Reference Request
Finding Aids to Oral Histories in the Smithsonian Institution Archives
Record Unit 9606
History of Tropical Biology Oral History Interviews, 1997
Historical Note
As part of her research for her Smithsonian postdoctoral fellowship project, in 1997 Catherine A. Christen conducted oral history interviews with two orchid specialists who had conducted research in the neotropics. On July 1, 1997, she interviewed Robert L. Dressler (1927- ), curator and co-ordinator for the Orchidaceae Section of the Flora MesoAmericana at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Dressler received the B.A. from the University of Southern California in 1951 and the Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1957. He was on the staff of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute from 1963 to 1987, when he was named a research associate. On July 2, 1997, Christen interviewed William Louis Stern (1926- ), professor of botany, University of Florida. Stern received the B.S. from Rutgers University in 1950, the M.S. in 1951 and the Ph.D. in 1954 from the University of Illinois. He was curator and then chair of the Department of Botany, National Museum of Natural History, from 1960 to 1967. In 1967, he was appointed professor at the University of Maryland. From 1978 to 1979, he was program chairman for systematic biology at the National Science Foundation. In 1979, he was named chairman of the Department of Botany at the University of Florida. In 1985 he returned to teaching there as professor of botany. In Florida, he changed his research focus to studies on the vegetative anatomy and systematics of the orchid family.
Introduction
The Smithsonian Institution Archives began its Oral History Program in 1973. The purpose of the program is to supplement the written documentation of the Archives' record and manuscript collections with an Oral History Collection, focusing on the history of the Institution, research by its scholars, and contributions of its staff. Program staff conduct interviews with current and retired Smithsonian staff and others who have made significant contributions to the Institution. There are also reminiscences and interviews recorded by researchers or students on topics related to the history of the Smithsonian or the holdings of the Smithsonian Institution Archives.
The History of Tropical Biology Oral History Interviews were compiled by Smithsonian fellow Catherine A. Christen as part of her research on the history of tropical biology at the Smithsonian.
Descriptive Entry
These interviews of Robert L. Dressler and William Louis Stern, conducted by Catherine A. Christen, cover their involvement with the Association for Tropical Biology and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute during the 1960s.
The collection consists of two interview sessions, totaling approximately 1.5 hours of recordings and 57 pages of transcript.
Restrictions
Access RestrictionRestricted (Transcripts). Contact SIHistory@si.edu to request permission.
Index Terms
This collection is indexed under the following access terms. These are links to collections with related topics, persons or places.
Name
- Dressler, Robert L., 1927-
- Stern, William Louis, 1926-
- Christen, Catherine A. (Catherine Ann), interviewer
- National Museum of Natural History (U.S.)
- Association for Tropical Biology
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Subject
- Oral history
- Botany
- Tropical biology
- Professional associations
- Science -- History
- Museum curators -- United States -- Interviews
- Interviews
- Panama
Physical Characteristics of Materials in the Collection
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 9606, History of Tropical Biology Oral History Interviews