This page brings together centennial events, primary sources, historic sites, and scholarly resources related to Robert H. Goddard’s life and work, with a particular focus on materials held at Clark University and within the Worcester community.
Events
The Goddard record
Historical sites
Clark University
- Robert H. Goddard Memorial
- Permanent Goddard exhibit — second floor, Robert H. Goddard Library
- Commemorative plaque — Math/Physics Building
- National Space Trail marker (forthcoming)
Community partners
- EcoTarium — museum of science and nature
- Charles Slatkin ’74, owner of the Goddard birthplace, now The Dr. Robert and Esther Goddard Center for Innovation, founder of The Wonder Mission and The First Launch Centennial
- Worcester Historical Museum
- Goddard Park, Auburn
Robert H. Goddard Memorial, 1978
David von Schlegell (1920–1992)
Granite, stainless steel
Atwood Plaza, Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts
Authorized by joint resolution of the United States Congress in 1965 and funded by NASA and Clark University, this monument honors rocket pioneer Robert H. Goddard. Designed by American sculptor David von Schlegell and dedicated in 1978, it remains the only permanent national monument to Goddard.
The sculpture consists of an asymmetrical granite block with a curved face and a tall stainless steel shaft embedded at its apex. The shaft traces a parabolic trajectory, referencing the mathematical principles underlying rocket flight and symbolizing Goddard’s engineering innovation. A nearby granite marker bears a commemorative bronze plaque.
Von Schlegell, influenced by his wartime experience as an aircraft engineer, frequently worked in aluminum, steel, and wood. By the 1970s he was recognized as a leading public sculptor, known for abstract works that engage principles of flight, motion, and industrial form.
Primary sources
Robert H. Goddard Collection, Clark University
Clark University holds the largest collection of primary source materials related to Robert H. Goddard in the Clark University Archives and Special Collections. The collection includes manuscripts, equipment, photographs, film reels, and published scholarship. Highlights from the collection, digitized in honor of the centennial, are available to the public on Digital Commons.
Journal entry made by Robert Goddard from the Robert H. Goddard Collection, Clark University
