View Edwin Albert Link
The papers of Edwin Albert Link span the years 1939 through 1981, plus a few posthumous additions through 1992, and deal primarily with Link's interests in the air and the oceans. The collection is contained in ninety-four boxes, and includes correspondence, newspaper and magazine articles, photographs, financial records, engineering diagrams, reports, company and organization publications, and memorabilia. The bulk of the collection is concentrated between 1940 and 1970 and documents the continuing importance of E.A. Link in the field of aviation simulation, his pioneering efforts in underwater archaeology and ocean engineering, and the increasing sophistication of human interest in the oceans.
Mr. and Mrs. Link divided their collection of Link material between two institutions: the State University of New York at Binghamton (now known as Binghamton University), and the Roberson Center for the Arts and Sciences in Binghamton, New York. This division was based on the goals of each institution, and most of the items that are suitable for exhibit were given to the Roberson Center. As a result, the Binghamton University Link Collection contains mainly of photographs, duplicate or xeroxed copies of newspaper and magazine articles, and there are few artifacts. However, all the correspondence is maintained at Binghamton University, along with important company documents, such as reports and minutes of meetings, publications, and advertisements. There is an extensive collection of financial records from the Sea Diver Corp., and forms from Link Aviation, Inc., for estimates, requisitions, shipping orders, and the like. The Link Collection also includes copies of Edwin Link's original engineering diagrams for his Man-in-Sea program, invaluable for showing the evolution of this concept, and his reports on archaeological expeditions and ocean engineering developments.
The Link papers are arranged according to the different types of material included within the collection. The largest, and most important series, contains Link's correspondence. A few letters written by Ed Link's wife, Marion Clayton Link, and his half-sister, Marilyn C. Link, are also included in this series. Because Link's business interests frequently grew out of his personal interests and were usually intertwined with them, it is difficult to separate precisely his business from his personal correspondence. Therefore, the correspondence is arranged topically to indicate the evolution and diversity of Link's ideas. Using this approach, two major categories are: Aviation (19391976), and Oceans (1946-1979); Organs and Player Pianos (1952-1970) form a third, much smaller category. A fourth, Miscellaneous Correspondence (1944-1981), contains the remainder of the correspondence. Within these categories, continuity is maintained through the use of chronological arrangement.
A flood in the Link Aviation, Inc. offices destroyed most of the early files, so there are no papers prior to 1939, and little information on the development of the early trainers. Also, there is little personal correspondence included in the collection.
Despite these limitations, the Edwin A. Link papers are a valuable source for historians of the twentieth century. Link is one of the important figures in aviation and simulation. Cold war historians will be interested in the informal relationships between Link Aviation, Inc., and the military establishment. The history of Link Aviation, Inc. will interest local historians because of its prominent role in the Binghamton area. Those studying the history of science and technology will also find valuable information in Ed Link's pioneering developments in the oceans. Although other people and companies have further expanded and developed his projects, Link was one of the first people to view realistically the potentials of the oceans. His abilities and interests in underwater archaeology and ocean engineering were an important element in the renewed interest in the oceans that became especially pronounced in the 1960s. In addition, Edwin Link was one of Binghamton's most prominent residents, and many persons probably will be interested in documenting his fascinating career. Thus, historians with diverse backgrounds will find the Link Collection useful for the varied insights it offers in understanding the conquest and use of the oceans and the air.
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