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Ralph E. Rechel papers

 Collection
Identifier: MS2064

Collection Scope and Content

The Ralph E. Rechel Papers consist mainly of documents created by him or his colleagues during his years as a transportation analyst and consultant for various public and private organizations. The collection contains assorted memoranda, reports, journals, correspondence, testimonials, news clippings and pamphlets. These range in date from 1947 to 1980. There is a heavy concentration of materials from the early 1960's to the late 1970's which represent Rechel's private consulting work, often in association with the Institute for Public Management.

The collection is divided into four different series of records. The largest of these is one that deals with Urban Transit Issues and includes separate categories for Financial and Economic Issues, Highway and Motor Vehicle Issues, and Urban Mass Transportation. Contained in this series are a number of documents dealing with large scale planning for commuter services in urban environments. Most do not directly relate to the District of Columbia, but may have had an impact in the later development of the Metro rail and bus system. Safety issues are also addressed in the development of such systems.

The series termed as Air Transportation reflects Ralph Rechel's early years with the Air Transportation Agency and also contains his Master's Thesis. Many issues of passenger and cargo air travel, as they developed in the formative years of the airline industry in the 1950's, are well-documented. Also included is the Railroad Transportation series which includes information on passenger and cargo travel over the nation's rail system. Additionally, there is a small amount of material on creating light rail commuting lines outside of immediate urban areas. Finally there is a series of documents relating to other forms of transportation, specifically those dealing with watercraft usage and shipping procedures.

Dates

  • 1947-1980

Creator

Restrictions on Access

Some records may be restricted.

Restrictions on Use

Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.

Historical or Biographical Note

Ralph E. Rechel received his Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Government and Economics from Principia College in 1948. He later received a Master's degree in Public Administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University in 1955. While still in school he worked for the Civil Aeronautics Administration and had articles published in places such as the American Foreign Service Journal. After two and a half years he began working as an analyst in the Economic Research Department of the Air Transportation Association. Here, he dealt with the inner workings of the airline industry, its involvement with the private sector and the government, and concentrating on financial planning for the future of the worlds' air transportation. His activities also included testifying before the Civil Aeronautics Board on behalf of airline carriers in regard to passenger fares, profit sharing, and public subsidies.

By July of 1959 Ralph Rechel had moved to a private consulting practice. One of his first assignments in that organization was to work on a report dealing with national transportation policy for the U.S. Senate Interstate Commerce Commission.

In the following two decades, Mr. Rechel practiced as a consulting specialist in matters of economics and management in all forms of transportation. Some of his projects included traffic forecasting, analyses of project feasibility, financial planning, and policies for the creation of large scale urban transit systems. This work, in the United States as well as eighteen other countries, was for both public and private institutions. Many of Rechel's consulting projects were in association with R. L. Banks and Associates, Inc.

Extent

4 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Ralph E. Rechel Papers consist mainly of documents created by him or his colleagues during his years as a transportation analyst and consultant for various public and private organizations. The collection contains assorted memoranda, reports, journals, correspondence, testimonials, news clippings and pamphlets. These range in date from 1947 to 1980.

Collection Organization

Organized into four series: Air transportation, Railroad transportation, Urban mass transit, and Other transportation.

Reparative Description Project

This finding aid was revised in September 2022 to address problematic descriptive language related to disability. During that revision, description was not edited or removed, but additional information was provided to add context. The Historic Context note for this archival object explains the revision. To view the Historic Context note that discusses the revision use Box 6 folder 1 . To view the finding aid prior to this revision work please use Pre-revision Feb. 2022 finding aid of the Ralph E. Rechel papers

Title
Guide to the Ralph E. Rechel Papers, 1947-1980
Status
Completed
Author
Special Collections Research Center, The George Washington University
Date
2005
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Research Center, The George Washington University Repository

Contact:
2130 H Street NW
Washington 20052 United States of America