The University of Chicago Library > The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center > Finding Aids > Guide to the George D. Fuller Papers 1887-1929
© 2008 University of Chicago Library
| Title: | Fuller, George D. Papers |
|---|---|
| Dates: | 1887-1929 |
| Size: | 1.25 linear feet (3 boxes) |
| Repository: |
Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center |
| Abstract: | George Damon Fuller, botanist, ecologist and science educator, received a Ph.D. from University of Chicago's Department of Botany in 1913, and served on the department's faculty until 1934. Mentored by Henry C. Cowles, Fuller's teaching and research focused on the study of forest and prairie ecology; he was also active as a science writer and educator for children and lay audiences. Through correspondence, course material, field notes, scrapbooks and student material, this collection documents Fuller's activities as a student, researcher, and educator. |
Open for research. No restrictions
When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Fuller, George D. Papers, [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library
George Damon Fuller was born in Adamsville, Quebec on January 18, 1869. He began his pedagogical career teaching in small public schools in Quebec, before moving on to study at McGill University (B.A. 1901).
Following several years of work as an educator and research fellow, Fuller entered University of Chicago as a graduate student in botany in 1907. Mentored by Henry C. Cowles, Fuller conducted research on the ecology of the Indiana Dunes and the Starved Rock area. After earning an S.M. in 1912 and Ph.D. in 1913, he went on to teach courses in ecology, botany and zoology at the university, serving on the faculty of the Department of Botany until 1934. Like Cowles, Fuller emphasized the study of ecology in the field, leading trips to Colorado, Washington, British Columbia, Wisconsin and Michigan.
Fuller's research on forest and prairie ecology in the Midwest resulted in several journal articles, and culminated in the exhaustive Vascular Plants of Illinois, co-authored with G. Neville Jones and published in 1955. His professional activities included editorial positions with the journals Ecology and Botanical Gazette, and leadership in the Ecological Society of America and the Illinois State Academy of Science.
Public education was important to Fuller throughout his career, and he was active as a science writer and educator for children and lay audiences. Magazines and newspapers published his writings about plant life, and he had a long association with the Illinois State Museum.
Fuller married Louise Miller in 1908, and had a son (Damon) and daughter (Janet). He died on November 22, 1961 at age 92.
The George D. Fuller Papers span the years 1887-1929, and document Fuller's activities as a student, researcher, and educator.
Materials documenting Fuller's work as a student include an annotated geography textbook, and notes from lectures given by Henry C. Cowles. Representing Fuller's own teaching are lecture and field notes, course outlines and grade reports, as well as student papers and field notes. Correspondence, itineraries, announcements, travel documents, and other material document the organization of ecology field trips. Also included are scrapbooks of clippings of Fuller's column "Plant Life" published in the Family Herald and Weekly Star, a magazine for Canadian farm families.
Cowles, Henry C. Collection
University of Chicago. Department of Botany. Records
Voth, Paul D. Papers
| Box 1 Folder 1 | George A. Chase, High School Geography, textbook, 1887 |
| Box 1 Folder 2 | Ecological Anatomy, Henry C. Cowles, lecture notes, 1902 |
| Box 1 Folder 3 | Physiography, lecture notes, undated |
| Box 1 Folder 4 | Course outlines, lecture notes and drafts, 1909-1923 |
| Box 1 Folder 5 | Grade reports, 1913-1924 |
| Box 1 Folder 6 | Rocky Mountains, Colorado field trip, organizational material and correspondence, 1914 |
| Box 1 Folder 7 | Field trip notebooks, 1915-1917 |
| Box 1 Folder 8 | South Haven, Michigan field trip, study, 1916 |
| Box 2 Folder 1 | Physiographic Ecology, Henry C. Cowles, lecture notes, 1917 |
| Box 2 Folder 2 | Colorado and Wisconsin field trips, correspondence, 1919 |
| Box 2 Folder 3 | Washington and British Columbia field trip, correspondence and organizational material, 1920 |
| Box 2 Folder 4 | Colorado field trip, correspondence and organizational material, 1922 |
| Box 2 Folder 5 | Yellowstone National Park field trip, organizational material, 1923 |
| Box 2 Folder 6-7 | Rocky Mountain National Park field trips, organizational material and correspondence, 1925-1926 |
| Box 2 Folder 8 | Washington and British Columbia field trip, correspondence and organizational material, 1928 |
| Box 2 Folder 9 | Colorado field trip, correspondence and organizational material, 1929 |
| Box 2 Folder 10 | "Plant Life," Family Herald and Weekly Star columns, clippings, ca. 1900-1920 |
| Box 2 Folder 11-12 | "Plant Life," Family Herald and Weekly Star columns, scrapbooks, 1901-1908 |
| Box 3 Folder 1 | "Plant Life," Family Herald and Weekly Star columns, scrapbook, 1909-1917 |
| Box 3 Folder 2 | Clippings, ca. 1900-1920 |