Finding aid to the Donald R. Dickey papers MVZA.MSS.0294

Finding aid prepared by Greg Borman
The processing of this collection was made possible through funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources' "Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives" Project.
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology Archives
3101 Valley Life Sciences Building
University of California
Berkeley
mvzarchives@berkeley.edu
May 2014


Descriptive Summary

Title: Donald R. Dickey papers
Identifier/Call Number: MVZA.MSS.0294
Contributing Institution: Museum of Vertebrate Zoology Archives
Language of Material: English
Physical Description: 0.3 Linear feet
Date (inclusive): 1925-1992
Abstract: The Donald R. Dickey papers consist of field catalogues and correspondence. The two field catalogues cover the years 1925-1927. The two folders of correspondence span the years 1931-1992.
Creator: Dickey, Donald R. (Donald Ryder), 1887-1932

Administrative Information

Conditions governing access

The collection is open for research, except for the Correspondence regarding Donald R. Dickey specimen collection folder; consult Museum Archivist for details.

Conditions governing use

Copyright restrictions may apply. All requests to publish, quote, or reproduce must be submitted to the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology Archives in writing for approval. Please contact the Museum Archivist for further information.

Preferred citation

[Identification of item], Donald R. Dickey papers, MVZA.MSS.0294, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology Archives, University of California, Berkeley.

Biographical note

Donald R. Dickey (1887-1932) was known for amassing a significant bird and mammal specimen collection, photographing and filming wildlife, and discussing his field work as a lecturer. While health issues, primarily heart problems, frequently slowed his work, his collection included almost 30,000 specimens by 1926. Receiving a B.A. from Yale in 1910, Dickey made his way to California in that same year, having been a UC Berkeley student previously. He received a Masters degree from Occidental College in 1925. Eventually becoming focused on establishing a research center for vertebrate zoology in southern California, Dickey was appointed as a Research Associate by the California Institute of Technology in 1926. At the Institute, Dickey was given space to keep his collection of specimens, photographs and film, and books. In 1940, eight years after his death, his widow Florence Van Vechten Dickey donated his collection of over 50,000 skins and skeletons of birds and mammals to the University of California, Los Angeles. The collection is now known as the UCLA Donald R. Dickey Bird and Mammal Collection.
Sources Consulted:
Correspondence 1931-1962 folder, Donald R. Dickey papers, MVZA.MSS.0294, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology Archives, University of California, Berkeley.
"Dickey, Donald Ryder. OAC." SNAC: The Social Networks and Archival Context Project. Accessed May 21, 2014. http://socialarchive.iath.virginia.edu/xtf/view?docId=dickey-donald-ryder-cr.xml 
Harris, Harry. "An Appreciation of Donald Ryder Dickey." The Condor, 36, 2 (1934): 59-66. Accessed May 21, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1363619 
"The UCLA Donald R. Dickey Bird and Mammal Collection." UCLA Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. 2009. Accessed May 21, 2014. https://www.eeb.ucla.edu/dickey/ 

Scope and contents note

The Donald R. Dickey papers consist of two non-standard bound field catalogues containing information from the years 1925-1927. The catalogues include data relating to specimens collected, such as collector number, date collected, sex, and related information. All of the specimens are mammals and were collected in El Salvador. The correspondence includes spans the years 1931-1992. One folder contains correspondence addressed to both Dickey and his wife, Florence V.V. Dickey. The other correspondence folder contains communications relating to the Donald R. Dickey specimen collection.

Related archival materials

Materials relating to this collection within the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology Archives include: the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology historical correspondence  1908-1930 collection (MVZA.MSS.0117) and the Ruben A. Stirton field notes (MVZA.MSS.0243).

Arrangement note

The collection has been arranged in the following series: El Salvador mammals field catalogues and Correspondence. There are no subseries.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Biological specimens--Collection and preservation.
Biological specimens--Identification
Cataloging--Specimens.
Catalogs
Correspondence
Mammalogy--Fieldwork.
Scientific expeditions--El Salvador
University of California (1868-1952). Museum of Vertebrate Zoology

 

El Salvador mammals field catalogues 1925-1927

Language of Material: English
Physical Description: 2.0 Volumes
Box 1, Folder 1

Mammals field catalogue #10264-11468 1925-1926

Physical Description: 189.0 Pages

Related archival materials

Specimens collected in this section include accession #10161. These specimens can be found in Arctos , the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology's specimen database.
Box 1, Folder 1

Mammals field catalogue #12036-12992 1926-1927

Physical Description: 156.0 Pages

Scope and contents note

Holotype of Canis latrans dickeyi listed on p. 40. See MVZ Mammals 132043 . Holotype of Nyctomys sumichrasti florencei listed on p. 115. See MVZ Mammals 131420 . Holotype of Procyon lotor dickeyi listed on p. 120. See MVZ Mammals 132091 .

Related archival materials

Specimens collected in this section include accession #10161. These specimens can be found in Arctos , the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology's specimen database.
 

Correspondence 1931-1992

Language of Material: English
Physical Description: 2.0 Folder
Box 1, Folder 2

Correspondence addressed to Donald R. and Florence V.V. Dickey 1931-1962

Physical Description: 1.0 Folder
Box 1, Folder 3

Correspondence regarding Donald R. Dickey specimen collection 1934-1992

Physical Description: 1.0 Folder
Creator: Dickey, Donald R. (Donald Ryder), 1887-1932
Creator: Grinnell, Joseph, 1877-1939
Creator: Miller, Alden H. (Alden Holmes), 1906-1965
Creator: Miller, Loye, 1874-1970
Creator: Sproul, Robert Gordon, 1891-1975

Conditions governing access

Access is restricted; consult Museum Archivist for details.