Zoology Department Records, 1895-1997

Predominant Dates: 1938-1958

The Zoology Department Records document undergradate and graduate instruction in zoology at Oregon State University and include correspondence, meeting agendas and minutes, reports, publications, and lantern slides used for ornithology instruction. Courses in zoology have been offered since the founding of Oregon State in 1868; the Zoology and Entomology Department was established in 1889.

Creators

ID: RG 074

Extent: 0.1 cubic feet

More Extent Information

Scope and Content Notes

Biographical / Historical Notes

The Department of Zoology and Entomology was established in 1889 with F.L. Washburn as head. Prior to becoming an official department, zoology had been a part of the physiology program. Instruction in zoology began in 1868 (physiology having begun the previous year) and entomology was added in 1870. In 1895, F.L. Washburn was succeeded by A. B. Cordley, who expanded the department’s staff and instruction to include histology, embryology, systematic zoology, parasitology, evolution, and advanced entomology.

In 1902 the Department of Zoology and Entomology moved to Agriculture Hall (now Education Hall) and then in 1910 to the new Agriculture Hall (now Strand Agriculture Hall). Entomology became a separate department in 1914 and the department was known as Zoology and Physiology in the 1910s and 1920s. The department name was shortened to Zoology in 1927. The first bachelor’s in Zoology was awarded in 1932; in 1935, Alfred Taylor was the first to receive a doctorate in Zoology.

Bolstered by grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, the department began another period of expansion after World War II. As returning veterans increased the school’s student population the department expanded staff, space, and laboratory equipment. Additional labs and classrooms were placed in Quonset huts, surplus army barracks, and the President’s old residence. By 1962, the growth of the department and the shortage of space reached a crisis point. In 1962 the Department of Zoology obtained permission to proceed with the planning of a new addition to Cordley Hall. This was ultimately delayed until 1965 and was finally completed in the fall of 1967.

Department heads have included F.L. Washburn (1889-1895); A.B. Cordley (1895-1914); George F. Sykes (1914-1921); Nathan Fasten (1921-1944); Kenneth L. Gordon (1945-1952); Ernst J. Dornfeld (1952-1976); Charles E. King (1977-1986); Christopher J. Bayne (1986-1989); Jane Lubchenco (1989-1993); John E. Morris (1993-1996); Stevan J. Arnold (1997-2003); John A. Ruben (2003-2009); and Bruce A. Menge (beginning in 2009).

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.

Arrangement

Preferred Citation: Zoology Department Records (RG 074), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Acquisition Note: Materials were acquired by the Oregon State University Archives from 1972 to 2006.

Acquired: Additions to the collection are expected.

Languages of Materials

English

Container List

Series 1: General Files, 1938-1969 Add to Shelf

Series I consists of correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, and other materials that document the administration of the Zoology Department and the activities of faculty, especially in undergraduate and graduate instruction. The bulk of the series is comprised of Reports of Service to the Institution for 1938-1958. The report form was completed by each faculty member for each academic term with the courses taught, number of students in each section, and the time spent on each course per week. Faculty also reported time spent on other activities, such as administration, extension, research, or service on this form. The numbers that precede titles in the list below are the folder numbers as they appear on the microfilm.

UnitID: Series I

Reel-Folder 1.1: Barrington Committee Reports for Zoology personnel, 1954-1955 Add to Shelf

Reel-Folder 1.2: Correspondence with staff, 1963-1969 Add to Shelf

Reel-Folder 1.3: Gifts, 1951-1956 Add to Shelf

Reel-Folder 1.4: Graduate certification policies, 1947 Add to Shelf

Reel-Folder 1.5: Graduate examinations, 1962 Add to Shelf

Reel-Folder 1.6: Honorary societies, 1951 Add to Shelf

Sigma Xi, Phi Kappan Phi, Phi Sigma

Reel-Folder 1.7: Kasetsart University, 1953-1959 Add to Shelf

Sub-Series 8: Letters to the Staff, 1952-1954 Add to Shelf

Reel-Folder 1.8: 1953-1954 Add to Shelf
Reel-Folder 1.9: Staff meetings, 1952-1953 Add to Shelf

Sub-Series 9: Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1945-1957 Add to Shelf

Reel-Folder 1.10: Meetings, 1945-1950 Add to Shelf
Reel-Folder 1.11: School of Science, 1951-1957 Add to Shelf
Reel-Folder 1.12: Publicity, 1951-1954 Add to Shelf

Sub-Series 11: Report of Service to the Institution, 1938-1958 Add to Shelf

Reel-Folder 1.13: 1938-1941 Add to Shelf
Reel-Folder 1.14: 1941-1945 Add to Shelf
Reel-Folder 1.15: Fall 1945-Spring 1946 Add to Shelf
Reel-Folder 1.16: Fall 1946-Spring 1947 Add to Shelf
Reel-Folder 1.17: Fall 1947-Spring 1948 Add to Shelf
Reel-Folder 1.18: Fall 1948-Spring 1949 Add to Shelf
Reel-Folder 1.19: 1949-1950 Add to Shelf
Reel-Folder 1.20: 1951-1952 Add to Shelf
Reel-Folder 1.21: 1952-1953 Add to Shelf
Reel-Folder 1.22: 1953-1954 Add to Shelf
Reel-Folder 1.23: 1954-1955 Add to Shelf
Reel-Folder 1.24: 1955-1958 Add to Shelf

Reel-Folder 1.25: Unreasonable requests, 1958-1967 Add to Shelf

Public inquiries on a variety of topics with responses.

Reel-Folder 1.26: War Emergency research, 1950-1951 Add to Shelf

Reel-Folder 1.27: Zoology staff meetings agendas and minutes, 1945-1950 Add to Shelf

Series 2: Subject Files, 1973-1997 Add to Shelf

Series II consists of materials that document undergraduate and graduate instruction. The records include expanded course descriptions for Biology (Bi) and Zoology (Z) courses in the early 1970s and an announcement of public speakers for a zoology course on environmental controversies (Z 565) in 1997.

UnitID: Series II

Box-Folder 1.1: Course Offerings for Zoology Major Curriculum in 1973-1974, 1973 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.2: Announcement of Public Lectures in Fall 1997, 1997 Add to Shelf

Series 3: Publications, 1895-1989 Add to Shelf

Series III consists of several publications prepared by the Zoology Department. These include histories of the department prepared in 1966 and 1989; a publication of drawings of the anatomy of several animals; and an 1895 report from the Zoological Department that describes courses offered and includes drawing and descriptions by students.

UnitID: Series III

Box-Folder 1.3: Anatomy of Selected Animal Types, 1973 Add to Shelf: Report by Kathryn Torvik and John E. Morris
Box-Folder 1.4: History of the Department of Zoology, 1966 Add to Shelf: By Ernst J. Dornfeld.
Box-Folder 1.5: History of the Department of Zoology 1889-1989, 1989 Add to Shelf: By Ernst J. Dornfeld and Charles E. King.
Box-Folder 1.6: Laboratory Studies, State Agricultural College, Zoology, 1895 Add to Shelf: A report from F.L. Washburn to College President John M. Bloss on work done in the Zoological Department during fall and winter terms of 1894-1895. The report describes courses in physiology, ornithology, and zoology and includes drawings and descriptions by students W.F. Holman, Lester M. Leland, Louis Leuenberger, Elsie Long, Amelia J. McCune, Kate B. McCune, A.D. Morrison, Dorothea Nash, Lulu C. Thornton, Effie Willis, and Lena Willis. This report is identified as vol. 1, no. 1; no additional reports were published in the series.

Series 4: Lantern Slides, circa 1920 Add to Shelf

Series IV consists of 36 lantern slides that were likely used for ornithology instruction. They include maps of bird species migration routes; USDA weather maps; and photographs of bird species, habitat, visceral contents, and skeletons. Most of the specimen photos are taxidermy mounts; although several photographs of birds in the wild are included. Some of the bird species photographs are identified. The lantern slides also include several images of mayweed and dog fennel. The items are numbered 980-55-1 thru 980-55-36; a few of the glass mounts are cracked and should be handled with caution.

UnitID: Series IV

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