{"id":3402,"date":"2017-04-10T17:13:35","date_gmt":"2017-04-10T17:13:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/specialcollections\/?page_id=3402"},"modified":"2025-05-24T13:57:26","modified_gmt":"2025-05-24T17:57:26","slug":"herbert-leon-macdonell-papers","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/specialcollections\/herbert-leon-macdonell-papers\/","title":{"rendered":"Herbert Leon MacDonell Papers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

overview of the collection<\/h4>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Creator:<\/b><\/td>\nHerbert MacDonell<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Title:<\/b><\/td>\nHerbert Leon MacDonell Papers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dates:<\/b><\/td>\n1949-2015<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Quantity:<\/b><\/td>\n147 box(es) ( 125 linear feet)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Abstract:<\/b><\/td>\nThe Herbert Leon MacDonell Collection contains case files encompassing MacDonell\u2019s long career as a forensic consultant and director of the Laboratory of Forensic Science.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Identification:<\/b><\/td>\nMss. Gr. 245<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Language:<\/b><\/td>\nThe records are in English.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Repository:<\/b><\/td>\nUniversity of Rhode Island Library, University Archives and Special Collections, 15 Lippitt Road Kingston, RI 02881-2011 https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/specialcollections\/<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\n

 <\/h3>\n

arrangement<\/h3>\n

The series are arranged alphabetically by subject.<\/p>\n

List of Series:<\/strong><\/div>\n
 <\/div>\n
Subject Files, 1949-2015<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

restrictions<\/b><\/h3>\n

Terms governing use and reproduction: Photocopying and scanning of materials is a fee based service available in the repository and is allowed at the discretion of the Archivist when in compliance to the Unit\u2019s policy on copyright and publication.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

biographical note<\/strong><\/p>\n

Herbert Leon MacDonell was born on July 23, 1928 in Wellsville, NY. He attended Alfred University where he studied chemistry and received a Bachelor\u2019s degree in 1950. He married his wife, Phyllis, on August 19, 1950. MacDonell was offered a teaching position at Milton College in Milton, WI shortly after completing one year of graduate School at Alfred.  There he served as a professor of chemistry as well as head of the chemistry department. After three years at Milton, MacDonell was accepted into the graduate chemistry program at the University of Rhode Island (URI) where he earned a Master\u2019s degree in 1956. During his time at URI, MacDonell worked as a graduate assistant in the chemistry department as well as in the Rhode Island State Crime Lab located on URI\u2019s Kingston campus. At the Crime Lab, MacDonell worked in the fields of analytical chemistry, spectroscopy, microcopy, and criminalistics honing his interest and his skills for his future career in forensic science.<\/p>\n

MacDonell took a job as a research chemist with the DuPont Company in 1956 and then with Corning Glass Works, also as a research chemist, a short time afterward. Although much of his time was taken up with his work at Corning Glass Works, MacDonell began his forensic consulting career in 1958.  In 1969, MacDonell gained national attention because of his work on a case involving the Black Panthers and the Chicago Police Department. As he became a more well-known figure, MacDonell received an increased number of calls and  letters requesting the benefit of his expertise in criminal cases.  In light of the frequency these requests, he established the Laboratory of Forensic Science in 1970 in order to have a place to conduct experiments and research on his own terms. He left Corning Glass Works in 1972 and joined the faculty of Corning Community College where he served as a professor of police science and later criminalistics; a post he held until 1992. MacDonell also taught criminalistics at Elmira College from 1972-1983.<\/p>\n

During the past 60 years, MacDonell has worked on several hundred cases ranging from homicide to burglary to driving while intoxicated. A few of the more famous ones include Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Alexander McLeod-Lindsay, Joanne Chesimard, Jean Harris, Lindy Chamberlain, and O. J. Simpson. His professional travels include all 50 states, Canada, the Cayman Islands, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand. One of MacDonell\u2019s most significant contributions to the field of forensic science is his invention of the MAGNA Brush, a latent fingerprint revealing device that uses magnetic powder as bristles to avoid degrading fingerprints as traditional bristles can sometimes do.  In addition to numerous papers and articles on bloodstain patterns and analysis, MacDonell has also published two books detailing some of the cases from his long career: \u201cThe Evidence Never Lies: The Casebook of a Modern Sherlock Holmes\u201d (1984) co-written with Alfred Allan Lewis and \u201cAfter Holmes: Dr. MacDonell\u2019s Forensic Casebook\u201d (2011) co-written with Allan Eaglesham.<\/p>\n

MacDonell is currently semi-retired and still takes the occasional interesting case. He lives and operates the Laboratory of Forensic Science in Corning, NY.<\/p>\n

 <\/h3>\n

<\/a>administrative information<\/h3>\n

<\/a>custodial history<\/b><\/h4>\n

The records were kept by Herbert MacDonell before being transferred to the University of Rhode Island.<\/p>\n

<\/a>preferred citation<\/b><\/h4>\n

The Herbert Leon MacDonell Papers, Mss. Gr. 245, University of Rhode Island University Archives and Special Collections<\/p>\n

<\/a>acquisitions information<\/b><\/h4>\n

The records were transferred to the University of Rhode Island in 2016.<\/p>\n

<\/a>processing information<\/b><\/h4>\n

Finding aid prepared by Laura Hoglund, A.R. Deluca, Mark Dionne.<\/p>\n

Finding aid encoded by Mark Dionne on April 2017.<\/p>\n

inventory<\/h3>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
 <\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
 <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Series:<\/b><\/td>\nSubject Files<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dates:<\/b><\/td>\n1949-2015<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Extent:<\/b><\/td>\n147 box(es) (125 linear feet)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Scope and Content Note<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\nThe Herbert Leon MacDonell Collection contains case files encompassing MacDonell\u2019s long career as a forensic consultant and director of the Laboratory of Forensic Science. The case files include correspondence, newspaper and magazine articles, photographs, drawings, legal documents, police reports, evidence reports, physical artifacts, trial transcripts, and MacDonell\u2019s personal case notes.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Arrangement<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
 <\/td>\nThe series is arranged alphabetically by subject.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n[table \u201c51\u201d not found \/]
\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

overview of the collection Creator: Herbert MacDonell Title: Herbert Leon MacDonell Papers Dates: 1949-2015 Quantity: 147 box(es) ( 125 linear feet) Abstract: The Herbert Leon MacDonell Collection contains case files encompassing MacDonell\u2019s long career as a forensic consultant and director of the Laboratory of Forensic Science. Identification: Mss. Gr. 245 Language: The records are in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4861,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-3402","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/specialcollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/specialcollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/specialcollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/specialcollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4861"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/specialcollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3402"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/specialcollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3402\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10044,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/specialcollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3402\/revisions\/10044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/specialcollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}