Frederick Kroeber Sparrow papers on Anton de Bary
Scope and Content
This collection consists of correspondence, photocopied articles, handwritten notes, slides, and photographs pertaining to Sparrow’s manuscript of his address on Anton de Bary at the Second Mycological Congress, 1977 August-September. The address was published in Mycologia, March-April 1978, vol. LXX, no. 2, pp. 213-222.
Dates
- Creation: 1974-1977
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is available by appointment for research. Researchers must register and provide valid photo identification. Please contact botref@oeb.harvard.edu for additional information.
Extent
1.25 linear feet (47 folders in 1 box)Biography
Frederick Kroeber Sparrow was born on May 11, 1903, in Washington, D.C., to Minnie Tomlinson and Frederick Kroeber Sparrow, Sr. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in 1925 and married Anna Elizabeth Gabler. The couple had two sons, Frederick and George. Gabler was a feminist and scholar who served on the faculty in the English Department for a period while Sparrow was teaching there.
Soon after their marriage, Sparrow and Anna moved to Cambridge so that Sparrow could begin his graduate studies at Harvard University. He received an A.M. from Harvard in 1926 and a Ph.D. in 1929. After completing his doctorate he accepted a teaching position at Dartmouth College where he was later appointed an assistant professor in biology.
Sparrow was particularly interested in Chytridiomycetes and aquatic fungi. He conducted research at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Falmouth, Massachusetts during the summers of 1934 through 1935. Sparrow returned to the University of Michigan as an assistant professor in 1936 and became a full professor of botany in 1949. He also taught and conducted research at the University of Michigan Biological Station, acting as director from 1967 to 1968. Sparrow frequently traveled to teach, conduct research, and attend conferences, and retired from the University of Michigan in 1973. In August 1977 he presented an address on German botanist and mycologist Anton de Bary at the Second International Mycological Congress in Tampa, Florida.
Sparrow died on October 2, 1977, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Sources
- Paterson RA. 1978. Frederick Kroeber Sparrow (1903-1977). Mycologia. 70(2):213-221.
Series Description
The collection is divided into four series.
- Series I - Correspondence. Correspondence dates from 1974 to 1978 and is contained in four folders.
- Series II - Manuscript notes. This is the largest series in the collection. It consists of handwritten notes, photocopied articles both by and about de Bary, and several versions of the final manuscript. It is contained in 41 folders.
- Series III - Slides and photographs. These are slides and photographic duplicates of the slides used in Sparrow’s address. A list of the slides is included. This series is contained in four slide boxes, two envelopes, and one folder.
- Series IV - Related items. This consists of two items, a drawing and a road map, in one folder.
Provenance
The collection was given to the Farlow Herbarium by Sparrow’s widow, Anna.
Processing Information
Processed by Gretchen Wade
August 1998
- Title
- Sparrow, F. K. (Frederick Kroeber), 1903-1977. Frederick Kroeber Sparrow papers on Anton de Bary, 1974-1977: A Guide.
- Status
- completed
- Author
- Botany Libraries, Farlow Reference Library of Cryptogamic Botany, Harvard University.
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- eng
- EAD ID
- far00001
Repository Details
Part of the Botany Libraries, Farlow Reference Library of Cryptogamic Botany, Harvard University Repository
The Harvard University Herbaria houses five research libraries that are managed collectively as the Botany Libraries. The Farlow Reference Library of Cryptogamic Botany specializes in organisms that reproduce by spores, without flowers or seeds. The Archives of the Farlow Herbarium of Cryptogamic Botany houses unique resources including personal papers, institutional records, field notes and plant lists, expedition records, photographs, original artwork, and objects from faculty, curators, staff, and affiliates of the Farlow Herbarium.
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