Finding Aid to the Cooper Ornithological Society Records, 1874-1994, 1874-1994

Finding aid written by Juliet Demeter and Josh Schneider
The Bancroft Library
© 2006
The Bancroft Library
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000
bancref@library.berkeley.edu


Contributing Institution: The Bancroft Library
Title: Cooper Ornithological Society records
Creator: Cooper Ornithological Society
Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 74/144 c
Physical Description: 19 linear feet (13 cartons, 1 oversize box, 2 boxes, and 8 volumes)
Date (inclusive): 1874-1994
Date (inclusive): 1874-1994
Abstract: The Cooper Ornithological Society Records, 1874-1994, document the organization's history from its origins as a small association of naturalists to its current status as a renowned scientific society with extensive international membership. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence and administrative records produced by the Board of Directors and COS Officers. Also prevalent are committee minutes, annual meeting materials, and individual member correspondence and field notes. Materials relating to the official publications of the society, including The Condor and Studies in Avian Biology, are also included.
Physical Location: Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Language of Material: English , English , English .

Access

Collection is open for research.

Accruals

No accruals are expected.

Acquisition Information

The Cooper Ornithological Society Records were given to The Bancroft Library by Lois Stone on March 12, 1973. Additions were made in 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1987, 1988, and 1994. 2017 additions were given to The Bancroft Library by John C Ralph.

Alternate Forms Available

Digital reproductions of selected items are available.

Organizational History

The Cooper Ornithological Club (COC), the forerunner of the present Cooper Ornithological Society, was formed on June 22, 1893 in San Jose by four active birders and oologists in order to provide a forum in which to study and discuss birds with like-minded, well-informed enthusiasts. In December 1934 the Club became incorporated, and in May 1952, the Club changed its name to the Cooper Ornithological Society, with the principal intent of better conveying the club's academic and scientific orientation. The Society currently numbers over 3000 professional and amateur ornithologists from around the world. The primary goal of the Society, as expressed through its meetings, sponsorship of symposia, and publications, is to advance the scientific study of birds and their habitats, and support their conservation.
The original founding members of the COC included Chester Barlow, Wilford H. Osgood, Harry Painton, and Fred Schneider. The name of the club, as well as that of the present society which bears its name, commemorates an early California naturalist, Dr. James Graham Cooper (1830-1902), whose son, J.S. Cooper, was long active in the affairs of the Society.
The earliest ornithological club in California, similarly named after Cooper, was founded in the winter of 1890-1891 by students at the University of the Pacific in Santa Clara. It lasted only a few years, when many if not most of the early members of the club transferred to the newly instituted Stanford University. While it was resurrected for a short time a few years later, and is important as an early example of organized ornithological research on the West Coast, it achieved nothing close to the academic presence nor level of regional dispersion achieved by the later Cooper Ornithological Club (or the Society which eventually took its name).
The Southern Division of the Club arose from independent origins in 1893 when several bird collectors organized to form the Southern California Natural History Society. As its member list, meetings, and activities increasingly overlapped with the local COC chapter in Santa Clara, however, the SCNHS title soon fell by the wayside. Although each division had regular meetings and field trip schedules, the first joint annual meeting of the two divisions of the COC occurred in Los Angeles in 1926.
Although its commitment to filling its principal goals has never wavered, the Society has undergone numerous structural organizational changes during the course of its existence, reflecting both its natural growth as a professional organization, as well as the shifting interests and aspirations of both the organization and its members. Certain events have precipitated both technical and procedural adjustments, the incorporation of the COC in 1934 being one obvious example of such an occurrence. In 1976 the Northern and Southern Divisions were abolished as such, signaling a less provincial mindset on part of the Society and reflecting the increasingly international scope of membership.
The present leadership is composed of a nine-member Board of Directors; nine officers, including two positions held by editors of the Society's two major publications; and nearly twenty standing and ad-hoc committees. There are also a number of representatives to various councils and societies.
Progressive research and widespread ornithological awareness and appreciation have always been at the heart of the Society's mission, and the numerous publications it has produced over the course of its existence have been integral to helping achieve those objectives. COC member and future Club president Harry R. Taylor's independent monthly journal, The Nidiologist (later called The Nidologist), served as the closest thing to an official Club publication for the first four years of the Club's existence. The Nidologist halted publication in 1897 and the new unofficial outlet became The Osprey, a monthly journal co-founded by Chester Barlow, who had played a key role in stimulating the formation of the Club, as well as assisting in the formulation of its earliest aims and tenets. In 1898 the club decided to publish an official journal. The first issue was published in 1899 as the Bulletin of the Cooper Ornithological Club, and was edited primarily by Barlow. In 1900 the name of the journal was changed to The Condor. The journal, which is currently one of the premier ornithological publications in the world, has been published continuously for over a century.
At the same time The Condor was becoming established around the turn of the 20th century, the COC also recognized the need for a forum that would be more amenable to longer submissions beyond the scope of The Condor. A new series was begun, titled Pacific Coast Avifauna, to allow for these more extensive offerings. The series was published continuously until 1974, and continued in 1978 under the new title Studies in Avian Biology, whose present scope includes both monographs and proceedings of symposia of general interest to ornithologists.
From the handful of founding members present at the first organizational meetings of the Cooper Ornithological Club in 1893, and those at the first organizational meetings of the Southern California Natural History Society (forerunner to the Southern Division of the COC) held that same year, the Cooper Ornithological Society has grown from a small group of naturalists and amateur enthusiasts into an international community of scholars, scientists, and amateur enthusiasts. Preserving the rich history evidenced by the records in this collection is of vital importance to present as well as future generations of ornithologists and historians of science.

Chronology

1890 Unaffiliated forerunner to the Cooper Ornithological Club, also named after James Cooper, is founded at the College of the Pacific in Santa Clara, California.
1893 Cooper Ornithological Club is founded on June 22 in San Jose, California.
  Future Southern Division of the COC is founded separately in Los Angeles, as the Southern California Natural History Society.
1894 Cooper member H.R. Taylor publishes The Nidiologist (later renamed The Nidologist), the first unofficial publication dedicated to providing coverage of the COC.
  Southern California Natural History Society merges with the Santa Clara COC chapter, giving rise to the Southern Division of the COC.
1895 First annual COC outing is held in Arroyo Seco, California.
1896 First formal mention of Northern and Southern Divisions occurs in The Nidologist.
1897 The Nidologist ceases to publish. A column edited by COC member Donald Cohen appearing in the unaffiliated journal The Osprey becomes the new mouthpiece of the Club.
1899 Club begins to publish Bulletin of the Cooper Ornithological Club.
1900 Bulletin of the Cooper Ornithological Club changes name to The Condor.
  Club begins to publish Pacific Coast Avifauna, a series intended to provide a forum for longer submissions, as well as transcripts of symposia proceedings.
1921 Board of Governors is formed.
1926 First annual meeting of entire COC (North and South) is held in Los Angeles.
1934 Cooper Ornithological Club becomes incorporated.
1952 Name of the organization is changed at the annual business meeting to Cooper Ornithological Society.
1965 Editorial office of The Condor leaves California for Lawrence, Kansas.
1970 Cooper Ornithological Society and Wilson Ornithological Society hold first joint annual meeting.
1974 Pacific Coast Avifauna halts publication.
1976 Northern and Southern Divisions are abolished.
1978 Series in Avian Biology, a new COS publication, assumes the role previously held by Pacific Coast Avifauna.
1890 Unaffiliated forerunner to the Cooper Ornithological Club, also named after James Cooper, is founded at the College of the Pacific in Santa Clara, California.
1893 Cooper Ornithological Club is founded on June 22 in San Jose, California.
  Future Southern Division of the COC is founded separately in Los Angeles, as the Southern California Natural History Society.
1894 Cooper member H.R. Taylor publishes The Nidiologist (later renamed The Nidologist), the first unofficial publication dedicated to providing coverage of the COC.
  Southern California Natural History Society merges with the Santa Clara COC chapter, giving rise to the Southern Division of the COC.
1895 First annual COC outing is held in Arroyo Seco, California.
1896 First formal mention of Northern and Southern Divisions occurs in The Nidologist.
1897 The Nidologist ceases to publish. A column edited by COC member Donald Cohen appearing in the unaffiliated journal The Osprey becomes the new mouthpiece of the Club.
1899 Club begins to publish Bulletin of the Cooper Ornithological Club.
1900 Bulletin of the Cooper Ornithological Club changes name to The Condor.
  Club begins to publish Pacific Coast Avifauna, a series intended to provide a forum for longer submissions, as well as transcripts of symposia proceedings.
1921 Board of Governors is formed.
1926 First annual meeting of entire COC (North and South) is held in Los Angeles.
1934 Cooper Ornithological Club becomes incorporated.
1952 Name of the organization is changed at the annual business meeting to Cooper Ornithological Society.
1965 Editorial office of The Condor leaves California for Lawrence, Kansas.
1970 Cooper Ornithological Society and Wilson Ornithological Society hold first joint annual meeting.
1974 Pacific Coast Avifauna halts publication.
1976 Northern and Southern Divisions are abolished.
1978 Series in Avian Biology, a new COS publication, assumes the role previously held by Pacific Coast Avifauna.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Cooper Ornithological Society Records, BANC MSS 74/144 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley

Processing Information

Processed by Juliet Demeter and Josue Hurtado in 2004. 2017 additions processed by Bancroft Library student employees and Lara Michels in 2022.

Related Collections

Louis B. Bishop Papers, BANC MSS 75/140 c
Willie Chambers Papers (bulk 1891-1964), BANC MSS 67/131 c
Joseph Grinnell Papers, 1884-1948
Joseph and Hilda Wood Grinnell Papers, 1886-1967, BANC MSS 73/25 c
Portraits of Joseph Grinnell's Family and his Colleagues, ca. 1880-1969, BANC PIC 1973.044-PIC
(Alden H. Miller) Papers Relating to the Cooper Ornithological Society, ca. 1949-1965), BANC MSS 67/3 c
John G. Tyler Correspondence Relating to Ornithological Research, ca. 1905-1937, BANC MSS 79/11 c
Miklos D. F. Udvardy Papers, 1947-1995, BANC MSS 99/306 c
Photographs Relating to the Cooper Ornithological Society and the American Ornithological Union, ca. 1900-1993, BANC PIC 1966.052-PIC
[Board of Governors of the Cooper Ornithological Society], 1926, BANC PIC 1979.146-PIC

Scope and Content of Collection

The Cooper Ornithological Society (COS) Records, 1874-1994, document the organization's history from its origins as a small association of naturalists to its current status as a renowned scientific society with extensive international membership. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence and administrative records produced by the Board of Directors and COS Officers. Also prevalent are committee minutes, annual meeting materials, and individual member correspondence and field notes. Materials relating to the official publications of the society, including The Condor and Studies in Avian Biology, are also included. The records are divided into five series: Administration, Divisions/Chapters, Annual Meetings, Publications, and Members.
The first series in the collection, Administration (1893-1994), is composed of five subseries: Leadership, Committees, Governing Documents, Financial Records, and History. Leadership is further divided into two sub-subseries: Officers, which consists primarily of correspondence, and Board of Directors, which consists of meeting minutes recorded after the Society's incorporation in 1934. Correspondence of the Treasurer was originally kept with that of the other officers and so is included in this subseries as opposed to the later one Financial Records. The final subseries in this series, History, includes the earliest Cooper Ornithological Club (COC) minutes on record (1893-1899), recorded by the first Northern Division Secretary and future editor of The Condor, Chester Barlow. It also contains materials documenting the Society's own investigation of its past, through both committee work and the independent research of members. An eloquent if somewhat irreverent history of the Club up to the year 1929, composed by Harry S. Swarth, past Northern-Division president and long-time associate editor of The Condor, is included in this subseries.
Since 1896, the Society was composed of two divisions: Northern and Southern. In 1976, the distinction, intended to allow for the fledgling Club's vertical expansion across California during the organization's early years, was deemed anachronistic, since the society already had extensive national and international membership, and was eliminated. Arranged into two subseries according to this earlier distinction, Divisions (1896-1989) reveals the separate origins and stratified early development of the two divisions, as well as the shared qualities which ultimately lead to the contemporary Society's cohesive organizational structure.
The most comprehensive series in the collection is Annual Meetings (1926-1989), which contains materials from nearly sixty annual Club/Society meetings, including documents relating to the first annual meeting of both the Northern and Southern divisions of the Cooper Ornithological Club, held in Los Angeles in 1926. The series includes programs, correspondence, announcements, and abstracts of papers presented at the meetings.
Although not as complete as the previous series, Publications (1894-1991), remains one of the strongest series in the collection. The publishing history of the Society is complex and significant; in some ways, the Society truly expanded beyond California when the publishing office left the state in 1965. More conservatively, it is clear that the official publications of the Society and their editors have had tremendous impact on the growth of the Society both in stature and membership. This series includes materials relating to The Condor, the official publication of the Cooper Ornithological Society, as well as materials concerning the two Cooper publications intended to accommodate lengthier submissions: the now-defunct Pacific Coast Avifauna, and its successor, Studies in Avian Biology. The series also includes official and unofficial documentation of the Club's activities prior to the naissance of The Condor.
Members (1874-1986) provides especially strong coverage of the Society's genesis and formative years. It is composed of two subseries; the first focuses on the body of correspondence generated by the Society's devoted members over the course of the organization's history. The second subseries includes membership rolls, miscellaneous field notes, photographs of the earliest members, and various member-related ephemera.
The final series consists of additions made to the collection in 2017. These materials consist primarily of board of directors materials and annual meeting materials.

Publication Rights

Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For additional information about the University of California, Berkeley Library's permissions policy please see: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/about/permissions-policies

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Birds--Pacific Coast
Chambers, W. L. (W. Lee)
Grinnell, Joseph, 1877-1939
Law, John Eugene, d.1931
Swarth, Harry Schelwald, b. 1878
Cooper Ornithological Club

 

Series 1: Administration 1893-1994

Physical Description: 0 needs updating Cartons 1-7; Carton 8, Folders 29-34; Volumes 1-3

Arrangement

Divided into five subseries: Leadership, Committees, Governing Documents, Financial Records, and History. Further arranged both hierarchically and chronologically.

Scope and Content Note

This series, the largest of the collection, traces the development of the Society from its inception as a small club in 1893 to its robust state at the beginning of the 21st century. It consists of official correspondence, meeting minutes, governing documents including constitutions, by-laws, and articles of incorporation, as well as financial records and internal files which document the history of the Society. Until 1921, gatherings of the executive boards of each division (whose members included President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Secretary) were conducted at monthly general meetings. But as the member population of the Club began to swell, the general meetings become increasingly lecture-oriented and tended to feature less time for focused discussion. It soon became evident that independent board meetings would be required. In January and February 1921, the Northern and Southern Divisions approved amendments to the Club constitution calling for the formation of a united Board of Governors, composed of the acting officers of the Club as well as ex-presidents, with meetings held annually. Following the incorporation of the Club in 1934, the Board of Governors, in accordance with California state law, split into a Board of Directors, responsible for financial matters and corporate affairs, and a Council, responsible for determining organizational policy related to scientific and educational endeavors. All members of the Board of Directors, as well as all editors of official Society publications, were members of the Council. In 1976, the Northern and Southern Divisions were abolished. Over the years the organizational structure of the Society has altered considerably, in line with each generation's views on how the Society's goals can best be achieved. As of June 2005, the Society maintains a nine-member Board of Directors, a nine-member Officer leadership (including two positions reserved for editors of the Society's two major publications) as well as a stock of Representatives to partner scientific organizations and associations.
 

Subseries 1_1: Leadership 1897-1992

Physical Description: 0 needs updating Cartons 1-5; Volume 1

Arrangement

Arranged hierarchically and chronologically.

Scope and Content Note

This subseries includes correspondence of the President, Secretary, and Treasurer, as well as Board of Directors meeting minutes beginning after the incorporation of the Society in 1934.
 

Officers 1_1_1: 1897-1992

Physical Description: 0 needs updating Cartons 1-4; Carton 5, Folders 1-6

Arrangement

Arranged hierarchically by office. Further arranged chronologically.
carton 1, folder 1-27

President 1956-1978

carton 2, folder 1-23

President 1979-1987

carton 2, folder 24-27

Secretary 1938-1959

carton 3, folder 1-19

Secretary 1960-1989

carton 3, folder 20-33

Treasurer 1897-1917

carton 4, folder 1-28

Treasurer 1918-1974

carton 5, folder 1-6

Treasurer 1975-1992

 

1_1_2: Board of Directors 1934-1991

Physical Description: 0 needs updating Cartons 5, Folders 7-32; Volume 1

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.
carton 5, folder 7-32

Minutes of the Meetings of the Board of Directors 1934-1991

volume 1

Minutes of the Meetings of the Board of Directors 1935-1958

 

Subseries 1_2: Committees 1921-1981

Physical Description: 0 needs updating Carton 6, Folders 1-42

Arrangement

Arranged hierarchically.

Scope and Content Note

This subseries includes correspondence and meeting proceedings produced by active member committees covering the sixty-year period from 1921-1981.
carton 6, folder 1-27

Correspondence 1921-1981

carton 6, folder 28-42

Meeting Minutes 1921-1980

 

Subseries 1_3: Governing Documents 1893-1993 undated

Physical Description: 0 needs updating Carton 6, Folders 43-52; Carton 7, Folders 1-41

Arrangement

Arranged hierarchically.

Scope and Content Note

This subseries includes a century's worth of Cooper constitutions, bylaws, and resolutions, as well as the articles of incorporation of 1934. There is also a procedural manual, and materials from 1964 which document the varying perspectives held by COS members concerning the ideological direction of the Society.
carton 6, folder 43-52

Constitutions 1893-1933 undated

carton 7, folder 1-32

Bylaws 1895-1993 undated

carton 7, folder 33

Articles of Incorporation 1933-1942

carton 7, folder 34-39

Resolutions 1934-1953

carton 7, folder 40

Proxy Battle 1964

carton 7, folder 41

Procedural Manual 1973

 

Subseries 1_4: Financial Records 1897-1994

Physical Description: 0 needs updating Carton 7, Folders 42-97; Carton 8, Folders 1-28; Volume 2

Arrangement

Arranged hierarchically.

Scope and Content Note

This subseries includes fiscal reports (1897-1994), Investment Committee materials (1964-1990), and IRS correspondence (1950-1993). Of particular archival interest is a petty cash ledger from the early years of the COC, covering the years 1899-1907.
carton 7, folder 42-97

Financial Reports 1897-1975

carton 8, folder 1-17

Financial Reports 1976-1994

volume 2

Petty Cash Ledger 1899-1907

carton 8, folder 18-25

Investment Committee 1964-1990

carton 8, folder 26-28

IRS Correspondence 1950-1993

 

Subseries 1_5: History 1893-1989

Physical Description: 0 needs updating Carton 8, Folders 29-34;Volume 3

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Scope and Content Note

This subseries includes the earliest COC minutes on record (1893-1899), recorded by Chester Barlow, who served as Secretary of the Northern Division from 1893-1902, and was also the first editor of The Condor. It also contains materials documenting the Society's own investigation of past, through both committee work and the independent research of its members. An example includes The COC, an eloquent, if somewhat impious history composed in 1929 by past-Northern Division president and long-time associate editor of The Condor Harry S. Swarth. Material from the History Advisory Committee covering the years 1977-1989 can also be found in this subseries.
volume 3

Early record of club meetings including minutes 1893-1899

carton 8, folder 29

Clippings 1900

carton 8, folder 30-32

History of the C.O.S. by H. Swarth 1929

carton 8, folder 32

Grinnell gathers in the last of the grizzlies for the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. BANC MSS 74_144 c 1929

Grinnell gathers in the last of the grizzlies for the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology.

Scope and Contents

Illustration on page 37 of History of the C.O.S. by H. Swarth.
carton 8, folder 33

The Bancroft Library 1967-1983

carton 8, folder 34

History Advisory Committee 1977-1989

 

Series 2: Divisions/Chapters 1896-1989

Physical Description: 0 needs updating Carton 8, Folders 35-59; Carton 9, Folders 1-9; Volumes 4-5

Arrangement

Divided into two subseries: Northern Division and Southern Division. Further arranged hierarchically.

Scope and Content Note

This series comprises the records of the Northern and Southern Divisions of the Society, which were maintained separately until the bi-divisional structure was abolished in 1976. The Southern Division was actually the successor to the short-lived Southern California Natural History Society, whose genesis occurred independently from, though in remarkable synchronicity with, that of the Cooper Ornithological Club in 1893. The clubs' agendas proved to be so similar that by 1894, the SCNHS had already merged with the closest COC chapter in Santa Clara. It adopted the COC title, and, following a steady increase in membership, soon received formal designation as the Cooper Ornithological Club, Southern Division. The present material allows for a unique historical comparison of the ways in which regional factors may have impacted each division's earliest aims and methodologies. It also provides an opportunity to examine the ways in which those goals and approaches were aligned.
 

Subseries 2_1: Northern Division 1894-1989

Physical Description: 0 needs updating Carton 8, Folders 35-52; Volume 4.

Arrangement

Arranged hierarchically and then chronologically.
carton 8, folder 35-41

Meeting Minutes 1894-1901 1930-1989

volume 4

Meetings minutes 1901-1911

carton 8, folder 42-44

Meeting Announcements 1898-1917 1969-1976 undated

carton 8, folder 45

Meeting programs 1971-1972 undated

carton 8, folder 46

Annual report 1901

carton 8, folder 47-48

Correspondence 1930-1989

carton 8, folder 49

Symposium on Falconry 1972-1973

carton 8, folder 50-51

Areas of Special Biological Significance 1972-1973

carton 8, folder 52

Miscellaneous 1972-1973

 

Subseries 2_2: Southern Division 1894-1971 undated

Physical Description: 0 needs updating Carton 8, Folders 53-59. Volume 5.

Arrangement

Arranged hierarchically and then chronologically.

Scope and Content Note

This subseries includes minutes, announcements, and bylaws from the Southern Division of the COC/COS. A photograph of division members from 1929 is also included.
volume 5

Meeting minutes 1894-1899

carton 8, folder 53-58

Meeting minutes 1898-1965

carton 8, folder 59

Correspondence 1896-1964

carton 9, folder 1-6

Meeting Announcements 1896-1971 undated

carton 9, folder 7

Bylaws 1899 undated

carton 9, folder 8

Photograph of Southern Division members 1923

carton 9, folder 9

Meeting attendance 1924

 

Series 3: Annual Meetings 1926-1989

Physical Description: 0 needs updating Carton 9, Folders 10-63; Carton 10, Folders 1-15

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by meeting year.

Scope and Content Note

This series contains materials from nearly sixty annual Club/Society meetings, including documents relating to the first annual meeting of both the Northern and Southern divisions of the Cooper Ornithological Club, held in Los Angeles in 1926. The series includes programs, correspondence, announcements, and abstracts of papers presented at the meetings.
carton 9, folder 10

1st Annual Meeting 1926

carton 9, folder 11

2nd Annual Meeting 1927

carton 9, folder 12

3rd Annual Meeting 1928

carton 9, folder 13

4th Annual Meeting 1929

carton 9, folder 14

5th Annual Meeting 1930

carton 9, folder 15

6th Annual Meeting 1931

carton 9, folder 16

7th Annual Meeting 1932

carton 9, folder 17

8th Annual Meeting 1933

carton 9, folder 18

9th Annual Meeting 1934

carton 9, folder 19

10th Annual Meeting 1935

carton 9, folder 20

11th Annual Meeting 1936

carton 9, folder 21

12th Annual Meeting 1937

carton 9, folder 22

13th Annual Meeting 1938

carton 9, folder 23

14th Annual Meeting 1940

carton 9, folder 24

15th Annual Meeting 1941

carton 9, folder 25

16th Annual Meeting 1942

carton 9, folder 26

17th Annual Meeting 1946

carton 9, folder 27

18th Annual Meeting 1947

carton 9, folder 28

19th Annual Meeting 1948

carton 9, folder 29

20th Annual Meeting 1949

carton 9, folder 30

21st Annual Meeting 1950

carton 9, folder 31

22nd Annual Meeting 1951

carton 9, folder 32

23rd Annual Meeting 1952

carton 9, folder 33

24th Annual Meeting 1954

carton 9, folder 34

26th Annual Meeting 1955

carton 9, folder 35

27th Annual Meeting 1956

carton 9, folder 36

28th Annual Meeting 1957

carton 9, folder 37

29th Annual Meeting 1958

carton 9, folder 38

30th Annual Meeting 1958-1959

carton 9, folder 39

31st Annual Meeting 1960

carton 9, folder 40

32nd Annual Meeting 1961

carton 9, folder 41

33rd Annual Meeting 1962

carton 9, folder 42

34th Annual Meeting 1963

carton 9, folder 43

35th Annual Meeting 1964

carton 9, folder 44

36th Annual Meeting 1965

carton 9, folder 45

37th Annual Meeting 1966

carton 9, folder 46

38th Annual Meeting 1967

carton 9, folder 47

39th Annual Meeting 1968

carton 9, folder 48

40th Annual Meeting 1969

carton 9, folder 49

41st Annual Meeting 1970

carton 9, folder 50

42nd Annual Meeting 1971

carton 9, folder 51

43rd Annual Meeting 1972

carton 9, folder 52-53

43rd Annual Meeting 1972-1974

carton 9, folder 54

44th Annual Meeting 1974

carton 9, folder 55-56

45th Annual Meeting 1975

carton 9, folder 57-59

46th Annual Meeting 1976

carton 9, folder 60-61

47th Annual Meeting 1977

carton 9, folder 62-63

48th Annual Meeting 1978

carton 10, folder 1

49th Annual Meeting 1978-1979 undated

carton 10, folder 2

50th Annual Meeting 1980

carton 10, folder 3

51st Annual Meeting 1981

carton 10, folder 4

52nd Annual Meeting 1981-1982

carton 10, folder 5

53rd Annual Meeting 1983

carton 10, folder 6

54th Annual Meeting 1984

carton 10, folder 7

55th Annual Meeting 1985

carton 10, folder 8-9

56th Annual Meeting 1985-1986

carton 10, folder 10

57th Annual Meeting 1987

carton 10, folder 11-12

58th Annual Meeting 1985-1989

carton 10, folder 13-15

59th Annual Meeting 1986-1989

 

Series 4: Publications 1894-1991 undated

Physical Description: 0 needs updating Carton 10, Folders 16-36; Carton 11; Folders 1-24

Arrangement

Divided into three subseries: The Condor, Pacific Coast Avifauna/Studies in Avian Biology, and Miscellaneous Publications. Further arranged chronologically.

Scope and Content Note

This series comprises materials relating to The Condor, the official publication of the Cooper Ornithological Society, as well as materials concerning the two Cooper publications intended to accommodate lengthier submissions : Pacific Coast Avifauna, and its successor Studies in Avian Biology. Published journals, subscription lists, and sales records, as well as correspondence between several editors of The Condor and long-time publisher Allen Press may be found in this series. Other published materials, including both official and unofficial documentation of the Club's activities prior to the naissance of The Condor, are also included here. For the first four years of the COC's existence, Club member and future Club president Harry R. Taylor's independent monthly bird journal, The Nidiologist (later called The Nidologist), served as the closest thing to an official Club publication. Taylor published the minutes and news of both divisions of the Club as well as Club members' papers. The Nidologist halted publication in 1897 and the new unofficial outlet became The Osprey, founded the prior year and based in Galesburg, Illinois. The Osprey was a monthly publication which ran the minutes of the COC in a California Department section edited by active COC member Donald Cohen. In 1898 the club decided to release an official publication. The first issue was published in 1899 as the Bulletin of the Cooper Ornithological Club, and was edited primarily by Chester Barlow, who had played a key role in stimulating the early formation of the club, as well as the formulation of its goals and tenets. In 1900 the journal changed its name to The Condor. Barlow edited the journal for two more years, before dying from tuberculosis at the young age of 28. In 1906 Joseph Grinnell, professor of Zoology and director of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University of California, Berkeley, assumed editorial responsibility of The Condor. Grinnell was one of the most prominent zoologists in the history of the northwest United States, and greatly influenced the direction of The Condor. He held the position as editor for 34 years - longer than any other person to date. For 58 years the editorial office of The Condor resided within the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1965 the editorial office left California and moved to Lawrence, Kansas. Under James R. King, editor from 1966-1968, a system was instituted which subjected all submissions to external peer review. At the same time The Condor was becoming established around the turn of the 20th century, the COC also recognized the need for a forum that would be more amenable to longer submissions beyond the scope of The Condor. A new series was begun, titled Pacific Coast Avifauna, to allow for these more extensive offerings. The series was published continuously until 1974, although individual volumes appeared inconsistently, depending upon both the quality of the submissions and the financial resources available to the Society. The series continued in 1978 under the new title Studies in Avian Biology, whose scope includes both monographs and proceedings of symposia of general interest to ornithologists.
 

Subseries 4_1: The Condor 1894-1991

Physical Description: 0 needs updating Carton 10, Folders 16-36; Carton 11, Folders 1-6

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Content/Description

This subseries includes issues of two of the publications which proceeded The Condor, Harry Taylor's The Nidiologist (later The Nidologist) as well as the first official Club publication, the Bulletin of the Cooper Ornithological Club. It also includes correspondence relating to the journal, subscription lists, and sales records.
carton 10, folder 16

The Nidiologist 1894-1897

carton 10, folder 17

Bulletin of the Cooper Ornithological Club 1899

carton 10, folder 18-33

Correspondence 1894-1981

carton 10, folder 34

Bulletins 1898-1905

carton 10, folder 35

Subscriptions 1899-1901 undated

carton 10, folder 36

Miscellaneous 1905-1906 undated

carton 10, folder 37-38

Sales records 1905-1907 1951-1979

carton 11, folder 1

Mail Records 1906

carton 11, folder 2

Painton Award Committee 1959-1972

carton 11, folder 3

Johnson Reprint Company 1964-1918

carton 11, folder 4-5

Allen Press correspondence 1965-1991

carton 11, folder 6

Editorial guidelines 1968-1974 undated

 

Subseries 4_2: Pacific Coast Avifauna/ Studies in Avian Biology 1900-1984

Physical Description: 0 needs updating Carton 11, Folders 7-19, Volume 8

Arrangement

Arranged hierarchically, then chronologically.

Content/Description

This subseries includes materials from Pacific Coast Avifauna (1900-1974), and its successor Studies in Avian Biology (1978-). Both of these published series are predominantly composed of monographs and symposia proceedings and were created with the intention of complementing The Condor by providing a forum for longer submissions.
carton 11, folder 7

Pacific Coast Avifauna 1900-1902

carton 11, folder 8

Pacific Coast Avifauna, Issue No. 1 1900

carton 11, folder 9

Pacific Coast Avifauna, Issue No. 2 1901

carton 11, folder 10

Pacific Coast Avifauna, Issue No. 3 1902

carton 11, folder 11

Pacific Coast Avifauna, Issue No. 4 1904

carton 11, folder 12

Pacific Coast Avifauna, Issue No. 9 1913

carton 11, folder 13-18

Correspondence 1970-1984

volume 8

Finances

Scope and Contents

Material on money spent, income from ads, and subscriptions and sales of Pacific Coast Avifaunas.
 

Subseries 4_3: Miscellaneous Publications 1895-1934 undated

Physical Description: 0 needs updating Carton 11, Folders 20-24

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Content/Description

This subseries includes materials relating to The Avifauna, a short-lived publication unaffiliated with the COC to which many COC members contributed, and The Buzzard, an irregularly issued satirical mini-magazine begun by Club members in 1926. It also includes various pamphlets and circulars produced by the COC which were not part of any regularly ongoing published series.
carton 11, folder 19

The Avifauna 1895

carton 11, folder 20

Biographical Sketch of James G. Cooper 1902

carton 11, folder 21

The Buzzard 1920-1934

carton 11, folder 22

Some Cooper Club Personalia 1928

carton 11, folder 23

Ornithologists in the Southwest and Mexico undated

 

Series 5: Members 1874-1986

Physical Description: 0 needs updating Carton 11, Folders 25-52; Box 1; Carton 12, Folders 1-38; Carton 13, Folders 1-66; Volumes 6-7

Arrangement

Divided into two subseries: Member Files and Member Listings/Ephemera. Member Files are arranged alphabetically, then chronologically. Member Listings/Ephemera is arranged chronologically.

Scope and Content Note

Divided into two subseries: Member Files and Member Listings/Ephemera. Member Files are arranged alphabetically, then chronologically. Member Listings/Ephemera is arranged chronologically.
 

Subseries 5_1: Member Files 1874-1987

Physical Description: 0 needs updating Carton 11, Folders 25-52; Oversize Box 1; Carton 12, Folders 1-38; Carton 13, Folders 1-52

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically. Further arranged chronologically.
carton 11, folder 24

Anthony, A. W. 1895

carton 11, folder 25

Arnold, Ralph undated

carton 11, folder 26

Atherton, F. D. 1895

carton 11, folder 27

Baker, Fred J. 1897

carton 11, folder 28

Barlow, Chester, d. 1902 1894-1897

carton 11, folder 29

Beck, R. H. 1890

carton 11, folder 30

Biggs, O. S. 1896-1897

carton 11, folder 31

Bleitz, Don 1971 undated

carton 11, folder 32

Brandt, H. W. 1945

carton 11, folder 33

Brooks, Allan 1928-1936

carton 11, folder 34

Burrows, D. B. 1897

carton 11, folder 35

Carriger, Henry W. 1895

carton 11, folder 36

Chamberlin, Corydon 1895

carton 11, folder 37-39

Chambers, W. Lee 1900-1968

carton 11, folder 40

Childs, John Lewis, d. 1921 1921

carton 11, folder 41

Christman, Gene M. 1969

carton 11, folder 42-51

Cohen, Donald 1892-1929

oversize_box 1

Cohen, Donald 1895-1906

carton 12, folder 1-25

Daggett, Frank 1874-1920

volume 6

Daggett, Frank: Ornithology Scrapbook 1900-1902

volume 7

Daggett, Frank: Ornithology Scrapbook 1906

carton 12, folder 26

Davis, Clarence 1897-1898

carton 12, folder 27

Davis, Evan 1910-1916

carton 12, folder 28

Deane, Ruthven 1900

carton 12, folder 29

Franklin, Burnell 1904

carton 12, folder 30

Gaylord, Horace A. 1926 1949

carton 12, folder 31

Grinnell, Joseph 1896-1913 undated

carton 12, folder 32

Higbee, Henry G. 1896-1897

carton 12, folder 33

Haight, C. L. 1896-1897

carton 12, folder 34

Higgins, Henry C. 1897

carton 12, folder 35

Hill, W. F. 1897

carton 12, folder 36-38

Howard, Hildegarde, 1901- 1940-1964

carton 13, folder 1-10

Howell, Thomas 1951-1969

carton 13, folder 10

Illingsworth, J.F. 1897-1898

carton 13, folder 11

Jewett, Frank B. 1898

carton 13, folder 12-14

Johnson, Walter Adams 1894-1897

carton 13, folder 16

Judson, W.B. 1898

carton 13, folder 17

Kaeding, George L. undated

carton 13, folder 18

Kaeding, Henry B. 1895-1897

carton 13, folder 19

Kitchin, E. A. 1944

carton 13, folder 20

Lans, Albert 1896-1897

carton 13, folder 21

Linsdale, Jean M. (Jean Myron), 1902- 1955-1971

carton 13, folder 22

Maillard, John W. 1894

carton 13, folder 23

Mayfield, Harold F. 1972 1974

carton 13, folder 24

McIlhenny, Edward Avery, 1872-1949 1895-1897

carton 13, folder 25

Mewaldt, Richard 1966 1970-1972

carton 13, folder 26

Moran, N. M. 1896

carton 13, folder 27

Moran, R. B. 1890

carton 13, folder 28

Murchison, A. C. 1895

carton 13, folder 29

Peabody, P. B. 1894-1897

carton 13, folder 30

Pierce, Wright M. 1929-1936

carton 13, folder 31

Raine, W. 1894 undated

carton 13, folder 32

Riley, J. H. 1897-1898

carton 13, folder 33-35

Robertson, John McB. 1929-1932

carton 13, folder 36

Sampson, W. B. 1895

carton 13, folder 37

Savage, Walter G. 1896-1897

carton 13, folder 38-40

Shields, A. M. 1893-1903

carton 13, folder 41

Simmons, Ed 1897

carton 13, folder 42

Skutch, Alexander Frank 1975

carton 13, folder 43

Slevin, Th. E. 1897

carton 13, folder 44

Stone, Clarence F. 1894-1898

carton 13, folder 45

Stone, Lois Chambers 1967-1987

carton 13, folder 46

Tyler, Hamilton 1979

carton 13, folder 47

Tyler, John G. 1902-1924

carton 13, folder 48

Willard, J. M. 1905

carton 13, folder 49

Willet, George 1912

carton 13, folder 50

Williams, R. W. 1895-1898

carton 13, folder 51

Woodhouse, Robert C. 1897

carton 13, folder 52

Wright, Frank J. (Frank James), 1888- 1896-1898

 

Subseries 5_2: Member Listings/Ephemera 1893-1986 undated

Physical Description: 0 needs updating Carton 13, Folder 53-66

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Scope and Content Note

This subseries includes group photographs of the Club's earliest members, field notes, membership rolls, mailing lists, an inventory of the books present in the Cooper Ornithological Club Library in 1934, and other member-related ephemera.
carton 13, folder 53

Group photographs 1895 undated

carton 13, folder 54

Miscellaneous field notes 1950

carton 13, folder 55-61

Membership lists 1893-1986, undated undated

carton 13, folder 62

Price lists for bird eggs and skins 1894-1909 undated

carton 13, folder 63

Membership information 1899-1986 undated

carton 13, folder 64

List of books in Cooper Club library 1934 undated

carton 13, folder 65

Honorary members 1947-1970

carton 13, folder 66

Mailing lists 1977-1978 undated

 

Series 6:  Additions received in 2017

Box 1, Folder 1-8

Board of Directors meeting minutes 1969-1989

Box 1, Folder 9

Incorporation materials 1970-1989

Box 1, Folder 10

Annual meeting program and letter 1984 1987

Box 1, Folder 11

Honors and awards 1987

Box 1, Folder 12

Materials relating to The Condor (publication) 1988-1989

Box 2, Folder 1-11

Annual meeting materials 1979-1989