OREmorita.xml Guide to the Richard Y. Morita Papers 1949-2005 Morita (Richard Y.) Papers Finding Aid Authors: Clare Sobotka and Elizabeth Nielsen. Oregon State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives Research Center 2018
121 The Valley Library Oregon State University Corvallis, OR, 97331-4501 Phone: 541-737-2075 Email: scarc@oregonstate.edu Web: http://scarc.library.oregonstate.edu/findingaids
This finding aid was encoded in EAD by Archon 3.21 from an SQL database source on March 7th, 2018. Encoding was modified by Elizabeth Nielsen for Archives West compliance. Finding aid written in English. Finding aid based on DACS ( Describing Archives: A Content Standard, 2nd Edition). Morita, R. Y. (Richard Y.) Richard Y. Morita Papers 1949-2005 MSS Morita 1.60 cubic feet, including 75 photographs 3 boxes Materials in English. Special Collections and Archives Research Center
121 The Valley Library Oregon State University Corvallis, OR, 97331-4501 Phone: 541-737-2075 Email: scarc@oregonstate.edu Web: http://scarc.library.oregonstate.edu/findingaids
The Morita Papers document the academic and research career of Richard Yukio Morita, a marine microbiologist who conducted extensive research on the effects of pressure, low temperature, and available energy on the physiology of marine bacteria.  Richard Y. Morita was a faculty member in microbiology and oceanography at Oregon State University from 1962 through 1988 and pursued an active research program as a Professor Emeritus of Microbiology and Oceanography from 1989 through the 2000s. Biographical Note:

Richard Y. Morita was a faculty member in microbiology and oceanography at Oregon State University from 1962 through 1988 and pursued an active research program as a Professor Emeritus of Microbiology and Oceanography from 1989 through the early 2000s.

Richard Yukio Morita was born on March 27, 1923 in Pasadena, California. He graduated from Pasadena High School in 1941. In 1942 the Morita family was forced to enter an internment camp; they were first sent to Tulare Assembly Center in southern California, and then to the Gila River War Relocation Center in Arizona. Richard Morita left the camp later in 1942 to attend the University of Nebraska, but was drafted into and served in the U. S. Army 442nd Regiment Combat Team in 1944-1946. Afterwards, he earned a B.S. in Bacteriology-Chemistry from the University of Nebraska in 1947, an M.S. in Bacteriology from the University of Southern California in 1949, and a Ph. D. in Microbiology-Oceanography from the University of California, Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 1954, where he was the first Nisei (second-generation Japanese American) to graduate. He held several assistant professorships before coming to OSU, where he was an Associate Professor of Microbiology and Oceanography in 1962-1964. In 1964 he became a full Professor at OSU, a post he held until 1988. OSU granted him Professor Emeritus status in 1989. He also served as program director for biochemistry at the National Science Foundation in 1968-1969. Morita married Toshiko Nishihara on March 14, 1953 and they had three children: Sally Jean, Ellen Jane, and Peter Wayne. He was the likely the first Nisei in biological oceanography, and one of the first Nisei with academic rank in microbiology.

During his career, Morita was part of several large research expeditions. He was a microbiologist for three of them: the Mid-Pacific Expedition of 1950 (where he was the first microbiologist to study the deep sea), the 1952 Royal Danish Navy Galathea Deep Sea Expedition, and the Trans-Pacific Expedition of 1953. In 1962 he was an invited investigator for Expedition Dodo. Morita studied microbiology in extreme earth environments, including the polar regions and the deep sea. Some of his important contributions to the field include: the discovery of barophiles (pressure loving bacteria) with his mentor Dr. Claude ZoBell; demonstrating that enzyme reactions can occur over 100°C; the discovery of psychrophiles (cold-loving bacteria); the concept of starvation-survival in bacteria; and with Francisco Torrella, the discovery that the marine environment has many phage particles. The genus Moritella was named after him to honor his work in marine microbiology. Several significant awards he received include the Fisher Scientific Company Award from the American Society of Microbiology in 1988; a Queen Elizabeth II Senior Fellowship from the Australian Government, 1973-1974; a King Fredericus IX Medal and Ribbon for participating in the Galathea Expedition; a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Fellowship 1978, and an honorary membership in the American Society of Microbiology, 1990

 Colwell, Rita R., 1934- ZoBell, Claude E., 1904-1989. Colwell, Rita R., 1934- Morita, R. Y. (Richard Y.) ZoBell, Claude E., 1904-1989. Oregon State University. Department of Microbiology. Photographic prints. Photomicrographs. Marine ecology--Research. Marine microbial ecology. Microbiology--Research--Oregon. Oceanography--Research--Oregon. Psychrophilic bacteria. Scientific expeditions. Colleges and Universities Japanese Americans Science Oregon Corvallis Photographs

The bulk of the materials were donated by Richard Morita in 2002; small additions to the collection were received in 2004 and 2009.

Collection is open for research.

Richard Y. Morita Papers (MSS Morita), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

A 2010 oral history interview of Morita is part of the Voices of Oregon State University Oral History Collection (OH 009) and additional materials pertaining to Morita are part of the Oregon Multicultural Communities Research Collection (MSS OMCRC).  The Special Collections and Archives Research Center’s holding include several collections documenting microbiology research and teaching at Oregon State including the Microbiology Department Records (RG 191) and the papers of other microbiology faculty John L. Fryer and Paul R. Elliker.

The Scripps Institution of Oceanography conducted an extensive oral history interview of Dr. Morita in 2006.  A transcript of the interview is available online.

The Morita Papers are arranged in 5 series: 1. Biographical Information, 1953-2000; 2. Correspondence, 1949-2005; 3. Grant Projects, 1964-1988; 4. Publication Contracts and Financial Records, 1962-1997; and 5. Photographs, 1949-1972.

The Richard Y. Morita Papers document the academic career and professional activities of Richard Yukio Morita, primarily his research in marine microbiology and marine ecology.  The Papers consist primarily of correspondence and also include biographical information, grant records, publication contracts, and photographs.  The correspondence includes extensive correspondence between Morita and his mentor and graduate advisor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Claude E. ZoBell, as well as other collaborators and scientific colleagues.  Correspondence and related materials document Morita’s numerous publications of journal articles, book chapters, and monographs.  Morita participated in some of the first expeditions to study the deep sea in the 1950s and 1960s.  These expeditions and the resulting scientific outcomes are extensively documented in this collection.

Materials documenting Morita’s research on the interaction of pressure and temperature on marine bacteria, microorganisms in extreme environments, and bacteria in oligotrophic (nutrient poor) environments form the bulk of this collection.

The biographical materials include an in-depth autobiographical essay in which Morita describes his childhood in southern California; his internment as a Japanese American during World War II and subsequent military service; and his education and career.  Morita’s numerous awards and recognitions are documented in the collection as well as his roles in the scientific community as a reviewer, consultant, journal editor, and organizer of symposia.

 Series 1 1.01 Biographical Information 1953-2000

Series 1 consists of a complete Curriculum Vitae for Dr. Morita that lists all of the professional positions he held, his publications, honors received, awarded grants, and other aspects of his career; an autobiographical essay written in 1995 and updated in 2000; and a U.S. Government form “Statement of Personal History" completed in 1953. The autobiographical essay is of special note as Morita describes his experiences as a child and youth in southern California; his internment and later military service during World War II; and his education and career.

 Series 2 Correspondence 1949-2005

Series 2 comprises the bulk of this collection and consists of correspondence sent and received by Morita and associated documents and materials. The correspondence is arranged by project, publication, or correspondent and documents Morita’s research and publishing, scientific expeditions, and the long-term relationships he developed with his collaborators and colleagues. The series includes substantial correspondence with Claude E. ZoBell, Morita’s mentor and graduate advisor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography; Rita Colwell at the University of Maryland; and Francisco Torrella. The ZoBell and Colwell correspondence files also include extensive biographical information about those two scientists. The general correspondence pertains to publications, patents, and Morita’s research and also includes award nominations and tributes to Morita made at his retirement. Materials documenting his teaching and service at Oregon State University are also included in the general correspondence. This series includes 15 photographs, primarily photomicrographs.

 1.02 Bacteria in Oligotrophic Environments - General 1995-1996 1.03 Bacteria in Oligotrophic Environments - Permission to Reprint 1996 1.04 Bacteria in Oligotrophic Environments Project 1996-1997 1.05 Biodiversity of Psychrofiles Project 1999 1.06 Brochures and Certificates 1966 - circa 1995 1.07 Rita Colwell 1970-1981 1.08 Rita Colwell 1979-2001 1.09 Dodo Research Expedition on the Vessel Argo 1964-1965 1.10 Ian Dundas 1986-1997 1.11 Encyclopedia of Life Sciences Project 1997-2001 1.12 Galathea Deep Sea Expedition 1951-1985 1.13 General Correspondence 1957-2000 1.14 General Correspondence 1962-1991 1.15 General Correspondence 1967-2001 1.16 General Correspondence 1978-2001 1.17 General Correspondence 1968-2001 1.18 General - Publications of Articles and Book Chapters 1998-1999 1.19 Newspaper Clippings 1951-1981 1.20 Office of Naval Research 1984

Proposal review process controversy.

 1.21 Patent for Microbial Methane Production 1981-1982 1.22 Patent for Microbial Methane Production 1981-1993 1.23 Publications and Clippings 1991-2005 1.24 Task Force on the Forward Contamination of Europa: Space Studies Board 1997-1998 1.25 Task Force on the Forward Contamination of Europa: Space Studies Board 1997-2000 2.01 Task Force on the Forward Contamination of Europa: Space Studies Board 1997-2000 2.02 Francisco Torrella 1988-2001

Includes 14 photographs of specimens (photomicrographs).

 2.03 Francisco Torrella 1978-1991 2.04 Trans-Pacific Research Expedition 1953 2.05 U.S. vs. Milstein 2000

Expert witness testimony.

 2.06 Claude E. ZoBell 1949-1958

Includes 1 photograph.

 2.07 Claude E. ZoBell 1952-1964 2.08 Claude E. ZoBell 1965-1997 3.01 Claude E. ZoBell 1971-1993 Series 3 Grant Projects 1964-1988

Series 3 consists primarily of correspondence between Morita and agencies that funded his research – primarily the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The series also includes award notifications and grant accounting information from the Oregon State University Research Accounting Office. A few grant applications and revised budgets are also part of this series.

 3.2 Grant Projects 1967-1988 3.3 Grant Projects 1964-1980 Series 4 3.4 Publication Contracts and Financial Records 1962-1997

Series 4 consists of publication contracts and agreements, royalty payment statements, and related documentation and correspondence for book chapters and journal articles written by Morita. The series also includes requests to reproduce illustrations published by Morita.

 Series 5 Photographs 1949-1972

Series 5 consist of photographic prints assembled by Morita depicting himself, his scientific colleagues; and research activities at sea and in tropical settings, including Pago Pago. The series includes 60 photographic prints. All of the photographs (with the exception of 1 color print) are b/w. Some of the images are formal portraits and professional photographs; others are informal snapshots.

 3.5 Research Activities circa 1950s

Images depicting fieldwork in a tropical setting and a close-up of laboratory set-up on the Mid-Pacific Expedition in 1950 that includes S.C. Rittenberg and Morita; 3 prints.

 3.6 Morita and others 1949 - circa 1970

Includes a 1949 portrait photo of Morita; snapshots and other photos of Morita working in the laboratory; photographs of Morita with groups of colleagues, including Claude E. ZoBell; a portrait photograph of Claude E. ZoBell; and photographs of a research vessel and research being conducted at sea. 22 prints

 3.7 Pago Pago 1952

Snapshots of Morita and others at sea and in Pago Pago. 28 prints (1 color; 27 b/w).

 3.8 U.S. - Japan Conference at University of Maryland 1972

Morita was the principal organizer and a participant in the 2nd U.S.-Japan Cooperative Conference on Marine Microbiology in College Park, Maryland.  Photographs depict participants at the conference including Morita and scientists from the United States and Japan.  7 prints.