Papers of James Stewart, former chief Diving Officer at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and scuba training pioneer. The collection contains correspondence, professional materials, writings, photographs, and diving-related subject files and diving manuals.

James Ronald Stewart (b. 1927) first experienced diving as a teenager in the waters off the coast of San Diego, and proved to be an adept diver from a young age. In 1951 he was inducted into the Bottom Scratchers, one of the first free-diving and spearfishing clubs in the country; the admittance rate of the club was notoriously low, and required that applicants achieve such feats as diving 30 feet and retrieving three abalone in a single dive. Like other divers during the 1950s, Stewart was introduced to the advent of scuba diving largely through experimentation, trial and error, and collaboration with other enthusiasts. He received a B.S. in Botany from Pomona College in 1953 and his teaching credential from San Diego State University in 1958. He also studied graduate-level marine botany at both USC and the University of Hawaii.

10.8 Linear feet (27 archives boxes, 1 card file box, 1 map case folder, and 9 films)

Publication rights are held by the Regents of the University of California.

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