Guide to the E.H. Timothy Whitten (1927- ) Papers
| Collection Title: | E.H. Timothy Whitten (1927- ) Papers |
| Dates: | 1956-1981 |
| Identification: | 11/3/14/6 |
| Creator: | Whitten, E. H. Timothy (Eric Harold Timothy), 1927- |
| Extent: | 2 Boxes |
| Language of Materials: | English |
| Abstract: | Geologist E.H. Timothy Whitten's research interests included the origin and variability of granite as well as analysis of geological materials.The E.H. Timothy Whitten Papers, comprising two boxes, span the years from 1956 to 1981. The papers, including biographical materials, general correspondence, and course, research projects, and publications files, are scattered and provide only thin documentation of Whitten's personal life and academic career. Whitten's research projects files comprise the largest subseries of the Papers. |
| Acquisition Information: | This series is comprised of two accessions (acc. #79-19 and #81-196) received by the University Archives on February 7, 1979 and September 9, 1981. |
| Processing Information: | Margaret E. Faverty; March, 1982. |
| Separated Materials: | Seven photographs have been added to the Department of Geological Sciences file of the Archives Photograph Collection. A roll of color negatives of aerial photo-graphs of the metropolitan Chicago shoreline (ca. 1966) also has been added to the Photograph Collection. Approximately three linear inches of minutes, reports, and correspondence from various University committees have been added to the Archives General Reference Files. |
| Conditions Governing Access: | Permission of the University Archivist is necessary for use of the course materials subseries. |
| Related Materials: | Researchers interested in Whitten's work as a graduate advisor should consult Series 11/3/14/5, Department of Geological Sciences Theses and Dissertations. |
| Repository: | Northwestern University Archives Deering Library, Room 110 1970 Campus Dr. Evanston, IL, 60208-2300 URL: http://www.library.northwestern.edu/archives Email: archives@northwestern.edu Phone: 847-491-3354 |
Biographical/Historical Information
Eric Harold Timothy Whitten, a geologist, was born July 26, 1927, in Ilford, Essex, England, the son of Charles Alexander Whitten and Muriel Smith Whitten. He moved to the US to join the faculty of Northwestern University in 1958. His research interests included the origin and variability of granite as well as analysis of geological materials. In 1981, Whitten left NU for Michigan Technological Institute, where he served as Vice President of Academic Affairs.
Whitten earned B.Sc. degrees in General Honours (Geology, Geography and Pure Mathematics) and Special Geology in 1948 from the University of London, King's College. Whitten took his doctorate at London in 1952. The subject of his dissertation was “The geology of the metamorphic and plutonic rocks of the Gweedore area, County Donegal, Eire.” In 1968 the University of London awarded Whitten a D.Sc. degree in Geology.
Whitten began a career in teaching in 1948 as a Lecturer in Geology at the University of London, Queen Mary College. He held this position until coming to Northwestern University in 1958 as an Associate Professor of Geology. At Northwestern Whitten attained the rank of Professor in 1963. He served as acting chairman of the Department of Geological Sciences during 1974 and as chairman from 1977 to 1981. Whitten left Northwestern in 1981 to become Vice President of Academic Affairs at Michigan Technological University. In addition to his teaching at London and Northwestern, Whitten held visiting professorships at the University of California (Berkeley, 1957 and 1960; Santa Barbara, 1959) and the University of Colorado (Boulder, 1961 and 1963).
Whitten's research interests included the origin and variability of granite and analysis of geological materials. He directed a number of major research projects including one for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration studying the applicability of statistical techniques to remotely-sensed data (see Series 11/3/14/4).
Whitten's writings included two books, Structural Geology of Folded Rocks (1966) and Quantitative Studies in the Geological Sciences: A Memoir in Honor of William C. Krumbein (ed., 1975), and scores of journal articles and technical reports.
In addition to research and writing, Whitten served as secretary of the Northwestern University Senate and as a member of several University Committees including the General Faculty Committee and the Budget and Resources Advisory Committee. He acted as a departmental advisor to undergraduate and graduate students and was also a faculty associate of several student groups.
Scope and Content
The E.H. Timothy Whitten Papers, comprising two boxes, span the years from 1956 to 1981. The papers, including biographical materials; general correspondence; and course, research projects, and publications files, are scattered and provide only thin documentation of Whitten's personal life and academic career.
The biographical materials include vitae, clippings, and press releases.
General correspondence spans the years from 1961 to 1979 and documents Whitten's work on the Geology Department's building committee (1966-1970), his attempts to cultivate donors to the University and the Department (1972-1973), and his efforts to keep the Department's library from being integrated into the collections of the University Library (1972-1974). The remainder of the correspondence is largely routine and concerns Whitten's research interests, publications, and teaching.
Course files include mainly examinations and grade lists for introductory Geology courses taught by Whitten between 1971 and 1981. A small amount of syllabi, outlines, examinations, and grade lists for upper division and graduate courses taught by Whitten in the early 1970s is also included.
Whitten's research projects files comprise the largest subseries of the Papers. The files hold mainly research fund account statements, requisitions, expense statements and small amounts of correspondence. The file documenting his research grant sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration should be consulted in conjunction with Series 11/3/14/4, NASA Research Grant Reports, 1964-1970.
The publications files include a number of reprints of articles authored by Whitten between 1955 and 1975.
Subjects
Corporate Name
Northwestern University (Evanston, Ill.)--History
Northwestern University (Evanston, Ill.). Dept. of Geology
Personal Name
Whitten, E. H. Timothy (Eric Harold Timothy), 1927-
