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Finding Aids to Oral Histories in the Smithsonian Institution Archives

Record Unit 9573

Jones, Meredith L., interviewee

Meredith Leam Jones Oral History Interview, 1990

Repository:Smithsonian Institution Archives, Washington, D.C. Contact us at osiaref@si.edu.
Creator:Jones, Meredith L., interviewee
Title:Meredith Leam Jones Oral History Interview
Dates:1990
Quantity:6 audiotapes (Reference copies).
Collection:Record Unit 9573
Language of Materials:English
Summary:

This interview of Jones by Pamela M. Henson discusses his education, his years at Florida State University and AMNH, his career at the NMNH, research on polycheate worms, especially the eastern Pacific hydrothermal rift fauna of giant tube worms, field work in the Caribbean and Pacific and at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and reminiscences of colleagues, notably Libby Henrietta Hyman, Ralph Smith, and Donald Fleming Squires.

Historical Note

Meredith Leam Jones (1926-1996), invertebrate zoologist, received the B.A. in 1948, M.S. in 1952, and Ph.D. in 1956 from the University of California at Berkeley. From 1957 to 1960, he was an Assistant Professor at Florida State University. From 1960 to 1964, he was Assistant Curator in the Department of Living Invertebrates at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City. In 1964, he accepted a position as Associate Curator in the Department of Invertebrate Zoology of the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). In 1970, he advanced to Curator in the Division of Worms, Department of Invertebrate Zoology, a position he held until his retirement in 1989. Jones' research focused on systematics of polycheate worms, especially those found at the hydrothermal vents in the eastern Pacific.

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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 interviews conducted by researchers or students on topics related to the history of the Smithsonian or the holdings of the Smithsonian Institution Archives.

Jones was interviewed for the Oral History Collection because of his long association with the NMNH and outstanding research career in invertebrate zoology.

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Descriptive Entry

Jones was interviewed by Pamela M. Henson on October 23, 1990 at his home in Washington State. This interview discusses his education, his years at Florida State University and AMNH, his career at the NMNH, research on polycheate worms, especially the eastern Pacific hydrothermal rift fauna of giant tube worms, field work, and reminiscences of colleagues. The collection consists of 5.5 hours of audiotape recording and 186 pages of transcript.

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Use Restriction

Restricted. Contact SIHistory@si.edu to request permission.

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Preferred Citation

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 9573, Meredith L. Jones Oral History Interview

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Container List

Interviews

Interview 1: October 23, 1990

Interviews

Covers Jones' youth and education, career at Florida State University and the American Museum of Natural History, career at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Division of Worms, his research on polycheate worms, especially research on the recently discovered eastern Pacific hydrothermal rift fauna of giant tube worms, extensive field work in the Caribbean and Pacific, research at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and reminiscences of colleagues, especially Libby Henrietta Hyman, Ralph Smith, and Donald F. Squires; c. 1926-1989.

Interviews

Transcript, pp. 1-168, of audiotape recording, 5.5 hours.

Interviews

Audio Recordings of Interview: Total Recording Time: 5.5 hours

Interviews
Original Masters: 11 7" reel-to-reel analog audiotapes
Preservation Masters: 11 digital .wav files
Reference Copies: 6 cassette audiotapes; 11 digital .mp3 files

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