Louis Bevier Spinney earned a B.M.E. (1892) in electrical engineering and a B.S. (1893) in electrical engineering from Iowa State College. He served as an instructor of Physics and Mechanical Engineering at Iowa State College from 1893-1894, and after returning in1896 from several years working in Europe was Assistant Professor of Physics and became head of the Department of Physics and Electrical Engineering in 1897. Spinney retired in 1942. The collection contains correspondence, class notebooks, newspaper clippings, and photographs from Spinney's own coursework and his tenure as professor at Iowa State College.

Louis Bevier Spinney was born May 27, 1869, in Bradford, Illinois. He earned a B.M.E. (Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering; 1892) and a B.S. (1893) in electrical engineering from Iowa State College (University). He served as an instructor (1893-1894) of Physics and Mechanical Engineering at Iowa State. In 1894 he obtained a leave of absence and went abroad, spending one year at the University of Berlin to study physics and mathematics. The following year he studied mathematics and electrotechnics at the Eidenössisches Polytechnikum in Zurich, Switzerland.

He returned to Iowa State College in 1897 as Professor (1897-1951) and Head (1897-1942) of the Department of Physics and Electrical Engineering in 1897. When the department was split in 1909, Spinney remained as Head of the Department of Physics. The college awarded him the degree of Doctor of Science in 1948. Spinney taught the first courses on alternating current at Iowa State.

While at Iowa State, Spinney served the University and his community in many capacities. He helped plan the design of Marston Hall and Physics Hall. Spinney wrote A Text-book of Physics (Macmillan, 1911), which for a period of time was one of the most popular physics textbooks in colleges and universities; it was in print for over three decades and sold over 100,000 copies. Spinney served on the Ames City Council for many years starting in 1916 and was named the first Chairman (1926) of the Ames Parks Commission. Spinney also was Vice President (1911-1951) of the Ames Trust and Savings Bank. He served as President (1930) of the Iowa Academy of Science. He received the Alumni Merit Award (1942) from the Iowa State University Alumni Association.

Spinney married Beryl Anna Hoyt in 1904. They had two children, Beryl and Louis. He passed away in 1951.

The collection (1891-1951, undated) contains correspondence, class notebooks, newspaper clippings, and photographs from Spinney's undergraduate coursework and his tenure as professor at Iowa State College.

The collection is arranged alphabetically.