Paul H. Neumann Rochester Products Collection

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: 2015-005

Staff Only

Scope and Content

Paul H. Neumann was an engineer employed by the Rochester Products Division of General Motors. The collection consists of ephemera and publications from his time with the company, including union newsletters and announcements; product engineer newsletters, Neumann's technical drawings for various products; pamphlets and brochures; book of RP's efforts in WWII; training materials; new employee orientation materials. The materials in the collection date from 1944 to 1983, with the bulk dated between 1951 and 1959.

Dates

Creation: 1944-1983
Creation: Majority of material found within 1951 - 1959

Access

There are no restrictions regarding access to this collection.

Use

Permission to publish, reproduce, distribute, or use in any current or future manifestations must be obtained in writing from the Rochester Public Library Local History & Genealogy Division.

Biographical Note

Rochester Products traces its origin back to Edward Halbleib's Rochester Coil Company, founded in 1908. The company changed its name to North East Electric, manufacturing starters, ignition systems and other auto electric companents at 348 Whitney Street. North East Electric was purchased by General Motors in 1929, being consolidated with Delco-Light in 1930 and renamed Rochester Products in 1937. It rose to Division status within General Motors in 1939, having moved to a massive new plant at 1000 Lexington Avenue the previous year. The Rochester plant was noted for producing carburetors (from 1945, including the Quadrajet) and tubing for automotive and refrigeration equipment (from the 1940s to the 1960s), amongst other products. Rochester Products merged with the Diesel Equipment Division in 1981; however, the diesel products unit was sold off in 1988 and Rochester Products was consolidated with AC Spark Plug. During this time, Rochester Products focused on the production of fuel management, emissions control and valve train products. In 1994, Rochester Products was consolidated with the passenger automotive product lines of General Motors' Delco-Remy Division as AC Delco Systems, leading to the end of Rochester Products as an independent division.

Paul Neumann was a Greece resident and long time engineer for Rochester Products. Born April 22, 1927, he served in the military in World War Two before joining Rochester Products. He was married to his wife Ruth for over 60 years, and had four children with her: David, Peggy, Dan and Tim. He passed away on July 26, 2009.

Extent

0.5 Cubic Feet (1 box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Custodial History

The collection was donated by Robert Cunningham on behalf of the family of Paul Neumann, an engineer at Rochester Products.

Separated Materials

The following materials were removed from the collection:

Due to size, the Auto Show supplement (D& C Jan 9, 1966) was moved to the large ephemera collection.

For improved access, the following periodicals were catalogued and are available in the Local History Division's periodical collection: Input (1983: v. 1, n.5; 1984: v. 2, n. 1, 5-12; 1985: v. 3, n. 3, 5-6, 8, 10-11; 1986: v. 4, n. 1-10; 1987: v. 5, n. 1, 3-4, 10; 1988: v. 6, n. 1, 3-9; 1989: v. 7, n. 1-9; 1990: v. 8, n. 1-2, 4: 1991: v. 9, n. 1-4; 1992: v. 10, n. 1-3; 1993: v. 11, n. 1-6; 1994: v. 12, n. 1-5; 1995: v. 13, n. 1-4; 1996: v. 14, n. 1-4, 6; 1997: v. 15, n. 1-5; 1998: v. 16, n. 1, 3; anniversary issue) Direction (scattered issues 1991-1994) The Arpeadee (v.8, no. 1-v. XIV, 23 D&C supplement (September 9, 1984)

Bibliography

"Neumann, Paul." Democrat & Chronicle (newspaper), Rochester, New York. July 28, 2009, page 8.

"Rochester Products Division." Wikipedia, accessed June 23, 2020 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rochester_Products_Division.

"Rochester's Automotive History Spans Over 100 Years." from Jackson, David D. The History of the Delco-Remy Divsion of General Motors (website on-line), accessed June 23, 2020 from http://www.delcoremyhistory.com/Allied%20Divisions/rochester.htm.