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 2, folder  3

Photograph album undated

box 3, folder  1-2

Talks and Manuscripts 1928-1985

box 3, folder  3-4

Awards and Honors 1940-1998