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Papers of B. T. A. Sagar

 Collection
Identifier: WSAG

Scope and Contents

The Papers of B. T. A. Sagar consists of documents dated 1963 to 2016, with the bulk falling from 1979 to 2010. The collection is not comprehensive but does include representative projects from across Dr. Sagar's career and a variety of countries in which he worked. The bulk of the collection is documentation for engineering projects where Dr. Sagar either designed, advised on, or reviewed the gates and/or valves involved. Projects involve countries on four continents and at very wide ranging scales. The collection also contains papers, publications, and presentations by Dr. Sagar along with some general documentation of his career. The majority of the collection is in English, but several other languages are also present.

Dates

  • Creation: 1963-2016
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1979-2010

Creator

Restrictions on Access

There are no access restrictions on this collection. However, this collection is stored off-site, so advance notice is required.

Restrictions on Use

Not all of the material in the collection is in the public domain. Researchers are responsible for addressing copyright issues.

Biography

As a hydro-mechanical engineer, B. T. A. Sagar specialized in gates and valves for irrigation and hydropower projects around the world. He designed or reviewed gates and valves for some of the largest such projects.

Bokkapatnam Tirumala Ananda Sagar was born in Guntur, India, in 1929. He earned an undergraduate degree in civil engineering from Andhra University (1950) and an M.S. from the University of Colorado (1959). A decade later he enrolled in Colorado State University and completed his Ph.D. in hydraulics and hydromechanics in 1973.

Over nearly two decades (1950-1969), Sagar worked his way up as assistant director, deputy director, and then director of the Central Water and Power Commission for the government of India in New Delhi. He was responsibile for the gates and hoists at most of the major dams and hydropower projects in the country.

In the United States, Sagar worked for Engineering Consultants International (ECI) (earlier called PRC Engineering Consultants) in Englewood, Colorado, starting in 1969. There he was responsible for hydro-mechanical equipment used at many hydropower and irrigation projects around the world. He was vice president of ECI from 1999 to 2001 and became an independent consultant after retirement. Beyond India, his work involved facilities in Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Peru, and other locations. U.S. locations included Puerto Rico and several western states.

Sagar's professional activities included service as a consultant to both the United Nations and the World Bank. He held professional memberships in the American Society of Civil Engineers, U.S. Committee on Large Dams (USCOLD), International Water Resources Assocation, and Sigma Xi. He was the founding chair of the USCOLD Subcommittee on Gates and Valves. He also published a number of articles and gave several conference presentations on subjects relating to various types of gates.

B. T. A. Sagar and his wife B. T. Yashoda married in 1962 and had two children, son Mohan and daughter Sangeetha. They lived in the Denver metro area and in Colorado Springs. Sagar was proficient in six languages and was a devout Hindu. Sagar passed away in 2017.

Extent

9 linear feet (6 record cartons)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

As a hydro-mechanical engineer, B. T. A. Sagar (1929-2017) specialized in gates and valves for irrigation and hydropower projects around the world. The collection includes representative projects from across Dr. Sagar's career and a variety of countries in which he worked. The bulk of the collection is documentation for engineering projects where Dr. Sagar either designed, advised, or reviewed the gates and/or valves involved, along with his papers, publications, and presentations.

Arrangement

The collection consists of 2 series in 6 boxes:

Series 1: Professional activities, 1963-2016 and undated

Series 2: Projects, 1965-2015 and undated

Acquisition

The Papers of B. T. A. Sagar was donated by his daughter Sangeetha Sagar in March and June 2018.

Appraisal

The collection was sent to the Archives by Dr. Sagar's family. Materials had little to no organization and were not in the cleanest condition. In sorting through the materials, it became apparent that many documents that could be identified as part of specific projects contained proprietary information. Ultimately, what was retained are materials by Dr. Sagar that were clearly, or highly likely, not contractually restricted and that were representative of his work. Some large sets of materials related to projects he worked on, even if his contributions were not specifically indentified, were retained as examples. Drafts, duplicates, reference materials, government documents, vendor literature, personal mail, religious flyers, unidentified materials, and moldy items were generally not retained.

Processing

Processing was completed in July 2018. Materials were rehoused in acid-free boxes and folders as needed. One item was cleaned of mold. The floppy disk and CDs were backed up on the library's digital server.

Inventory Note

Note: All title information is supplied by the archivist. Estimated pagination ispreceded by an "e." Two identical copies of the same item are indicated by thephrase "2 copies" at the end of the entry, following the number of pages of eachcopy.

Subject

Title
Guide to the Papers of B. T. A. Sagar
Status
Edited Full Draft
Author
Prepared by Patricia J. Rettig
Date
Copyright 2018
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the CSU Libraries Archives & Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Fort Collins Colorado 80523-1019 USA
970-491-1844