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Guide to the Myra A. Keen Papers
SC0305
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Call Number: SC0305
Creator:
Keen, A. Myra (Angeline Myra), 1905-1986
Title: Myra A. Keen papers
Dates: 1936-1981
Physical Description:
1.5 Linear feet
Summary: Papers consist of correspondence with colleagues and former students, 1936-65; correspondence with her publisher Stanford
University Press, 1937-80; and papers (correspondence, memos, reports, minutes, and financial records) relating to the Department
of Earth Sciences and fossil and shell collections, 1937-1981. Correspondents include Edwin C. Allison, Ralph Arnold, Agustin
Ayala-Castanares, Reginald Wright Barker, Herdis Bentson, Eliot Blackwelder, Welsey Roswell Coe, J. Wyatt Durham, Richard
H. Jahns, Konrad Krauskopf, Owen T. Marsh, Erwin Remson, Donald B. Tresidder, Charles E. Weaver, and Ray Lyman Wilbur.
Language(s): The materials are in English.
Repository:
Department of Special Collections and University Archives
Green Library
557 Escondido Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-6064
Email: specialcollections@stanford.edu
Phone: (650) 725-1022
URL: http://library.stanford.edu/spc
This collection is open for research.
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the
Head of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California 94304-6064. Consent
is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission
from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner, heir(s) or assigns. See: http://library.stanford.edu/depts/spc/pubserv/permissions.html.
Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research
and educational purposes.
Myra A. Keen Papers (SC0305). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford,
Calif.
Biographical/Historical Sketch
Myra grew up on a cattle ranch in Colorado, about twenty miles south of Colorado Springs. Her parents farmed and raised cattle
on the ranch. Myra rode a burro when she was four and bought her own horse when she was thirteen. She attended a one room
school house for eight grades. She completed the eight grades in five years. Because of age qualifications she had to wait
three years to attend high school.
She attended Colorado College and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in 1929 and graduated in Psychology in 1930. She won a scholarship
to Stanford where she earned a M.A. in Psychology and then earned her Ph. D. in Psychology from the University of California
in 1934. When in Berkeley, Myra went into a small curio shop on University Avenue to buy a copy of National Geographic. She
noticed some sea shells in a display case. The owner talked about the shells and Myra found herself going back again and again
to look at them.
In 1934, in the middle of the Depression, Myra could not find any jobs in Psychology, plus she realized she was more interested
in sea shells. During the summer she went to Monterey to learn about collecting sea shells. She spoke with Dr. Heath of the
Hopkins Marine Station and was eventually introduced to Mrs. Ida Oldroyd, who as curator of shells at Stanford needed a helper.
After a few month, encouraged by Professor Schenck, Myra began auditing some of his courses and became a Research Associate
in Geology in 1936. In 1936 she became the Curator of Paleontology.
For one year during World War II, the Head of the Department, Dr. Blackwelder and Myra were the only instructional staff in
the Department, though Myra was not on the teaching faculty.
In 1954, Myra was promoted to Assistant Professor of Paleontology in addition to her duties at Curator. In 1965 she was promoted
to Professor. She became emeritus in 1970. While Myra was at Stanford she was one of ten professors, only three of whom were
in the sciences.
After World War II, Dr. Hubert Schenck, a Stanford Geology professor working for General MacArthur in the re-building of Japan,
had contact with the Emperor of Japan. The Emperor was a general biologist endmost interested in corals. He had a large collection.
Dr. Schenck saw material in the collection that he felt was not properly identified. Dr. Schenck suggested that the material
be sent of Dr. Keen to verified. That started a long correspondence ending in a private personal meeting between the Emperor
and Dr. Keen in San Francisco in 1975.
Dr. Keen has written many journal articles and four books. Her Sea Shells of Tropical West America is a classic work. In addition,
she has helped hundreds of people at other institutions in various ways, particularly in telling them the correct name of
their shells.
After Dr. Keen retired in 1970, she remained active in the department.
Papers consist of correspondence with colleagues and former students, 1936-65; correspondence with her publisher Stanford
University Press, 1937-80; and papers (correspondence, memos, reports, minutes, and financial records) relating to the Department
of Earth Sciences and fossil and shell collections, 1937-1981. Correspondents include Edwin C. Allison, Ralph Arnold, Agustin
Ayala-Castanares, Reginald Wright Barker, Herdis Bentson, Eliot Blackwelder, Welsey Roswell Coe, J. Wyatt Durham, Richard
H. Jahns, Konrad Krauskopf, Owen T. Marsh, Erwin Remson, Donald B. Tresidder, Charles E. Weaver, and Ray Lyman Wilbur.
Allison, Edwin C.
Arnold, Ralph, 1875-1961
Ayala-Castanares, Agustin.
Barker, Reginald Wright.
Barthel, K. Werner.
Bentson, Herdis, 1914-
Blackwelder, Eliot, 1880
Coe, Wesley Roswell, 1869-1960.
Durham, J. Wyatt.
Jahns, Richard H. (Richard Henry), 1915-1983
Keen, A. Myra (Angeline Myra), 1905-1986
Krauskopf, Konrad Bates, 1910-
Marsh, Owen Thayer.
Remson, Irwin.
Stanford University. School of Earth Sciences
Tresidder, Donald Bertrand, 1894-1948
Weaver, Charles E. (Charles Edwin), 1880-
Wilbur, Ray L., (Ray Lyman), 1875-1949
Mollusks--North America.
Mollusks--Pacific Coast (America).
Paleontology
Partial Index to Correspondence
| Name | Box | Folder | Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allison, Edwin C. | 2 | 10 | |
| Arnold, Ralph | 2 | 11 | |
| Ayala-Castanares, Agustin | 2 | 11 | |
| Barker, R. Wright, | 2 | 12 | Shell Oil Co. |
| Barthel, K. Werne | 2 | 13 | State Museum of Geology, Munich |
| Bentson, Herdis | 2 | 14 | UC Berkeley |
| Bolin, Rolf | 2 | 15 | Hopkins Marine Station |
| Blackwelder, Eliot | 1 | 8 | Dean of Geology Department. |
| Blackwelder, Eliot | 2 | 15 | Dean of Geology Department. |
| Bryant, Donald L. | 2 | 15 | University of Arizona |
| Coe, Wesley | 3 | 2 | Scripps Institute of Oceanography |
| Drake, Robert | 3 | 5 | University of British Columbia |
| Durham, J. Wyatt | 3 | 5 | UC Berkeley |
| Jahns, Richard H. | 1 | 14 | Dean of Earth Sciences |
| Jahns, Richard H. | 3 | 7 | Dean of Earth Sciences |
| Krauskopf, Konrad, | 2 | 7 | Professor of Geology |
| Marsh, Owen, | 3 | 14 | Student, long-time correspondent |
| Milburn, Patrick | 3 | 9 | Former student, touching letter |
| Remson, Irwin | 1 | 3 | Professor of Geology |
| Tresidder, Donald | 3 | 12 | President of Stanford |
| Weaver, Charles E. | 3 | 13 | |
| Wilbur, Ray Lyman | 3 | 15 | President of Stanford |