Irven O. Buss was born on February 24, 1908 in Menomonie, Wisconsin. He received his B.S. degree in Vocational Education from the Stout Institute in 1933, his M.S. degree in Wildlife Management from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1939, and his Ph.D. in Zoology and Wildlife Management from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1942. Before joining the Department of Zoology at Washington State University in 1948 as a Professor of Wildlife Biology and Environmental Sciences, Dr. Buss served in the United States Navy during World War II from 1943 to 1946. He was a Fulbright Senior Scholar on Wildlife Research in Uganda, East Africa, from 1958 to 1959, and had over 60 scholarly publications, many focusing on African elephants and birds. Dr. Buss retired from WSU in 1973, and later served as an Emeritus Professor. He died in 1993.
This collection consists of papers of Dr. Irven Buss (1908-1993), a Professor of Zoology at Washington State University from 1948 to 1973. It contains research materials pertaining to African elephants, and birds of Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin, as well as various other wildlife species. Materials include field notes, photographs, maps, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and articles on a variety of subjects: the relationship of reproduction to environmental factors and behavior, the change of adrenal glands with age, the role of stress and individual recognition on the temporal gland, the significance of ear pinnae movement, cardiovascular disease, the consumption of soil and rocks, and the management of populations. The collection also contains some of Dr. Buss' professional manuscripts and publications, teaching materials, as well as a small collection of personal papers including some from his service in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
Preliminary Inventory:
MS.2003.25
Box 1: Papers pertaining to research on African elephants, Midwestern and Northwestern birds and various mammals (includes photographs and negatives).
Box 2: Papers pertaining to research on African elephants, Midwestern and Northwestern birds and various mammals. Includes correspondence about the Uganda National Park.
Box 3: Bound field notes (1936-1983) and books.
Box 4: Student reports of Mann's Lake (1970s), research notes and scrapbooks on birds.
Box 5: Correspondence, research index cards, biography.
Box 6: Research index cards and research notes on African birds.
Box 7: Papers pertaining to research, correspondence, and newspaper articles.
Box 8: Papers pertaining to research, correspondence, photographs, and negatives.
Box 9: Copies of manuscripts, index research cards, papers pertaining to research, newspaper articles, and correspondence.
Box 10: Papers pertaining to research, correspondence, the American Society of Mammologists, as well as negatives, and sketches of plant life.
Box 11: Papers pertaining to research, photographs (many with drawings and comments, and two from World War II), negatives, graphs, and maps.
Oversized materials: Atlas of Uganda, maps, graphs, photographs.
MS.2011.19
Box 1: Papers pertaining to research (primarily birds, 1930s-1950s), field notes, photographs, and correspondence, as well as a small collection of personal papers.
Box 2: Papers pertaining to research (primarily African elephants), including correspondence and newspaper clippings.
Box 3: Papers pertaining to research (primarily African elephants), and bound field journals (1958-1959, 1963-1964).
Box 4: Papers pertaining to research (primarily African elephants), bound specimen records (1932-1956), field notebooks, and papers related to military service including a journal and correspondence.
Box 5: Photographs, negatives, and glass slides related to research, as well as personal papers.
Box 6: Photographs and negatives.
Box 7: Photograph index cards (1917-1960s) and photographs.
Box 8: Matchbox, and oversized photographs of African elephants.
Boxes 9-13: 16mm films.
Boxes 14-15: Maps.
This is an unprocessed collection. Arrangement reflects a pre-existing order from the records’ creators or previous custodians.
This collection is open and available for research use, except for evaluated student papers.
Copyright restrictions may apply.
[Item description]
Preliminary Guide to the Irven O. Buss Papers, 1932-1990 (MSSM.051)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
Received by Washington State University Libraries from Katherine Buss in 2003 (MS.2003.25) and Richard Old in 2011 (MS.2011.19).
Zoological Specimens (elephant teeth, tissue samples, and rocks) were sent to the Conner Museum.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.