The papers include correspondence, field notes, and other research notes of Henry J. Oosting. The collection is representative of Oosting's research in forest ecology, vegetation on bare rocks, and plants of North Carolina. The papers also document his participation in the 1937 Louise A. Boyd Expedition to Greenland, his participation in the governance and research of the Highlands Biological Station (Highlands, N.C.), and his participation in the Ecological Society of America. Much of the correspondence is between Oosting and colleagues at Duke University, including H. L. Blomquist and Lewis R. Anderson; colleagues throughout the United States; and former graduate students. Other files include family correspondence, as well as reports and correspondence from the Duke University Research Council, 1949-1963.
In June 2007, accession UA2007-0019 was added to the collection. This accession includes photographs from the 1937 Louise A. Boyd Expedition to Greenland. Subjects featured are glaciers; Kjerulf Fjord; Tromso, Norway; Jan Mayen Island; Cape Alfred; Clavering Isle; landscape; and native plants. In addition to the individual photos there are also six annotated photo posters. Photos are by Louise A. Boyd. Also included is Oosting's diary. The diary includes his reactions and observations about his travel to Eastern Greenland and return through England during the summer of 1937 on the Louise A. Boyd Expedition.
Nitrate negatives have been scanned and are available online. The original nitrate negatives are not available for use in the reading room.
Henry John Oosting, Professor of Botany and Chairman of the Department of Botany, worked at Duke University from 1931 to 1962. He was born March 12, 1903 in Holland, Michigan to John H. and Minna Oosting. He earned an A.B. from Hope College in 1925, an M.S. from Michigan State College in 1927, and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1931. Oosting joined the faculty of the Department of Botany at Duke University in 1931, and later served as Chairman of the Department. His research interests included the ecology of virgin forests, vegetation on bare rocks, maritime vegetation in the Southeastern United States, and North Carolina vegetation. In 1937, he served as ecologist for the Louise A. Boyd expedition to Greenland with the American Geographical Society, and he directed the Victory Garden project in Durham, N.C. in 1943. Oosting actively participated in the Ecological Society of America and edited the serial Ecological Monographs. Oosting retired from Duke University around 1962; he died on October 30, 1968.
Processed by Jill Katte, June 2002, Fully processed by KimberlySims, April 2014
Encoded by Jill Katte, December 2002
Updated by Sherrie Bowser, June 2007
Updated by Kim Sims, September 2011, April 2014
Updated with accession UA2017.0052 by Tracy M. Jackson, October 2017.
