By Finding aid prepared by Trevor Sandgathe
Title: John D. Lattin Papers, 1941-2004
Predominant Dates: 1955-1996
ID: MSS Lattin
Primary Creator: Lattin, John D
Extent: 4.5 cubic feet. More info below.
Arrangement: The John D. Lattin Papers are arranged into three series: Series I: Correspondence, 1950-2004; Series II: Scholarship & Education, 1941-2000; and Series III: Research Materials, 1957-2004. Materials are arranged alphabetically, chronologically, and by subject within series and subseries.
Languages of Materials: English [eng]
The John D. Lattin Papers are comprised of materials created and collected by entomologist John D. Lattin between 1941 and 2004. The collection includes extensive professional correspondence between Lattin and other entomologists worldwide, grant proposals, documentation of research projects, reprints of publications by Lattin, promotional and informational materials relating to OSU and its Department of Entomology, coursework, biographical and employment records, photographs of Lattin and his colleagues, conference materials, and research materials. Much of the collection relates to Lattin’s research agenda at OSU and include proposals and documentation of investigations into the biosystematics of heteroptera, identification of arthropods, the appearance and impact of predatory insects, and the use of insects as indicators of ecological health and stability. The collection also contains extensive documentation of issues relating to the Oregon timber industry in the early 1990s, including deforestation of private lands, importation and milling of foreign timber in local saw mills, the spotted owl controversy, and the use of Pacific Yew in production of the pharmaceutical drug Taxol.
The collection also contains documentation of Lattin’s work as curator of OSU’s Systematic Entomology Laboratory and service on the OSU Collections and Museums Committee, his participation in working groups and advisory panels such as the Siberian Log Importation Risk Assessment Team and the Long-Term Ecological Research Sites Review Team for LTER sites in New Mexico, and his affidavit for a legal case pertaining to the impact of the Asian gypsy moth in Oregon.
Acc. 2003:104 consists of grant proposals, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and draft and published reports. Many of the reports have duplicates, and issues of the OSU Entomology Department newsletter are also included.
More Extent Information: 20 photographs; 15 boxes
Statement on Access: The collection is open for research.
Acquisition Note: The John D. Lattin Papers were donated to the Oregon State University Archives in four accessions. 1.5 cubic feet of material were received from the Department of Entomology in August 2003. An additional 3.95 cubic feet were donated by John D. Lattin between November 2003 and October 2006. The collection is now held by the OSU Libraries Special Collections & Archives Research Center.
Related Materials: Other materials pertaining to entomology include the Entomology Department Records (RG 027), Entomology Department Photograph Collection (P 055), Norman H. Anderson Papers (MSS AndersonN), Ralph Berry Papers (MSS Berry), Ernst J. Dornfeld Papers (MSS Dornfeld), Louis G. Gentner Papers (MSS Gentner), Paul W. Oman Papers (MSS Oman), Paul Ritchter Papers (MSS Ritchter), Frank J. Radovsky Papers (MSS Radovsky), and the Herman A. Scullen Papers (MSS Scullen).
Preferred Citation: John D. Lattin Papers (MSS Lattin), Oregon State University Libraries Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.
Processing Information:
We acknowledge that materials in SCARC collections and the language that describes them may be harmful. We are actively working to address our descriptive practices; for more information please see our SCARC Anti-Racist Actions Statement online. SCARC describes the contents of its collections using the language and terminology of the collections themselves. Since culturally acceptable terminology shifts over time, some of the terms that appear in these materials are currently outdated or offensive. The term “gypsy” is considered derogatory by many Roma people. It comes from the word “Egyptian,” where many Europeans mistakenly believed the Romani came from. In 1971, at the First World Roma Congress, a majority of attendees voted to reject the use of the term “gypsy,” however some still use it to self-identify.
In this collection, the term “gypsy” refers to the “Asian gypsy moth” or “gypsy moth,” a group of invasive moth species that includes Lymantria dispar dispar, Lymantria dispar asiatica, L. d. japonica, L. albescens, L. umbrosa, and L. postalba. In 2021, the Entomological Society of America (ESA) voted to change the common names, and in 2022, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced new names for these species. Lymantria dispar dispar is now known as the “spongy moth,” and the rest are now the “flighted spongy moth complex.”
In order to provide historical context and to enable standardized searching and access across our collections, we have retained the original wording in the collection descriptions. We acknowledge the racism represented by the term “gypsy” and the harm it may cause our users. Providing access to these historical materials does not endorse any attitudes or behavior depicted therein. For more information, please see our blog post.
[Date of Acknowledgement: November 2024]
Lattin, John D
Arthropod pests
Entomology--Research.
Entomology--Study and teaching (Higher)--Oregon--Corvallis.
Forest insects--Northwest, Pacific.
H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest (Or.)
Hemiptera.
History of Science
Lattin, John D
Long-Term Ecological Research Program
Lumber trade--United States.
National Science Foundation (U.S.)
Natural Resources
Oregon State University. Department of Entomology
Spotted owl--Oregon.
Trees--Diseases and pests--Northwest, Pacific.
United States. Bureau of Land Management
United States. Forest Service
University History
Film negatives.
Photographic prints.