[Collection title], Collection Number [####-###], Oregon Health & Science University, Historical Collections & Archives.
The materials were donated to the University of Oregon Medical School Library in 1950 by Harry J. Sears, Ph.D. No other details of provenance are known.
The Historical Image Collection contains additional images of the University of Oregon Medical School campus, faculty, and students. To view images, see the OHSU Digital Commons.
http://digitalcollections.ohsu.edu/
Willamette University Medical Department Records, Accession number 1999-001
Harry J. Sears Papers, Accession number 2005-005
See the Biographical Files for additional information related to the life and work of Harry J. Sears, Ph.D. as well as other University of Oregon Medical School faculty members.
No special equipment is required to view the materials, although the slides may be shown on a glass lantern slide projector or light table if needed.
The collection consists of twenty glass lantern slides of the University of Oregon Medical School faculty members and their families, donated by Harry J. Sears, Ph.D. A handwritten list of the slides describes each photograph. The photos were used for a talk given before the wives of UOMS faculty members in 1950.
OHSU Historical Collections & Archives (HC&A) is the owner of the original materials and digitized images in our collections, however, the collection may contain materials for which copyright is not held. Patrons are responsible for determining the appropriate use or reuse of materials. Consult with HC&A to determine if we can provide permission for use.
There are no restrictions on access. This collection is open to the public.
Harry J. Sears, M.D., was born in Daviess County, Missouri where he attended a one room grade school. He earned a B.A. in 1911 and an M.A. in 1912 from Stanford University. Sears remained at Stanford to obtain a Ph.D. which he earned in 1916. He spent two and a half years as Director of the Berkley, California City Health Laboratory before he came to Portland. He paid for his education cleaning bricks from the earthquake damaged buildings on campus, washing dishes, and working on a railroad construction crew.
He married Huldah Meyer of Palo Alto, California, with whom he had two daughters and two sons, Thomas and David.
Until his retirement in 1956, Harry J. Sears served as the first chair and professor at the University of Oregon Medical School's (UOMS) Department of Bacteriology. When Sears first arrived in Portland from Berkley, he was the only bacteriologist in the state of Oregon. He began teaching at the medical school in 1919 when it was still located at the corner of NW 23rd and Lovejoy. There, he organized UOMS's first Department of Bacteriology. He was among the first small contingent faculty of the school, teaching both bacteriology and chemistry.
In his early days, he was among the teams who sought to find the causes and treatments for influenza, typhoid, paratyphoid, and diphtheria. Sears also helped to establish the state civil service merit system of examinations and served as first director of the merit system.
It was said of Sears that "He was one of our great pioneers." He retired in 1956 after serving as the Head of the Bacteriology Department for 38 years. Over the course of his career, Sears authored and published 30 professional papers. He died at the age of 77 at his daughter's home on October 27, 1962.
Head of Bacteriology – University of Oregon Medical School
Friends of the Library Committee – Portland Academy of Medicine
Society of the American Association for Advancement of Science
The Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine
The Portland Academy of Medicine
Phi Beta Kappa
Sigma Xi
Phi Lambda Upsilon.
A list of Sears' publications can be found in the Historical Collection & Archives' Biographical Files.
Some images from this collection have been digitized and are available in the