Educational Wish List
Part of a Series: Diamonds in the Rough
Through a grant-funded project awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), the Autry National Center sets out to process approximately 2,000 linear feet of archival material over two years, ending in 2012. Every third week of the month, the Autry Libraries blog will feature collection gems being brought to light by NHRPC Project Archivist Holly Rose Larson.
People often muse about which celebrity they would have liked to have met or what time in history they would have liked to experience. I have a new question: what class would you have liked to take? Which courses and teachers are on your wish list? Here are a few that really grabbed my attention as I processed the papers of Fordyce Grinnell, Jr., entomologist and Southwest Museum assistant curator from 1916 to 1917.
“Courses in Nature Study,” given by Opal Stanley Whiteley. Fordyce Grinnell, Jr. Papers, 1872–1940, Braun Research Library, Autry National Center; MS.202; Box 5, Folder 11
“Courses in Nature Study,” given by Opal Stanley Whiteley. Fordyce Grinnell, Jr. Papers, 1872–1940, Braun Research Library, Autry National Center; MS.202; Box 5, Folder 11
Opal Stanley Whiteley was a mysterious literary figure of the early twentieth century, known for her extremely attentive and sensitive writings about nature and faith. She was a member of Charles F. Lummis’s circle of peers and even stayed at El Alisal in 1918 while she was working on her book The Fairyland Around Us, for which Lummis wrote the introduction.
Palos Verdes Marine Laboratory and Summer School of Pomona College brochure. Fordyce Grinnell, Jr. Papers, 1872–1940, Braun Research Library, Autry National Center; MS.202; Box 5, Folder 11
Palos Verdes Marine Laboratory and Summer School of Pomona College brochure. Fordyce Grinnell, Jr. Papers, 1872–1940, Braun Research Library, Autry National Center; MS.202; Box 5, Folder 11
I can’t imagine a better place to vacation while learning! “Good water and a delightful situation for the camp is assured, together with fine bathing and fishing . . . This is one of the few opportunities in Southern California to obtain full college courses in . . . Greek, Latin, Philosophy, Music, Art, Mathematics . . . during the summer. . . Frequent out-of-door lectures by prominent men, open to the general public, will be given.”
Twenty-Third Annual Exhibition of the Department of Microscopy of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences pamphlet cover, 1910. Fordyce Grinnell, Jr. Papers, 1872-1940, Braun Research Library, Autry National Center; MS.202; Box 7, Folder 7
Although this is an exhibition and not a class, it was still an opportunity for the general public to get a glimpse of research going on in their community and a forum for educational exploration of ideas and technology. And even if you weren’t interested in discussing microscopy, it just sounds like an opportunity to see some really cool stuff!
Twenty-Third Annual Exhibition of the Department of Microscopy of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences pamphlet, pages 4–5, 1910. Fordyce Grinnell, Jr. Papers, 1872-1940, Braun Research Library, Autry National Center, Los Angeles; MS.202; Box 7, Folder 7
These classes (and exhibit) are amazing! I don’t know of anything like this being offered today. And I’m jealous that Opal got to stay at Lummis’s house to write a book.
Makes me want to take a swig of Listerine when I read “Dark Ground Illuminations.. bacterial flora of the human mouth.” Crazy.
Additional note of interest: the Brooklyn Academy of Arts & Sciences was borne out of the Brooklyn Apprentices’ Library, where Walt Whitman was a librarian in 1835! Can you imagine going to him for suggestions on what to read this summer?
Thank you for posting this educational blog..