Scott (Flora M.) Papers, 1919-1984

Summary

Title:

Flora Murray Scott Papers,

Dates:

1919-1984

Creators:

Scott, Flora Murray

Abstract:

Flora Murray Scott (1891-1984) was a professor of botany at UCLA. Her research focused on physiological plant anatomy. She served as Chairman of the Department of Botany, and was the first president of the UCLA Association of Academic Women. The collection consists of Scott's diaries, daybooks, photographs, correspondence, manuscripts, lectures, publications, clippings, awards, and audiotapes related to her life and career.

Extent:

3 boxes (1.5 linear ft.)

Language:

English.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Flora Murray Scott Papers (Collection 395). Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Background

Scope and content:

Collection consists of diaries, daybooks, photographs, correspondence, manuscripts, lectures, publications, clippings, awards, and audiotapes related to the life and career of botanist Flora Murray Scott. Significant correspondents include: Mildred E. Mathias, Giles W. Mead, C.A. Schroeder, and Ida A. and Robert Gordon Sproul. Photographs includes portraits of Scott and her colleagues, as well as classroom and laboratory scenes from early in her career at UCLA.

Expanded Scope and Content

The papers of Flora M. Scott span the years 1919-1984. Included are diary and daybook entries, photographs, correspondence, manuscripts, lectures, publications, newspaper and magazine clippings, awards, and audiotapes. Newspaper and magazine clippings and press releases document Scott's achievements in the study and teaching of plant anatomy and the major awards she received. An incomplete set of publications is supported by a handful of manuscripts, lectures, and correspondence, most notably tracing her examination of Pleistocene plant remains in the Rancho La Brea (California) dig. Photographs include portraits of Scott and her colleagues, as well as classroom and laboratory scenes from early in her career at UCLA. Lacunae include lecture notes, exercises, and examinations for classes either taken or taught by Scott, research and field-work data, and most papers pertaining to the intramural committees and professional societies in which she was involved. Significant correspondents include Mildred E. Mathias, Giles W. Mead, C.A. Schroeder, and Ida A. and Robert Gordon Sproul. The extensive correspondence with the Sprouls begins with Scott's 1949 letter outlining her objections to the University of California loyalty oath.

Biographical / historical:

Scott was born in Craig, Scotland, on September 6, 1891; BSc, 1914; MA, St. Andrews University, 1911; Ph.D, Stanford, 1925; came to U.S. in 1922 and was naturalized in 1935; faculty member at American College for Women at Constantinople (1921) and Stanford (1922-25) before coming a professor at UCLA in 1925; Chairman, Department of Botany, UCLA; first president, UCLA Association of Academic Women; research focused on physiological plant anatomy; became professor emeritus in 1959; honors include Order of the British Empire (1919), and the UCLA Medal (1980); died in 1984.

Biographical Narrative

Flora Murray Scott, plant anatomist and professor of botany, was born September 6, 1891, in Craig, Scotland. She received an M.S. (1911) and B.Sc. (1914) from St. Andrews University, Scotland. During World War I she worked in Danger Buildings at Woolrich Royal Arsenal, London, and with Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps in France, services for which she was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1919. Following the war Scott served as Associate Professor in Biology at the American College for Women in Constantinople (1919-1921) and as Instructor in Biology, League of Red Cross Societies, Geneva, Switzerland (1921-1922). Her academic career continued at Stanford University, where she received the Ph.D. in 1925.

Scott joined the faculty at UCLA in 1925 and served as Chair of the Department of Botany, Plant Anatomist in the Agriculture Experiment Station, Assistant Director of the Botanical Garden, member of the Legislative Assembly and many Academic Senate and departmental committees, and founder and first president of the UCLA Association of Faculty Women. Professor Scott's research concerns in biology ranged from fossils to living plants, with her major interest centered on physiological plant anatomy. Her interpretation of plant structure using fresh tissue under the light microscope was complemented with ultrasonic and electron microscope investigations. Scott attained the status of Professor Emeritus in 1959; she died on March 24, 1984, in Los Angeles.

Acquisition information:

Mildred E. Mathias and C.A. Schroeder, transfer, 1988.

Processing information:

The collection contains nine 1/4 reel-to-reel audiotapes, in unknown condition. Photographs have been individually sleeved in Mylar. Newspaper clippings have been photocopied onto permanent durable paper.

Arrangement:

Arranged in the following series:

1. Autobiographical and biographical material, 1921-74.
2. Photographs, 1925-68.
3. Correspondence, 1928-84.
4. Professional societies, 1956-77.
5. Manuscripts and lectures, 1963-74.
6. Publications, 1926-78; Awards, 1919-66; Miscellany, 1934-75.

Physical location:

Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.

Related resources

Related material:

Chequered Career: Scotland to U.S.A. [oral history transcript] / Flora Murray Scott, interviewee. UCLA Oral History Department interview, 1973. Available at Department of Special Collections, UCLA.

Alternative form available:

A copy of the original version of this online finding aid is available at the UCLA Department of Special Collections for in-house consultation and may be obtained for a fee. Please contact:

• Public Services Division
• UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections
• Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library
• Box 951575
• Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575
• Telephone: 310/825-4988 (10:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m., Pacific Time)
• Email: spec-coll@library.ucla.edu

Other descriptive data:

UCLA Catalog Record ID: 2976803

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Women botanists--Archival resources.

Names:

University of California, Los Angeles--Faculty--Archival resources.
Scott, Flora Murray--Archives.

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:

Processed by Russell A. Johnson; machine-readable finding aid created by Caroline Cubé

Date Prepared:

© 1997

Date Encoded:

Machine-readable finding aid derived from database containing container list structure and data, encoding added via MS Access or other database program, 1997 . Frontmatter gathered from MARC record. Supplementary encoding and revision supplied by Caroline Cubé.

Restrictions:

COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Advance notice required for access.

Terms of access:

Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Flora Murray Scott Papers (Collection 395). Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Location of this collection:

UCLA, Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library

A1713 Charles E. Young Research Library

Box 951575

Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US

Contact:

(310) 825-4988

AskLSC@library.ucla.edu

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