Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Duncan, Carl, Dr., 1895-1966 and Whiting, Patricia, 1940-2010
- Abstract:
- The Carl D. Duncan and Patricia Whiting Papers collection consists of the personal papers of Patricia (neé Carpio) Whiting and a portion of letters written between Whiting and Dr. Carl D. Duncan from 1964 to 1966. The letters not only provide a glimpse into the everyday lives of Carl D. Duncan and Patricia Whiting but they also reflect a deep bond of friendship between mentor and student. The formats represented include: cards, letters, photographs and poetry from Duncan as well as correspondence, writings, newspaper clippings and newsletters that document the personal and professional life of Whiting. Dr. Duncan, a longtime professor of natural sciences at San Jose State College (SJSC), for whom the Carl D. Duncan Hall of Science building on the San Jose State campus is named, developed a very close friendship with Whiting. Duncan hired Whiting to work as a student secretary in the Field Studies program from 1964-1966. Duncan provided personal encouragement to Whiting and he financially supported Whiting and her family. Before his death he gifted his Menlo Park home to her mother and his estate funded the education of her siblings. After her marriage to Vincent Whiting in 1968, Whiting moved to Oregon and pursued a career in public service. She became the first Filipino woman elected to the Oregon State Legislature and served three terms from 1973 to 1978, focusing key legislation on environmental issues. Whiting remained involved with the community for all of her life until her death from cancer on June 23, 2010.
- Extent:
- 3.0 Boxes, 3 Linear Feet
- Language:
- Preferred citation:
-
Dr. Carl Duncan and Patricia Whiting Papers, MSS-2012-01-19, San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Carl D. Duncan and Patricia Whiting Papers collection consists of the personal papers of Patricia (neé Carpio) Whiting and a portion of letters written between Whiting and Dr. Carl D. Duncan from 1964 to 1966. The letters not only provide a glimpse into the everyday lives of Carl D. Duncan and Patricia Whiting but they also reflect a deep bond of friendship between mentor and student. The formats represented include: cards, letters, photographs and poetry from Duncan as well as correspondence, writings, newspaper clippings and newsletters that document the personal and professional life of Whiting.
Dr. Duncan, a longtime professor of natural sciences at San Jose State College (SJSC), for whom the Carl D. Duncan Hall of Science building on the San Jose State campus is named, developed a very close friendship with Whiting. Duncan hired Whiting to work as a student secretary in the Field Studies program from 1964-1966. Duncan provided personal encouragement to Whiting and he financially supported Whiting and her family. Before his death he gifted his Menlo Park home to her mother and his estate funded the education of her siblings. After her marriage to Vincent Whiting in 1968, Whiting moved to Oregon and pursued a career in public service. She became the first Filipino woman elected to the Oregon State Legislature and served three terms from 1973 to 1978, focusing key legislation on environmental issues. Whiting remained involved with the community for all of her life until her death from cancer on June 23, 2010.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Dr. Carl Dudley Duncan (1895-1966) was born in Fresno, California and received his education from Stanford University between 1923 and 1931. Duncan taught botany and entomology at San José State College from 1922 to 1950, after which he became the head of the Natural Science department until his retirement in 1965. Duncan was a beloved professor to whom many students referred to as “Dunc” and received his mentorship. In addition to his involvement as a professor, Duncan sponsored the Entomology Club and led annual science camps in California’s national parks. Duncan was married to Neva Duncan, a folkdance teacher at the Las Lomitas School District in Menlo Park, until her death in 1962. They did not have children. As a gift to his “goddaughter” Patricia Whiting, Duncan willed his estate to her upon his death in 1966 and funded the college education of her siblings. Duncan edited and contributed to several books and journals on entomology, including "Insect Stories" by Frederick Shackleford, "The World of Insects" with Gayle Pickford, and more. Duncan served as president of the Pacific Coast Entomological Society from 1937 to 1938 and again in 1947. The Carl D. Duncan Hall of Science building on the San José State campus was dedicated in his name in 1968.
Patricia Whiting (1940-2010) was born Patricia neé Carpio in Chicago, the oldest of eight children, to a single mother who suffered from multiple sclerosis. Her family moved to Gilroy in 1950, where she graduated from high school in 1959 and attended San Jose State College intermittently from 1960 to 1967. An Arts and Humanities major, Whiting was active in the student body and participated in multiple plays and musicals, choir, flamenco dance and the International Platform Speaker Association, for which she traveled to Washington D.C. with Carl D. Duncan in 1965. In 1964 Whiting toured the United States for the U.S.O. with a troupe of actors for a play entitled “So this is College.” After graduating in 1967 she married Vincent Whiting, with whom she would renew her wedding vows every five years until her death.
Whiting first ran for the Oregon State Legislature in 1972 and was elected in 1973. In 1972 she delivered the keynote speech for the 37th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Mexico City, Mexico. In 1973 “Ban the Can”, the world’s first anti-aerosol can bill, was passed with her support. During her three terms as a representative for the state of Oregon from 1973 to 1978, her key legislation included the world’s first ban on smoking in public, the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, marriage license reform, sanitation, traffic and other environmental causes. In 1975 the Rutgers-Carnegie foundation named her as one of the top 50 outstanding legislative leaders. In 1982 Whiting received her Master’s degree in Public Administration from Lewis and Clark College, becoming the first former legislator to do so. Whiting was also the first Filipino-American woman elected to a state legislature in the United States.
After retiring from politics in 1978, Whiting remained actively involved in community and humanitarian causes such as parks and recreation and stray animal rescue. Whiting passed away in 2010 from cancer. In September 2011 the city of Metzger Oregon, where she had made her home since 1970, dedicated Metzger Park Hall to be renamed Patricia D. Whiting Hall in her memory.
- Processing information:
-
Collection processed by Mary Alexander and Toni Nix. Finding Aid created using Archivists' Toolkit. Reviewed by Danelle Moon.
- Arrangement:
-
This collection is arranged into two series: Series I: Correspondence, Carl D. Duncan to Patricia Whiting, 1964-1966 (Bulk 1965); Series II: Patricia Whiting Personal Papers, 1940-2010 (Bulk 1972-1978).
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
The collection is open for research.
- Preferred citation:
-
Dr. Carl Duncan and Patricia Whiting Papers, MSS-2012-01-19, San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives.
- Location of this collection:
-
One Washington SquareSan Jose, CA 95192-0028, US
- Contact:
- 408-808-2062