Harry B. Yocom faculty papers , circa 1906-1956

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Beckley, Catharine W.; Yocom, Harry B. (Harry Barclay), 1888-
Title
Harry B. Yocom faculty papers
Dates
circa 1906-1956
Quantity
1.5 linear feet, (1 record storage box)
Collection Number
UA 225
Summary
Harry B. Yocom was a University of Oregon Professor who served in the department of biology from 1920 until his death in 1958. He taught classes in zoology and served as the head of the biology department until 1945. The collection consists of course and lecture notes from his time at the University of Oregon as well as research notes that center around the biological make-up of the Coos Bay Region of Oregon. The material also includes Yocom's personal correspondence as well as four folders of his wife, Catharine W. Beckley's class and research notes.
Repository
University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
UO Libraries--SCUA
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR
97403-1299
Telephone: 5413463068
spcarref@uoregon.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open to the public.

Collection must be used in Special Collections & University Archives Reading Room.

Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections & University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.

Permanent University Archive public records are available for research, and are subject to state, and in some cases federal freedom of information laws. In compliance with applicable state and federal laws, including, but not limited to, FERPA and HIPAA, specific records that are legally protected, sensitive, private, or confidential are exempt (not subject to disclosure) and closed to protect individual privacy.

Access to paper records will be granted after a professional review of the records occurs based on regulations in state and federal laws. Contact Special Collections & University Archives well in advance in order to access these records.

Additional Reference Guides

See the Current Collection Guide for detailed description and requesting options.

Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Harry Barclay Yocom (1888-1958) was on July 12, 1888 to Franklin Rogers Yocom and Elizabeth Penrose in Pennsville, Ohio. Obtaining his undergraduate degree at Oberlin College in 1912, he then moved on to study at University of California where he worked as a Graduate assistant, obtaining his master's and then PHD in the study of biology in 1918.

At this point, Yocom spent a year serving the US military as a lieutenant in the Sanitary Corps. During his time in the service Yocom's first wife, Florence Torrey Yocom, gave birth to their first child, allowing Yocom to be released from service and return home to Berkeley, California. He would later go on to marry Catharine W. Beckley, his second wife.

In 1919 Yocom began his career in education, teaching first at the College of the City of New York. He then moved to University of Oregon in 1920 and continued teaching there until his death on December 14, 1958.

At the University of Oregon, Yocom taught in the department of Biology, teaching courses in general zoology, vertebrate zoology, invertebrate zoology, and parasitology. He served as the head of the department until 1945 when he was forced to take a year-long sabbatical due to a heart disorder called angina pectoris. Additionally, Yocom served as the Associate Director of the Institute of Marine Biology and on the Committee of Sigma Xi, a society honoring scientific investigation.

Yocom's major works included but were not limited to the study of the biological make-up of the Coos Bay region of Oregon, marine biological work in Oregon, and the study of luteal cells in wild birds.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The collection of Harry B. Yocom's faculty papers includes his work from his graduate studies as University of California and his work at University on Oregon from 1920 to 1958. The majority of the collection is comprised of lecture notes and research notes, focusing on his courses in zoology and his research on the biological makeup of the Coos Bay region of Oregon.

Additionally included is his dissertation for the University of California, titled "The Neuromo for Apparatus of Euplotes Patella" as well as published and Unpublished papers on a range of topics such as Telosynapis in the male germ cell of an hemipteran, the suprarenal cortex of peromyscus maniculatus, a study on the cells of the ovary, the reaction of protozoa in sea water, the study of species in the Coos Bay region and the study of wild birds.

Personal information on the life of Yocom is also included in way of documentation of his time serving in the US military and through his personal correspondence from 1935- 1956. These letters address issues such as Yokum's heart condition, his role as department head, his resignation from department head, the role of the biology department in concern with World War II as well as personal correspondence with colleagues.

Also included are four folders that contain the college notes and research of Catharine W. Beckley, Yocom's second wife. Beckley studied at the University of Pennsylvania, obtaining her bachelors of science in biology in 1910. Later Beckley went on to conduct research as a field worker at the Norton State Hospital.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Biology--Study and teaching (Higher)--Eugene, Or.
  • Natural history--Oregon
  • Zoology

Geographical Names

  • Coos Bay (Or.)
  • United States--Oregon--Coos County (Or.)--Coos Bay (Or. : Bay)

Form or Genre Terms

  • Research notes