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University of Chicago Library

Guide to the Charles E. Olmsted Papers circa 1880s-1980s

© 2008 University of Chicago Library

Descriptive Summary

Title:

Olmsted, Charles E. Papers

Dates:

circa 1880s-1980s

Size:

62.5 linear feet (88 boxes)

Repository:

Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center
University of Chicago Library
1100 East 57th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60637 U.S.A.

Abstract:

Charles Edward Olmsted (1908-1976) was a botanist, ecologist, environmental activist, consultant, editor and science educator who worked at the University of Chicago from 1934-1973. He served as chair of the Department of Botany from 1953-1968, edited Botanical Gazette, and was active on university-wide administrative committees. He received attention for both his research on plant ecology and his advocacy for environmental conservation. Material in this collection is concentrated in the 1930s-1970s, and includes correspondence; publications; photographs; research material and drafts of published works; course material and student work; University of Chicago administrative records; and records of Olmsted's involvement with professional organizations, scholarly journals, conservation groups, foundations, government agencies, and science education organizations.

Information on Use

Access

The collection is open for research, with the exception of Series IX, Restricted. Boxes 89 and 90 contain student papers, evaluations, and grades and are restricted for 80 years from date of record creation.

Restrictions on Use

Series VIII, Box 85, does not include an access copy for the 16-millimenter filmstrip. Researchers will need to consult with staff before requesting this item.

Citation

When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Olmsted, Charles E. Papers, [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library

Biographical Note

Charles Edward Olmsted (1908-1976), a native of Colorado, was educated at University of Nebraska, University of Oklahoma, and Yale University. Olmsted came to the University of Chicago as a Coulter Fellow in Botany in 1933. He completed his Yale Ph.D. in 1936 with a dissertation on Connecticut sand plains. Olmsted's research and teaching on botany and ecology continued at the University of Chicago until his retirement.

At University of Chicago, Olmsted's own research focused on plant growth and development, particularly photoperiodism (the response of plants to light) in range grasses and sugar maples. More broadly, Olmsted was concerned with the ecology of grasslands, forests and sand dunes.

Olmsted was named chair of the Department of Botany in 1953, a role he held until 1968, when the department merged with that of zoology. He was also active in university-wide committees and governance, contributing to administrative direction in development, campus housing, admissions and aid, and changes in undergraduate education.

Olmsted was involved with the Botanical Gazette for 26 years, serving alternately as associate editor and editor from 1942-1968. He also served as an editor of Ecology, held leadership roles in professional organizations, and worked as a consultant or advisor for publishers, major science foundations, and the National Park Service.

As a conservation activist, Olmsted sought to educate lawmakers and the public on the value of the Midwest's natural environments, such as prairies, forests, dunes and wetlands. His work with the Save the Dunes Council helped establish the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore; he was also involved with the establishments of other preserves in Michigan, downstate Illinois and the Chicago area. He served on the boards of Chicago-area conservation groups, the Illinois State Board of Natural Resources and Conservation, and the Illinois Nature Preserve Commission.

Olmsted retired from the university in 1973, moving to Boulder, Colorado. He died in 1976 at age 68.

Scope Note

This collection documents Charles E. Olmsted's work as a botanist, ecologist, administrator, consultant, and advocate for environmental conservation and science education.

Series I: Correspondence, contains letters and memoranda from the 1930s-1970s, with a concentration of material from 1949-1975. The correspondence in this series discusses scientific research, University of Chicago administrative matters, the editing of scholarly journals, and the administration of professional organizations, conservation groups and government programs. Material in this series includes both incoming correspondence, as well as carbon copies of many of Olmsted's outgoing letters and memoranda.

Series II: Research and Writing, documents Olmsted's work as a botanist and ecologist. Included are materials from Olmsted's education at University of Nebraska, University of Oklahoma, and Yale University; his research on soil moisture, trees and range grasses; and a card file of publications.

Series III: Teaching, contains material from Olmsted's work as an instructor and advisor, circa 1930s-1970s. Material in this series includes lecture notes, syllabi and course outlines, and copies of theses and dissertations. Olmsted also kept material from courses and workshops taught outside the university, as well as files on courses taught by others at University of Chicago.

Series IV: University and Departmental Administration, contains material from Olmsted's service as Chairman of the Department of Botany, as well as his work on university committees and interdisciplinary programs. As department chair, Olmsted also retained selected files of a number of his predecessors, including John M. Coulter and Ezra J. Kraus. Administrative material in this series includes correspondence, meeting minutes, grant proposals, reports and financial documents. Also included are architectural drawings for Barnes Laboratory, and material related to the management of university properties such as Bird Haven and Wychwood.

Series V: Organizations, contains records of Olmsted's involvement with professional organizations and conservation groups, his editorial work for scientific journals, and his advisory role for state and federal agencies. Material in this series includes correspondence, publications, reports, manuscripts, grant proposals and reviews, and conference materials. The bulk of the material in this series dates from the 1950s-1970s. Included in this series are editorial files of the journals Botanical Gazette and Ecology; files from Olmsted's work for the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the State of Illinois, the

National Park Service, and the National Science Foundation; and material from several Midwestern conservation groups.

Series VI: Publications and Publicity Material, contains reprints, abstracts, annual reports, pamphlets, newsletters, broadsides and other print material that Olmsted collected on topics related to his interests. Many of these items have only a general or indirect relationship to Olmsted's own research and teaching. Material dates from the late nineteenth century through the 1970s, with a concentration of material from the 1930s-1960s.

Series VII: Personal, contains a variety of material from Olmsted's personal life, as well as small collections of documents related to the life and work of some of his colleagues.

Series VIII: Oversize Material, Audio-Visual Material and Photographs, contains large items transferred from other series, an educational film, and Olmsted's collection of photographs. The photographs include prints, film and glass negatives, and film and glass slides dating from 1904-circa 1950s. Subjects include natural environments such as the Indiana Dunes; portraits of individuals and groups; and documentation of Olmsted's experiments with grasses.

Series IX: Restricted, contains students papers, with grades and feedback. Materials in this series are restricted for 80 years from date of record creation.

Related Resources

The following related resources are located in the Department of Special Collections:

Browse finding aids by topic.

Henry C. Cowles. Collection

George D. Fuller. Papers

Ezra J. Kraus. Papers

University of Chicago. Department of Botany. Records

Paul D. Voth. Papers

Subject Headings

INVENTORY

Series I: Correspondence

This series contains letters, memoranda and other correspondence documenting Olmsted's work as a teacher, administrator, researcher and consultant. Much of the correspondence discusses University of Chicago administrative matters, such as faculty development and departmental operations. Also included in this series are letters of recommendation for students and faculty; editorial correspondence regarding matters such as manuscript review and preparation; discussions of research; and the administration of professional organizations, conservation groups and government programs. Material in this series includes both incoming correspondence, as well as carbon copies of many of Olmsted's outgoing letters and memoranda.

This series is divided into four subseries, in order to distinguish among the organizational schemes Olmsted used for his correspondence files.

Subseries 1: Chronological File, includes correspondence from 1935-1960.

Subseries 2: Alphabetical File, includes material filed by correspondent or sometimes by subject, with the bulk of correspondence from 1949-1975.

Subseries 3: Government Agencies, is organized by subject and spans the years 1965-1974. Correspondence in this subseries is primarily related to Olmsted's advisory work for federal and state agencies, particularly the National Park Service. This subseries also includes correspondence with members of Congress about conservation issues.

Subseries 4: Unsorted, consists of unorganized correspondence on a variety of topics, spanning the years 1947-1974

A large amount of additional correspondence is found in other series of the collection, particularly Series IV, which contains administrative correspondence filed by topic; and Series V, which contains editorial and organizational correspondence, filed by organization.

Subseries 1: Chronological File

Box 1   Folder 1-7

1935-1945

Box 2   Folder 1-3

1946-1948

Box 2   Folder 4-5

A-L, 1950-1960

Box 3   Folder 1-2

L-Z, 1950-1960

Subseries 2: Alphabetical File

Box 3   Folder 3-5

A, 1949-1974

Box 3   Folder 6

B, 1949-1955

Box 4   Folder 1-2

B, 1951-1975

Box 4   Folder 3-5

C, 1950-1972

Box 5   Folder 1-2

D, 1950-1974

Box 5   Folder 3-4

E, 1954-1973

Box 5   Folder 5-6

F, 1950-1974

Box 5   Folder 7

Adriance S. Foster, 1930-1943

Box 5   Folder 8-9

G, 1940-1971

Box 6   Folder 1-2

H, 1951-1975

Box 6   Folder 3

I, 1960-1968

Box 6   Folder 4-6

J, 1946-1971

Box 6   Folder 7-8

K, 1949-1965

Box 7   Folder 1-2

L, 1950-1975

Box 7   Folder 3

Elbert L. Little, 1930-1936

Box 7   Folder 4-6

M, 1950-1973

Box 8   Folder 1-2

N, 1952-1972

Box 8   Folder 3

George E. Nichols, 1930-1941

Box 8   Folder 4-5

O, 1950-1974

Box 8   Folder 6-7

P, 1950-1975

Box 8   Folder 8-9

Q, 1949-1963

Box 8   Folder 10-11

R, 1949-1975

Box 9   Folder 1-6

S, 1950-1975

Box 10   Folder 1

Paul B. Sears, 1928-1942

Box 10   Folder 2-3

T, 1951-1974

Box 10   Folder 4-7

U-Z, 1948-1975

Subseries 3: Government Agencies

Box 10   Folder 8

Bill S. 2282, Ecological Research and Surveys, 1965

Box 10   Folder 9

Advisory and conservation activities, 1966-1968

Box 11   Folder 1-2

Advisory and conservation activities, 1969-1974

Box 11   Folder 3

Cook Nuclear Power Plant, 1969-1974

Box 11   Folder 4

Dunes conservation, 1970-1971

Subseries 4: Unsorted

Box 11   Folder 5-7

1948-1966

Box 12   Folder 1-6

1954-1974

Box 13   Folder 1-2

1947-1974

Series II: Research and Writing

This series contains material documenting Olmsted's work as a botanist and ecologist. The organization of this series generally corresponds to the development of Olmsted's research throughout his career.

This series begins with Olmsted's own education at University of Nebraska, University of Oklahoma, and Yale University; included are course notes, exercises, lab notebooks, and exams, and material for Olmsted's master's thesis and dissertation. Other early material relates to research conducted with Elbert J. Little on vegetation of southeastern Oklahoma, a project that began around 1930, though the two continued preprations for publication into the 1940s.

Material from Olmsted's time at University of Chicago includes documentation of soil moisture experiments; surveys and notes on trees at Wychwood estate in Lake Geneva; research on maple trees, range grasses, and grassland ecology.

Also included in this series are card files, mainly of publications, that may index parts of Olmsted's collections of journals and reprints. The end of this series contains drafts of speeches and statements that Olmsted gave late in his career, as well as small subject files, and several folders of fragmentary, unidentified or unsorted material.

Oversized material from this series has been transferred to Series VIII.

Box 13   Folder 3-5

Course notes, papers and exams, 1923-1927

Box 14   Folder 1-5

Course notes, circa 1927-1929

Box 14   Folder 6

Laboratory manual, 1930

Box 15   Folder 1-2

Organography, course notes and exercise books, circa 1930

Box 15   Folder 3

Plant physiology, course notes, circa 1930

Box 15   Folder 4

History of scientific thought, course notes, circa 1930

Box 15   Folder 5

Microchemistry, course notes, circa 1930

Box 15   Folder 6-7

Course notes and sketches, circa 1931

Box 16   Folder 1-10

Oklahoma vegetation research with Elbert J. Little, drafts, correspondence, photographs and research data, 1930-1945

Box 17   Folder 1

Sketch book, 1930-1931

Box 17   Folder 2-3

"The Morphology and Comparative History of Development of the Cataphylls and Foliage Leaves in Syringa vulgaris L.," master's thesis drafts, 1931

Box 17   Folder 4

History of botany and botanical literature, notes and drafts, 1931

Box 17   Folder 5

Organic evolution, course notes, circa 1932

Box 17   Folder 6-7

Forest soils, notes and experiment data, 1931-1932

Box 17   Folder 8

Plant physiology, course notes, examinations and exercises, 1932- 1933

Box 18   Folder 1

Course notes, exercises and tree planting experiment data, circa 1932-1935

Box 18   Folder 2

Climatology, course notes and exercises, circa 1933

Box 18   Folder 3

Ecology, course material, circa 1930s

Box 18   Folder 4

Biophysics, course material, circa 1930s

Box 18   Folder 5

Notes and maps, circa 1930s

Box 18   Folder 6

Abstracts, circa 1930s

Box 18   Folder 7

Newton's Woods, clippings and list of collected species, 1933

Box 18   Folder 8-9

Connecticut sand plains, research data and notes, 1932-1935

Box 19   Folder 1-7

Connecticut sand plains, research data and notes, 1932-1935

Box 19   Folder 8-11

"The Vegetation of Certain Connecticut Sand Plains," Ph.D. dissertation drafts and notes, circa 1936

Box 19   Folder 12-14

Soil moisture, experiment data, notes and equipment specifications, 1936-1940

Box 20   Folder 1-4

Distribution of forest tree species, drafts, maps and publications, circa 1937-1940

Box 20   Folder 5-15

Wychwood tree research, quadrat maps and surveys, 1936-1938

Box 20   Folder 16

Wychwood tree research, specimens of leaves and grasses, 1939

Box 20   Folder 17

Wychwood tree research, notebook, 1938-1939

Box 21   Folder 1-5

Wychwood tree research, notebooks, circa 1940-1948

Box 21   Folder 6-8

Maple trees, experiment data, drafts and notes, 1935-1946

Box 21   Folder 9

Book review drafts, 1938-1939

Box 22   Folder 1-7

Grasses research, experiment data, notes, publications and correspondence, 1942-1952

Box 23   Folder 1-8

Grasses research, correspondence, notes and publications, 1945- 1952

Box 23   Folder 9

Inquiries about research and requests for reprints, correspondence, 1942-1965

Box 24   Folder 1

"Integration of Recent Research Findings into the Introductory Training of Scientific Personnel," speech given at the Summer Conference on College Biology, University of Oklahoma, drafts and correspondence, 1953

Box 24   Folder 2

East Africa ecology, notes, circa 1970

Box 24   Folder 3

Urbanism and computers, photocopied articles, circa 1970

Box 24   Folder 4

Statement in support of Bill HR 3571, 1974

Box 24   Folder 5

"Photoperiodism and Plant Distribution," Minneapolis symposium, drafts and notes, undated

Box 24   Folder 6

"Some Comments on Problems and Gaps in the Study of Physiological Ecology and Genecology, Especially of Autotrophic Terrestrial Higher Plants," drafts, undated

Box 24   Folder 7-12

Correspondence, writing and research material, circa 1930s-1970s

Box 25   Folder 1

Correspondence, writing and research material, circa 1930s-1970s

Box 25   Folder 2

Card catalog guide, undated

Box 26

Card catalog, File A

Box 27

Card catalog, Files A-B

Box 28

Card catalog, File C

Box 29

Card catalog, File D

Series III: Teaching

This series documents Olmsted's work as an instructor and advisor, circa 1930s-1970s.

Subseries 1: Courses, includes lecture notes, syllabi, and course outlines. The bulk of material is from courses taught by Olmsted in the University of Chicago's Department of Botany. Olmsted also kept material from courses and workshops taught outside the university, as well as files on courses taught by others (such as a paleobotany class, Geology 280, taught by Adolph C. Noé).

Subseries 2: Graduate Research, consists mainly of drafts and bound copies of theses and dissertations that Olmsted supervised.

Subseries 1: Courses

Box 30   Folder 1-2

Botany 338, 1930-1936

Box 30   Folder 3

Geology 280, History of Plant Life, circa 1932

Box 30   Folder 4-5

Botany 206, 1932-1940

Box 30   Folder 6

Botany 334, 1935

Box 30   Folder 7

Botany 335, forest ecology, circa 1930s

Box 31   Folder 1-2

Botany 335, forest ecology, 1948-1960

Box 31   Folder 3

Dendrology, circa 1930s

Box 31   Folder 4-8

Botany 234, fieldwork, circa 1930s-1949

Box 31   Folder 9

Botany 234, Vascular Plants, circa 1930-1949

Box 32   Folder 1

Plant nutrition, circa 1940

Box 32   Folder 2-4

Botany 337, 1940-1954

Box 32   Folder 5

Botany 170s, University of Wyoming Science Summer Camp, 1941

Box 32   Folder 6

Botany 331, 1941-1952

Box 32   Folder 7-9

Botany 330, 1942-1960

Box 33   Folder 1-2

Botany 336, 1942-1953

Box 33   Folder 3

Soil and water, 1949-1959

Box 33   Folder 4

Teaching materials, circa 1940s

Box 34   Folder 1

Soil nutrients, circa 1954

Box 35   Folder 1

Historic plant geography, 1954-1959

Box 35   Folder 2

Teaching materials, circa 1950s

Box 35   Folder 3

Nitrogen and other soil nutrients, circa 1950s

Box 35   Folder 4

Patterns of existing vegetation, 1962

Box 35   Folder 5

Physiology, undated

Box 35   Folder 6

Plant ecology, University of Oklahoma, undated

Subseries 2: Graduate Research

Box 35   Folder 7

Eleanore Landon, "The Use of Vegetation in Erosion Control on the High Plains," MS paper, 1941

Box 35   Folder 8

Alba Biagini, "Fire, Its Influence and Effects on Grasses," MS paper, 1947

Box 35   Folder 9

Priscilla Anne Perry, "Responses of Red Oak Regeneration to Certain Environmental Factors," MS paper, 1960

Box 35   Folder 10

Herbert Lamp, "Differentiation and Distribution of Soybeans with Relation to Photoperiodism," MS paper, 1947

Box 35   Folder 11

Dorothy Rothrock, "Some Climatological Factors Limiting the Distribution of the Peach, Prunus Persica" MS paper, 1948

Box 35   Folder 12

Donald Chapp "The Growth and Development Response of Bromegrass Seedlings (Bromus inermis, Leyse.) to Photoperiod and Temperature," undated

Box 36   Folder 1

Marcella Friedman, "Aspen in the Lake States," MS paper, 1948

Box 36   Folder 2

Beth Burgess Schuett, "Chilling as a Factor in Breaking the Dormancy of Some Woody Plants," MS paper, 1947

Box 36   Folder 3

Myron Kirsch, "Flax Production and Its Relationship to Climatic and Soil Conditions" MS paper, 1941

Box 36   Folder 4

Miriam Louise Church, "Effects of Grazing in Central States Farmwoods and Forests" MS paper, 1944

Box 36   Folder 5

Florence E. Kubik, "The Ecological Position of White Pine and Hemlock in the Region of Saugatuck, Michigan," MS paper, 1945

Box 36   Folder 6-7

Albert Smith, "Aspects of Invasion and Ecesis of Some Woody Species in Forest Succession in Northern Illinois," PhD dissertation, 1972

Box 36   Folder 8

Robert Borg, "Wind as an Ecological Factor," MS thesis 1940

Box 36   Folder 9

Sture Frederk Anliot, "The Ecology and Flora of Glen Helen, Antioch College, Yellow Springs Ohio," MS thesis, 1962

Box 36   Folder 10

Robert William Proctor, "Morphological Responses of Chenopodium Leptophyllum to Controlled Photoperiod Regimes," MS thesis, 1962

Box 36   Folder 11

Magdalena Cantoria, "Effect of Temperature on the Growth and Development of Datura Stramonium L. and Atropa Belladonna L.," PhD thesis, 1961

Box 36   Folder 12

Nan Allen, "Some Aspects of Air Pollution: An Examination of Some Unresolved Questions," MS thesis, 1966

Box 36   Folder 13

Merrill Loren Gassman, "Studies on the Photocontrol of Protochlorophyll Synthesis in Leaves of Phaseolus Vulgaris," MS thesis, 1965

Box 36   Folder 14

Mary Petersen, "Some Effects of Fires on Forests," MS thesis, 1942

Box 37   Folder 1

Gisela Wohlrab, "An Analysis of Fungal Populations in Indiana Dune Sand," MS thesis, 1962

Box 37   Folder 2

Gisela Wohlrab, "An Analysis of Fungal Populations from Early Stages of Succession in Lake Michigan Dune Sand," PhD dissertation, 1964

Box 37   Folder 3

Hezekiah Maloba Openda, "The Vegetation of East Africa, Some Considerations of the Past Changes and Present Vegetational Patterns," MS thesis, 1958

Box 37   Folder 4

Sylvia Edlund, "Aspects of an Ecological Life History of Corydalis Sempervirens," PhD dissertation,1970

Box 37   Folder 5

Margaret Dalton Julstrom, "Postglacial Vegetation in Northeastern North America," MS thesis, 1946

Box 37   Folder 6

Jay Conderman Chapin, "The Natural Vegetation of Northern Illinois," MS thesis, 1951

Box 37   Folder 7

Lorna Fitz, "The Effects of Photoperiod and Temperature in Rudbeckia Triloba," MS thesis, 1966

Box 37   Folder 8

Robert William Proctor, "Morphological Responses of Chenopodium Leptophyllum to Controlled Photoperiod Regimes," MS thesis, 1962

Box 37   Folder 9

Fred Lavin, "Photoperiodic Responses of Geographic Strains of Blue Grama," PhD thesis, 1953

Box 37   Folder 10

St. Joseph Toy, "Plant Responses to Microclimatic Differences," M.S. paper, 1950

Box 37   Folder 11

Leon Eric Ericson, "The Relation between Microclimate and Forage Crops," M.S. paper, 1946

Box 37   Folder 12

J. Patricia Cunnea, "The Effects of Clipping on the Growth, Form and Development of Pasture Grasses," M.S. paper, 1946

Box 37   Folder 13

Robert A. Wright, "Cattle Industries of the United States and Canada," 1965

Box 38

Daniel McMahon, "Some Studies of Ribulose 1-5 Diphosphate Carboxylase," PhD dissertation, 1966

Box 38

Daniel McMahon, "Edaphic Factors Limiting the Distribution of Corispermum Hyssopifolium L.," MS thesis 1962

Box 38

Willard Van Asdall, "Aspects of the Ecology of Corispermum Hyssopifolium L on the Lake Michigan Sand Dunes," PhD dissertation, 1961

Box 38

Patricia Kay Armstrong, "Cryptogam Communities on Quartzite of Devil's Lake, Wisconsin," MS thesis 1968

Box 38

Dorothy Thornthwaite Kupelian, "Some Effects of Photoperiodic Treatment on Andropogon Gerardi," MS thesis 1962

Box 38

Merrill Loren Gassman, "Studies on the Control of Chlorophyll Synthesis," PhD dissertation, 1967

Box 38

William Lloyd Foster, "The Effects of Dicotyledonous Weeds on the Establishment of an Artificial Prairie Seeding," MS thesis, 1967

Box 39   Folder 1

Correspondence, drafts and photographs, circa 1962

Box 39   Folder 2

Summaries of theses, circa 1940

Series IV: University and Departmental Administration

This series contains material from Olmsted's service as Chairman of the Department of Botany, as well as his work on university committees and interdisciplinary programs. As department chair, Olmsted retained selected files of a number of his predecessors, including John M. Coulter and Ezra J. Kraus.

Olmsted was involved in administrative matters related to development, campus housing, admissions and aid, and changes in undergraduate education. Administrative material in this series includes correspondence, meeting minutes, grant proposals, reports and financial documents. Also included are architectural drawings for Barnes Laboratory, and material related to the management of university properties such as Bird Haven and Wychwood.

Olmsted's research interests often overlapped with university and departmental concerns, such as the management of Wychwood and Bowers' Woods. Research material is occasionally found with these administrative files.

Several files of unsorted material from 1929-1972 are found at the end of the series.

Oversize material from this series has been transferred to Series VIII.

Box 39   Folder 3

Hull Botanical Laboratory, 1904

Box 39   Folder 4-8

Wychwood, 1928-1963

Box 39   Folder 9-10

Bird Haven, 1929-1931

Box 40   Folder 1-2

Bird Haven, 1929-1963

Box 40   Folder 3

Faculty disciplinary measures, 1940-1944

Box 40   Folder 4

Wallace C. and Clara A. Abbott Memorial Fund, 1941-1959

Box 40   Folder 5

Undergraduate education, 1944

Box 40   Folder 6

Faculty Committee on Housing, 1944-1954

Box 40   Folder 7-8

Committee of the Council of the University Senate, 1946-1963

Box 41   Folder 1

Division of the Biological Sciences, 1952-1953

Box 41   Folder 2-3

Committee on the Preparation of Teachers, 1953-1959

Box 41   Folder 4-5

Committee on Bachelor's Degree Programs, 1955-1957

Box 41   Folder 6

Faculty Development Committee, 1955-1958

Box 41   Folder 7

Chiapas, Mexico, interdisciplinary research program, 1956

Box 41   Folder 8

College Faculty, 1957-1965

Box 42   Folder 1-2

Committees on financial aid and admissions policies, 1957-1969

Box 42   Folder 3

Council on Teacher Education, 1958-1959

Box 42   Folder 4

Subcommittee on Undergraduate Education, 1958-1960

Box 42   Folder 5

College committees on policy and personnel, 1958-1960

Box 42   Folder 6

Board of Precollegiate Education, 1958-1962

Box 42   Folder 7-8

Barnes Laboratory, 1958-1963

Box 43   Folder 1-2

Controlled Environment Facilities, 1958-1965

Box 43   Folder 3

Bowers Woods, 1958-1972

Box 43   Folder 4-5

College Biology Section, 1959-1964

Box 43   Folder 6

Ezra J. Kraus, 1948-1960

Box 44   Folder 1

Committee on Curricular Review, 1961

Box 44   Folder 2

Collegiate Division of Biology, 1965-1969

Box 44   Folder 3

Committee on Environmental Studies, 1969

Box 44   Folder 4-8

Unsorted material, 1929-1969

Box 45   Folder 1-10

Unsorted material, 1950-1972

Series V: Organizations

This series contains records of Olmsted's involvement with professional organizations and conservation groups, his editorial work for scientific journals, and his advisory role for state and federal agencies. Material in this series includes correspondence, publications, reports, manuscripts, grant proposals and reviews, and conference materials. The bulk of the material in this series dates from the 1950s-1970s

Subseries 1: Alphabetical File, is arranged by the names of organizations in which Olmsted was involved. This series contains editorial files of the journals Botanical Gazette and Ecology; files from Olmsted's work for the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the State of Illinois, the National Park Service, and the National Science Foundation; and material from several Midwestern conservation groups.

Subseries 2: Unsorted, contains material similar to that found in Subseries 1. These files contain records of several different organizations, particularly environmental and conservation groups active in the 1960s-1970s.

Olmsted's research and teaching overlapped with his advocacy for conservation and science education; some of these files contain research and teaching material. Material related to Olmsted's involvement with organizations other than University of Chicago can also be found in Series I, II, III and VI.

Subseries 1: Alphabetical File

Box 46   Folder 1

American Association for the Advancement of Science, symposium, 1950-1951

Box 46   Folder 2

American Association for the Advancement of Science, Cooperative Committee on the Teaching of Science and Mathematics, 1959

Box 46   Folder 3

American Association for the Advancement of Science, Conference of Biological Editors, 1959-1960

Box 46   Folder 4

American Association for the Advancement of Science-American Council of Learned Societies Conference on Teacher Education, 1962

Box 46   Folder 5

American Association for the Advancement of Science, Commission on Science Instruction, 1962

Box 46   Folder 6

American Association for the Advancement of Science, conferences, 1962

Box 46   Folder 7

American Association for the Advancement of Science, Committee on Education, 1962

Box 46   Folder 8

American Association for the Advancement of Science, Midwest Regional Conference, 1962

Box 47   Folder 1

American Association for the Advancement of Science, Midwest Regional Conference, 1962

Box 47   Folder 2

American Association for the Advancement of Science, Commission on Science Instruction, 1962-1964

Box 47   Folder 3

American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1966

Box 47   Folder 4-5

Annual Review of Plant Physiology, 1932-1950

Box 48   Folder 1-5

Botanical Gazette, 1945-1951

Box 49   Folder 1-7

Botanical Gazette, 1951-1969

Box 49   Folder 8

Chicago Academy of Sciences, 1944-1954

Box 50   Folder 1

Chicago Academy of Sciences, 1959-1967

Box 50   Folder 2

Chicago Board of Education, high school science curricula, 1961- 1964

Box 50   Folder 3-5

Committee on Institutional Cooperation, Biometeorology Graduate Program, 1962-1967

Box 51   Folder 1-2

Committee on Institutional Cooperation, Biometeorology Graduate Program, 1967-1971

Box 51   Folder 3

Council of Biology Editors, 1956-1966

Box 51   Folder 3

Ecological Society of America, grasslands conservation, 1933-1934

Box 51   Folder 4

Ecological Society of America, field trips, circa 1930s

Box 51   Folder 5-7

Ecological Society of America, Ecology, 1940-1943

Box 52   Folder 1-6

Ecological Society of America, Ecology, 1943-1947

Box 53   Folder 1-3

Ecological Society of America, Ecology, 1946-1963

Box 53   Folder 4

Ecological Society of America, vice-presidency, 1948-1949

Box 53   Folder 5-6

Ecological Society of America, Publications Committee, 1948-1954

Box 53   Folder 7

Ecological Society of America, George Mercer Award, 1951

Box 53   Folder 8

Ecological Society of America, symposium on teaching ecology in urban areas, 1952

Box 53   Folder 9-10

Ecological Society of America, 1959-1960

Box 54   Folder 1-2

Ecological Society of America, 1959-1961

Box 54   Folder 3-7

Ecological Society of America, Ecology Study Committee, 1959- 1966

Box 54   Folder 6

Ecological Society of America, international ecological organizations, 1960

Box 55   Folder 1

Ecological Society of America, Committee on Education, 1960- 1961

Box 55   Folder 2

Ecological Society of America, Nominating Committee, 1960-1961

Box 55   Folder 3

Ecological Society of America, representatives to the National Committee of Plant Science Societies, 1960-1962

Box 55   Folder 4

Ecological Society of America, 1962

Box 55   Folder 5

Ecological Society of America, relations with NASA, 1963

Box 55   Folder 6-8

Gamma Alpha Organization of Chicago, 1930-1973

Box 56   Folder 1

Grand Mere Conservation and Recreational Association, 1965

Box 56   Folder 2-4

Grassland Research Foundation, 1939-1966

Box 56   Folder 5

Illinois Beach State Park, 1954-1964

Box 56   Folder 6

Illinois Department of Conservation, 1970

Box 56   Folder 7

Illinois Natural History Survey, 1962-1963

Box 57   Folder 1-6

Illinois Natural History Survey, 1963-1969

Box 58   Folder 1-3

Illinois Natural History Survey, 1970-1975

Box 58   Folder 4-5

Illinois Nature Preserves Commission, 1965-1974

Box 59   Folder 1-2

Illinois Nature Preserves Commission, 1968-1972

Box 59   Folder 3

Illinois Prairie Path, 1968

Box 59   Folder 4-5

International Biological Program, 1974-1975

Box 59   Folder 6

International Grassland Congress, 1952-1953

Box 59   Folder 7

Midwest Prairie Conference, 1970

Box 59   Folder 8

National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification, 1960-1961

Box 60   Folder 1

National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification, regional conferences, 1960

Box 60   Folder 2

National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification, 1960

Box 60   Folder 3

National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification and American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting, 1961

Box 60   Folder 4

National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification and American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting, 1963

Box 60   Folder 5

National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification and American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting, 1962

Box 60   Folder 6

National Park Service, Park Management for Public Service conference, 1965

Box 60   Folder 7

National Park Service, management of Yellowstone National Park, 1972-1973

Box 60   Folder 8

National Park Service, 1967-1972

Box 61   Folder 1

National Park Service, 1970-1973

Box 61   Folder 2-4

National Science Foundation, ad hoc reviews, 1958-1973

Box 61   Folder 5

National Science Foundation, Advisory Panel for Environmental Biology, 1960-1963

Box 61   Folder 6-7

National Science Foundation, proposal evaluations, circa 1959- 1960

Box 62   Folder 1-7

National Science Foundation, proposal evaluations, 1960-1963

Box 63   Folder 1

National Science Foundation, Advisory Committee for Environmental Biology, 1961-1962

Box 63   Folder 2

National Science Foundation, Division of Biological and Medical Sciences, 1965

Box 63   Folder 3-4

National Science Foundation, Advisory Committee for Biological and Medical Sciences, 1965-1967

Box 63   Folder 5

National Science Foundation, visit to Utah State University, 1966

Box 63   Folder 5

Nature Conservancy, Bird Haven, 1954-1957

Box 63   Folder 6

Open Lands Project, Beall Woods, 1965-1972

Box 63   Folder 7

Save the Dunes Council, 1959-1962

Box 64   Folder 1-4

Save the Dunes Council, 1959-1974

Box 64   Folder 5

Sigma Xi, 1952

Box 64   Folder 6

University of Georgia, circa 1968

Box 64   Folder 7

University of Wyoming, Wyoming Institute of Biology, 1955

Box 64   Folder 8

Western Michigan University, 1962-1964

Subseries 2: Unsorted

Box 64   Folder 9

1961-1974

Box 65   Folder 1-8

1958-1975

There is no box 66 in this collection.

Series VI: Publications and Publicity Material

This series contains a variety of print material that Olmsted collected on topics related to his interests in research, education and conservation. Many of these items have only a general or indirect relationship to Olmsted's own research and teaching.

Subseries 1: Subject File, contains reprints, abstracts, and annual reports, as well as a small number of drafts and manuscripts. This subseries is arranged alphabetically according to subjects that Olmsted devised. Material in this subseries dates from the late nineteenth century through the 1970s, with a concentration of material from the 1930s-1960s. Most of the items in the subseries are the published research of scientists other than Olmsted, although some of Olmsted's publications are also found. Many of the publications were originally collected by Olmsted's colleagues (particularly George D. Fuller), and passed to him later. Unidentified subject files are included at the end of the subseries. Lists of most articles in these files are available in preliminary inventories of the Charles E. Olmsted Papers.

Subseries 2: General, contains material similar to that found in Subseries 1, as well as pamphlets, newsletters, broadsides and other material, mostly from conservation groups.

Oversize material from this series has been transferred to Series VIII.

Subseries 1: Subject File

Box 67

Applied ecology, erosion

Box 67

Applied ecology, ranges and revegetation

Box 67

Autecology

Box 67

Avery lecture

Box 68

Bibliographies

Box 68

Classification of vegetation

Box 68

Colorado

Box 68

Colorado, autecology

Box 69

Competition, community success rates

Box 69

Economic botany and old cultures

Box 69

Factors - photoperiodism, light, allelopathy, nitrogen, water, fire, soil

Box 70

Floras and vegetation - desert

Box 70

Floras and vegetation - Eastern North America

Box 70

Floras and vegetation - montane

Box 71

Floras and vegetation - montane

Box 71

Floras and vegetation - prairie

Box 72

Floras and vegetation - prairie

Box 72

Genecology

Box 72

Global floras and vegetation, English language

Box 73

Global floras and vegetation, English language

Box 73

Global floras and vegetation, foreign language

Box 74

Grazing, clipping and succession

Box 74

Histories and obituaries

Box 74

"Oldies but goodies"

Box 74

Root studies, mycorrhizae and lower plants

Box 74

Paleobotany and migration

Box 75

Quaternary, eastern United States

Box 75

Quaternary, eastern United States, palynology

Box 75

Quaternary, western United States, ecoanatomy, dendrochronology

Box 75

Vegetation, general

Box 75

Vegetation, Eastern North America

Box 76

Vegetation, Eastern North America

Box 77

Unidentified subjects

Subseries 2: General

Box 78   Folder 1-3

Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 1916-1953

Box 78   Folder 4

Illinois Natural History Survey, annual report, 1975

Box 78   Folder 5

Illinois State Geological Survey, annual report, 1974-1975

Box 78   Folder 6

Illinois State Water Survey, annual report, 1974-1975

Box 78   Folder 7-12

National Park Service, Natural Resources newsletters, 1967-1971

Box 78   Folder 13-19

National Park Service, reports, 1966-1970

Box 79   Folder 1

National Committee for the International Biological Program, report, 1974

Box 79   Folder 2

Photosynthesis and grasses, reprints, circa 1930s-1960s

Box 79   Folder 3

Forests and fires, reprints, circa 1930s-1960s

Box 79   Folder 4

Climatology, teaching and education, reprints, circa 1930s-1960s

Box 79   Folder 5-16

Unsorted reprints, newsletters and reports, circa 1920s-1970s

Box 80   Folder 1-7

Unsorted reprints and periodicals, circa 1920s-1970s

Box 81   Folder 1-4

Unsorted reprints, periodicals and publicity material, circa 1920s- 1970s

Series VII: Personal

This series contains a variety of material from Olmsted's personal life, as well as small collections of documents related to the life and work of some of his colleagues. Of particular interest is a collection of reports and other research material relating to George D. Fuller's research in the Indiana Dunes. Also included is a collection of record books for a herd of dairy cows that Olmsted owned; obituary and memorial material for the biologist Reginald Ruggles Gates; copies of Olmsted's CV; and arrangements for Olmsted's funeral and memorial.

Box 81   Folder 5

Collection of Michigan Dunes research material relating to the work of George D. Fuller, 1915-1917

Box 81   Folder 6

Dairy herd record books, 1926-1928

Box 82   Folder 1-2

Dairy herd record books, 1929-1934

Box 82   Folder 3

Correspondence, 1948-1969

Box 82   Folder 4

Reginald Ruggles Coates, memorial material, 1962-1964

Box 82   Folder 5

Curricula vitae, 1963-1973

Box 82   Folder 6

John R. Yaeger, "Lament of a Dying Leaf," 1966

Box 82   Folder 7

Sale of journal collection, correspondence, 1974

Box 82   Folder 8

Funeral arrangements and memorial material, circa 1970s-1980s

Series VIII: Oversize Material, Audio-Visual Material and Photographs

This series contains oversize material transferred from other series, as well as a film and Olmsted's collection of photographs.

Subseries 1: Oversize Material, contains material transferred from Series II, IV and VI. The original series location can be traced through folder headings. This subseries includes maps of Wychwood and Bird Haven, architectural drawings for Barnes Laboratory, and large proofs and publications.

Subseries 2: Audio-visual Material, contains a 16-millimeter educational film on plant reproduction, for which Olmsted served as an educational consultant. Also included are drafts and copies of the teaching guide for the film.

Subseries 3: Photographs, contains prints, film and glass negatives, and film and glass slides. The images date from 1904-circa 1950s. Subjects include natural environments such as the Indiana Dunes; portraits of individuals and groups; and documentation of Olmsted's experiments with grasses. Other photographs of Olmsted's research are found in Series II, as well as Subseries 1 of this series.

Subseries 1: Oversize Material

Box 83   Folder 1

Research and Writing, proofs, photographs and diagrams for Botanical Gazette articles, circa 1940s

Box 83   Folder 2

University of Chicago, Wychwood estate survey map, 1902

Box 83   Folder 3

University of Chicago, Bird Haven survey maps, 1932

Box 83   Folder 4

University of Chicago, Barnes Laboratory architectural drawings, 1958-1963

Box 84

Publications, paleobotany and migration, reprints, 1925-1966

Box 84

Publications, Norman Haire, ed., Encyclopedia of Sexual Knowledge, in shipping box, 1936

Subseries 2: Audio-Visual Material

Box 84

"Reproduction in Plants," teaching guides, circa 1958

Box 85

"Reproduction in Plants," Coronet Films, 16 millimeter filmstrip, circa 1958

  • This item has been reformatted for access.

Subseries 3: Photographs

Box 85

John M. Beal, Wychwood estate, box of slides, undated

Box 85

Unidentified microfilm reel

Box 86   Folder 1-2

Indiana Dunes, photographs, circa 1890

Box 86   Folder 3

Individual and group portraits, 1904-1952

Box 86   Folder 4

Yellowstone National Park, 1920

Box 86   Folder 5-6

Grasses experiments, circa 1942

Box 86   Folder 7

Dunes field trip, 1945

Box 86   Folder 8

Soil experiments, circa 1945-1946

Box 86   Folder 9

Environmental photographs, undated

Box 86   Folder 10

Aerial photographs, undated

Box 87

Four boxes of lantern slides and negatives, circa 1940s-1950s

Box 88

Three boxes of lantern slides, circa 1940s-1950s

Series IX: Restricted

This series contains student papers with grades and feedback, and is restricted for 80 years.

Box 89   Folder 1-7

Student Papers, 1937-1962

Box 90   Folder 1-7

Student Papers, 1962-1970