Inventory of the Thomas W. Whitaker Papers
D-578
Sara Gunasekara
University of California, Davis General Library, Dept. of Special Collections
© 2015
1st Floor, Shields Library, University of California
100 North West Quad
Davis, CA 95616-5292
speccoll@ucdavis.edu
URL: https://www.library.ucdavis.edu/special-collections/
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
University of California, Davis General Library, Dept. of Special Collections
Title: Thomas W. Whitaker Papers
Creator:
Whitaker, Thomas W.
(Thomas Wallace), 1904-1993
Identifier/Call Number: D-578
Physical Description:
1.8 linear feet
Date (inclusive): 1928-1990
Abstract: Thomas W. Whitaker (1904-1993) served as a geneticist for the United
States Department of Agriculture where he developed new varieties of cantaloupes, gourds, and lettuce. The collection
contains his articles, talks, and manuscripts, as well as correspondence received upon his retirement, and a photograph
album.
Physical Location: Researchers should contact Special Collections to request collections,
as many are stored offsite.
Biography
Thomas W. Whitaker was born on August 13, 1904 in Monrovia, California. He graduated from the University of California,
Davis in 1927 and received his PhD in Biology at the University of Virginia in 1931. He served as a postdoctoral scholar at
Harvard University in 1933. In 1934, he became an Associate Professor at Agnes Scott College in Atlanta, Georgia. From
1936-1973, he worked as a geneticist for the United States Department of Agriculture where he developed better tasting and
disease resistant varieties of cantaloupes, gourds, and lettuce.
Whitaker passed away on November 29, 1993.
Source:
Thomas W. Whitaker Obituary,
La Jolla Light, December 9, 1993.
Scope and Content
The collection contains Whitaker's articles, talks, and manuscripts, as well as correspondence
received upon his retirement, and a photograph album.
Arrangement of the Collection
The collection is arranged alphabetically.
Access
Collection is open for research.
Processing Information
Sara Gunasekara processed this collection with assistance from student employee Michelle Xie.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Beverley Whitaker Rodgers in 2014.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], D-578, Thomas W. Whitaker Papers, Department of Special Collections, General Library, University
of California, Davis.
Publication Rights
All applicable copyrights for the collection are protected under chapter 17 of the U.S. Copyright Code. Requests for
permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission
for publication is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of California as the owner of the physical items. It is
not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Melons -- Research
Lettuce -- Diseases and pests
Cucurbitaceae
Gourds -- Research
Whitaker, Thomas W.
(Thomas Wallace), 1904-1993 -- Archives
box 1, folder
1-13
Collected Papers
1930-1986
box 1, folder
14
Correspondence received upon his retirement
1973
box 1, folder
15-16
Cucurbits: botany, cultivation, and utilization, London, L. Hill; New York, Interscience
Publishers
1962
box 1, folder
17
Cucurbits of Potential Economic Importance, published in
Biology and utilization of the Cucurbitaceae, Ithaca, N.Y.: Comstock Pub. Associates
1990
box 2, folder
1
Endemism and Pre-Columbian Migration of the Bottle Gourd, Lagenaria siceraria (Mol.) Standl., published in
Man across the sea; problems of pre-Columbian contacts. Austin, University of Texas Press
1971
box 2, folder
2
Horticultural Reviews Volume 3, dedicated to Whitaker
1981
box 3, folder
1-2
Talks and Manuscripts
1928-1985
box 3, folder
3-4
Awards and Honors
1940-1998