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Herman Robert Otness Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MG379

Scope and Contents

The papers of H. Robert Otness span the years 1916 to 1995, with the bulk of the material covering the years 1950 to 1985.

The papers include material relating to his teaching at the University of Idaho, his 1966 sabbatical, some items concerning his work with the U.S. Navy, Vineland (New Jersey) Training School and the Washington State School at Buckley. Other material consists of newspaper and journal articles of professional interest. There is also a large collection of various educational tests, and finally there are tape recording of speeches and radio programs. Material relating to his wife, Lillian, is also included as is correspondence and other material concerning his non-academic life.

Dates

  • Creation: 1916-1995

Language of Materials

English

Biographical / Historical

Herman Robert Otness

University of Idaho psychology professor Herman Robert Otness was born November 22, 1907 in Moscow, Idaho, to Robert and Christina Otness. He graduated from Moscow High School in 1926, and received his bachelor of science and master of science degrees from the University of Idaho in 1931 and 1932 respectively. He taught high school level physics and algebra at a private academy in Moscow before moving to New York City, where he attended New York University, in 1935. In 1939 he received a doctor of clinical psychology degree from NYU and went to work as chief clinical psychologist for The Training School at Vineland, New Jersey.

In 1943 he joined the U.S. Naval Reserve as a lieutenant and was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. In 1945 he was transferred to the Naval Training Center at Farragut, Idaho, where his duties included screening combat personnel for re-entry into civilian life. Following his discharge in 1946 he joined the psychology department at Washington State College for one year before becoming director of research and training at the Rainier State School in Buckley, Washington.

He returned to Moscow in 1950 and became an associate professor in the University of Idaho department of psychology where he remained until his retirement in 1971. During this time he was presented an Outstanding Faculty Member Award by the Associated Students (ASUI). In addition to his teaching duties he gave many addresses throughout the Northwest and organized several symposia dealing with mental retardation.

Throughout his career he was an advocate for people with mental and physical disabilities. In 1973 he was the first recipient of the American Association on Mental Deficiency's Edgar A. Doll award.

He and his wife, Lillian, were involved with the Moscow Community Theater stage productions in many capacities including acting. He became a practitioner of magic and sleight-of-hand tricks. Under the stage name of Zingo and Lingo, the couple performed for many benefit shows, and also entertained neighborhood children for Christmas and the Fourth of July.

He married Lillian Woodworth on July 15, 1945. They had one son, Robert. H. Robert Otness died in Moscow on April 21, 1995.

Lillian Gritman Woodworth Otness

Lillian (Woodworth) Otness, a descendant of one of Moscow's founding families, was born to Jay and Lillie Woodworth on December 21, 1908. She graduated from Moscow High School in 1926. She graduated with highest honors in 1930 from the University of Idaho where she was a member of Delta Gamma Sorority. She was active in arts, sports, and was a member of the women's rifle team. Following graduation she worked at Klamath Union High School in Klamath Falls, Oregon, where she coached girls' basketball, baseball, volleyball, and tennis. In 1933 she moved to the southern branch of the University of Idaho (now Idaho State University) where she became director of women's athletics. She also taught a variety of dance classes. She earned her master of science in education from the UI in 1940, and a second masters degree in English in 1961.

She married H. Robert Otness at Farragut Naval Reserve Station on July 15, 1945; the couple had one son, Robert Jay. She frequently joined her husband in performing magic shows as Lingo in the team of Zingo and Lingo. She was also very active in the field of historic preservation and wrote a book on local history titled "A Great Good Country: A Guide to Historic Moscow and Latah County, Idaho" (1983). Lillian Otness died in Moscow on July 22, 1994.

Extent

14 cubic feet

Abstract

Lecture notes, classroom materials, tests and other papers of psychology professor Otness; materials relating to his wartime testing work for the U.S. Navy; correspondence and clippings about the Rainier State School at Buckley, WA. Also professional clippings, educational testing materials, correspondence and other personal material, including those relating to local historian Lillian Otness, and other materials.

Arrangement

Most material in this Manuscript Group was in no apparent order when received, the exceptions being the material relating to his sabbatical travels and the educational tests. Series order was, therefore, imposed during processing. Some material was in folders and in these cases the original folder headings were retained.

Material relating to Dr. Otness's teaching career at the University of Idaho are in the first series. This material was divided into several sub-series, the first of which includes class handouts, lecture notes and tests; these materials are arranged by class. The second group of material concerns his sabbatical in 1966 during which he visited university psychology departments and agencies which treat handicapped individuals in the Northwest, Western Canada, and Scandinavia. The material includes notes on people and institutions visited and brochures. These are arranged alphabetically by institution or location. The final sub-series includes material related to his teaching such as information on the State Hospital North, Orofino, where he often took students on field trips, conferences on exceptional children which he organized, theses committees on which he served, and lectures on mental deficiency given in Moscow.

The second series concerns his pre U of I career, most notably The Training School at Vineland, New Jersey, the U.S. Navy, and Rainier State School, Buckley, Washington. The Vineland material includes information on the school, a collection of psychological and intelligence tests used at the school, and a list of books which he donated to the school in 1989. The Navy material includes reports on offenders, questionnaires, and manuscripts and related correspondence of articles Otness wrote on naval offenders. The final folders in this series concern Rainier State School and include correspondence, newspaper clippings, writings of mentally defective children, and items on the 50th anniversary celebration of the school in 1989.

Non-professional involvements or personal material is contained in series three. Included are Otness's published articles; guest lists and photographs from the children's parties he and his wife hosted on July 4 and Christmas; correspondence, both personal and professional; articles on friends; material of Lillian Otness; and folders reflecting his interest in magic, the Moscow community theater and Special Olympics. Also included are hand written notes made during lectures, speeches he gave, and papers, class notes, etc., from his student days at New York University. These materials are arranged alphabetically by subject. The correspondence is in chronological order, with the exception of several folders which Otness had labeled by subject.

Series four contains items of professional interest. Most of these materials are magazine articles, brochures, or printed charts. The subjects containing the most information are Vision, Hearing, and Mental Retardation.

As a clinical psychologist, Otness collected a large number of educational and psychological tests which are in series five. These he arranged by type, e.g., Aptitude, Intelligence, Personality, etc.; they are then arranged alphabetically within these divisions. Also included are a clock test which Otness developed in which elementary students were asked to draw a clock and identify the time shown on the face. This test was given at Moscow elementary schools and also the Alberta Guidance Clinic in Red Deer, Alberta in the fall of 1966, in conjunction with a "draw a figure test."

The final series consists of reel to reel tape recordings of radio programs and speeches. Identification on the boxes or reels was sparse, so not much is known about the contents.

Multiple copies of test and manuals were removed from the collection. Published books were also removed unless they related to test material.. The donation included a number of large home-made display posters, occupying over 30 linear feet of shelf space, with pictures cut from magazines mounted on them; these were discarded. Magazine articles mounted on the posters were removed from the cardboard and placed in folders. A folder of X-rays was discarded. The arts and crafts of handicapped people were sent to the College of Family and Consumer Science for classroom use; only a few small samples were retained in the processed collection. The Otness clock and draw a figure test were sampled; two sets were retained for each grade in Moscow schools, and the first and last sets were retained from the Alberta Guidance Clinic. Travel brochures and theater programs were also removed. Case studies done by Otness of navy offenders were also sampled. Researchers using this material are requested to respect the confidentiality of these records by not using names of the individuals in any research or reports resulting from such use. In all the collection was reduced by 40 feet.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Records of H. Robert Otness were donated to the University of Idaho Library by Dr. Otness and his son Robert between May 1981 and September 1996.

Title
Guide to the Herman Robert Otness papers1916-1995
Author
Finding aid prepared by Judith Nielsen
Date
©1997
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is in English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Repository Details

Part of the University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives Repository