposited accession PR1969.0114 in the Provincial Archives of Alberta in 1969. The University received a donation from Robert Roman Gonsett’s widow, Irene, and his son, Faust Gonsett, to establish the R.R. Gonsett Memorial Library, but it is not known if these records were deposited in the University of Alberta by the Gonsetts at the same time. | | SCOPE AND CONTENT: | Fonds consists of records pertaining to various Gonsett companies and to various inventions created by R.R. Gonsett and F.R. Gonsett and includes letters patent, specifications, diagrams, and descriptions of inventions, correspondence, advertising flyers and catalogues depicting various Gonset Company products and depicting various Gonsett inventions, and technical and instruction manuals for radio sets. Also included are Ukrainian magazines, information about the R.R. Gonsett Memorial Ukrainian library, and a flyer for Cal Farley’s Boys’ Ranch in Amarillo, Texas.
The fonds has been arranged into the following series: Inventions of R.R. Gonsett; Inventions of F.R. Gonsett; Inventions of R.R. and F.R. Gonsett; Gonsett Companies; Miscellaneous.
| | ASSOCIATED MATERIAL: | Some of the inventions created by Robert R. and Faust R. Gonsett can be found in the Provincial Museum of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta under location number H68.121. | | RELATED RECORDS: | Other records related to Robert R. and Faust R. Gonsett can be found in the PR0681 Irene Gonsett fonds. | | GENERAL NOTE: | Information for the biographical sketch was taken from the records and from the Alberta Inventors and Inventions website, located at http://collections.ic.gc.ca/?ABinvents/inventors/romangonsett_biography.htm accessed on May 31, 2004. |
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