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Earl Junior Larrison papers

 Collection
Identifier: MG 233

Scope and Contents

The papers of Earl J. Larrison span the years 1915 to 1985, although family papers in his possession which are included in this collection date to the 1880s. Included are typescripts of several books and articles, journals, notebooks and other research materials reflecting to his zoological activities. Also included are literary materials, particularly those relating to Sir Walter Scott, family papers, including photographs, which belonged to his mother, and other photographs, slides, and movie film which reflect his interest in birds and animals.

Dates

  • Creation: 1915-1987

Language of Materials

English

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Biographical / Historical

Earl Junior Larrison was born in Mabton, Washington on Mother's Day, May 11, 1919. He was the son of banker Earl and Anna Marie (Kuble) Larrison. During his public school years in Seattle he was active in scouting, achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, and as a result he developed a keen interest in natural science and the outdoors. Following his graduation from Lincoln High School in 1936 he attended the University of Washington, earning a bachelor's degree, cum laude, in 1941. During the early years of World War II he was employed at Boeing as a chemist, and then returned to the University of Washington where he earned a master's degree in zoology in 1946. His thesis was on the chipmunks of the central Cascade Mountains of Washington. In 1946 he accepted a fellowship in the Laboratory of Vertebrate Biology at the University of Michigan to work under Dr. Lee R. Dice. He continued work toward a doctorate in zoology at the university until February 1949 when he accepted a position at the University of Idaho.

An animal researcher and author, Larrison taught biology, zoology, mammalogy, and ornithology at the university for over 30 years. During his tenure at the school he established the skeletal and pelt museum and the Audubon Room for bird studies at his own expense. He developed the Animal Research Library, with over 12,000 volumes, including many original prints. He was also instrumental in establishing the Idaho Academy of Science. He was the first person to catalog the animals and plants of the Owyhee Mountains near Boise, a project he undertook from 1949 to 1950.

In addition to his writing and research he was a professional photographer, with a vast collection of movies, prints, and slides of his natural science research. He was frequently a visiting science teacher in public schools in Idaho and Washington as well as a recurring speaker at student and civic groups in the Palouse region.

He was an accomplished organist and was proficient in German, French, and Latin. He wrote poetry and short stories and became an authority on Sir Walter Scott. His interest in Scott developed when a friend loaned him a life of Scott to read during a summer spent at the forest lookout on Mount Pilchuck, near Everett, Washington. By 1962, when he donated his collection to the University of Idaho Library, he had accumulated more than 500 volumes by and about the author.

He was editor of the University Press of Idaho from 1982 to 1984. Following his retirement from the university in 1984 he moved to his cabin near Newport, Washington, where he died of a heart attack on October 21, 1987.

Extent

10 cubic feet

Abstract

Journals, notebooks, research material, and typescripts of books and articles reflecting Larrison's zoological activities; his collecting of literary materials, particularly those relating to Sir Walter Scott; family papers, including photographs which belonged to his mother; and photographs, slides, and motion picture films of birds, animals, and wildlfowers.

Arrangement

The papers of Earl J. Larrison were in no discernible order when received. Therefore a series order was imposed during processing.

The first series reflects Larrison's zoological interests and includes typescripts of several of his books which had earlier been donated to Special Collections plus typescripts of other books articles, notes from several field trips, and correspondence, much of it with Harry W. Higman with whom he wrote a book on the animals of Mount Pilchuck in the Washington Cascades.

The second series concerns Larrison's interest in the writer Sir Walter Scott and contains copies of student papers on Scott from a variety of colleges and universities, and articles about his collection of Scott's books. There are also programs and cassette tapes of a Scott Colloquium held at the University of Florida in 1979, and a chronological bibliography of Scott's works.

The third series comprises personal and family papers. Included are Larrison's baby book, his diplomas and certificates, clippings about him, his appointment books, and items relating to his parents and other relatives.

The final series contains a large collection of photographs, slides and movie film. There are many unidentified photographs which belonged to Larrison's mother Marie Kuble. Some are of her friends, others of the Kuble and Miller families. Later pictures in this group show Earl as a small child. Some of these are taken by professional photographers, others are snapshots. These have not been arranged in any way. Some of the snapshots Larrison had copied so they exist in three forms, original photograph, copy negative, and copy print, each type is located in a separate folder. There are also some old picture postcards, probably purchased on a family vacation along the Columbia River Highway in Oregon. The remaining photographs were taken by Larrison in connection with his research. Some envelopes containing prints and negatives were numbered; the prints were placed in archival envelopes and identified by the roll number, the negatives were placed in archival negative storage pages and also identified by roll number. There is a photo log in the collection but it does not cover the majority of these numbered rolls. The remaining prints were identified by broad subject, e.g. habitats/life zones, birds, mammals. Prints and negatives which were together were kept together in folders, other negatives were placed at the end of the subject file, no attempt being made to match them with prints.

The slides which were originally in metal slide storage cases were placed in archival slide storage pages. Larrison's identifications were retained throughout. Included are pictures of Larrison's trip to Nairobi, Kenya, visits to various museums, many scenes of Idaho, and illustrative plates from books. Some of the slides are commercially produced.

Where more than two typescripts, including galley proofs, for a single book existed only the earliest and latest were retained. Duplicate photographs, when easily identified, were discarded. This, coupled with the removing of slides from their original storage cases, reduced the bulk of this collection by 1.5 cubic feet.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The papers of Earl J. Larrison were donated to the University of Idaho Library between August 1988 and March 1990 by Don Johnson, who sorted them following Larrison's death. Other typescripts were transferred from previous holdings in the Special Collections Department. These materials were then combined. Brian and Don Johnson donated an additional scrapbook in March of 2015. It was passed along to Dean Lynn Baird.

Existence and Location of Copies

Some of the materials in this collection were digitzed and added to the digital Idaho Forestry Research Collection.

Title
Earl Junior Larrison papers
Status
Completed
Author
Finding aid prepared by Judith Nielsen; modified by Megan Wood and Sara Szobody (2024).
Date
1990
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written 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