Guide to the Theodore B. Mitchell Papers, 1918 - 1979

Collection Number MC 183

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Collection Information
Abstract:

Theodore B. Mitchell (1890-1983) was a North Carolina State College professor of entomology for over thirty-five years. During his career, he researched "systematic entomology" and had a special focus on bees. The Theodore B. Mitchell Papers is comprised of professional and personal correspondence related to Mitchell's entomological interests as well as civic organization commitments.

Contact Information:
Processed by
Special Collections Staff
Encoded by
Valerie Gillispie
Finding aid updated by
Todd Kosmerick, 2007

Descriptive Summary

Creator

Mitchell, Theodore B.

Title

The Theodore B. Mitchell Papers, 1918 - 1979

Call Number

MC 183

Extent

3.5 linear feet , 7 archival storage boxes , 1 card box

Location

For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Special Collections Research Center Reference Staff.

Information for Users

Restrictions to Access

This collection is open for research; access requires at least 24 hours advance notice.
Acquisitions Information

Transfer from Department of Entomology, School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, North Carolina State University, April 22, 1986, and July 2007. The last transfer is Accession Number 2007-0231.
Preferred Citation

[Identification of Item], Theodore B. Mitchell Papers, MC 00183, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Copyright Notice

North Carolina State University does not own copyright to this collection. Individuals obtaining materials from the NCSU Libraries' Special Collections Research Center are responsible for using the works in conformance with United States copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials.

Biographical Note


Theodore B. Mitchell was born on October 26, 1890, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He attended Massachusetts Agricultural College (now University of Massachusetts, Amherst), from which he graduated with a B.S. degree in 1920. He also served in the U.S. Army as a Band Sargeant, spending one year in France during World War I. Mitchell was employed by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture in 1920 as an Assistant Entomologist. In that capacity he conducted extensive field surveys, and the focus on "systematic entomology" that was to dominate his future research came into being. Furthering his education, Mitchell obtained the M.S. degree from North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering (later North Carolina State University) in 1924, and completed his education with an S.D. degree from Harvard University in 1928.

Joining the NCSC faculty in 1925, Dr. Mitchell was promoted to associate professor in 1930, and achieved the rank of full professor in 1938, a position that he held until his retirement in 1961. Mitchell continued his research for many years after his retirement, and was a noted figure in the field of entomology. The special attention given to bees throughout his career culminated in the publication of "Bees of the Eastern United States", a two-volume manual of the entire bee fauna.

Dr. Mitchell was a memer of many honorary and professional fraternities and organizations, most notably Phi Kappa Phi, Sigma Xi, Gamma Sigma Delta, the Entomological Society of America, and the North Carolina Academy of Science.

Dr. Mitchell was married to Miss Olivia Gowan of Raleigh in 1924, and they had one son, Richard. T.B. Mitchell died on February 10, 1983.

Scope and Content Note


The Theodore B. Mitchell Papers consists of correspondence, research notes, glass plate lantern slides, and newspaper clippings pertaining to Theodore B. Mitchell's career and his research on "systematic entomology," and in particular his study of bees (which culminated in the publication of the two-volume "Bees of the Eastern United States"). The Professional Correspondence series contains letters to colleagues in the field of entomology and includes, among others, letters to and from the British Museum of Natural History, the California Academy of Sciences, the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the College of Tropical Agriculture. The Personal Correspondence series contains letters to friends and family members, as well as letters that document his involvement with various civic organizations.

Online Catalog Headings

Bees--United States.
Entomologists.
Entomology--Study and teaching.
Insects--Classification.
Lantern slides.
Mitchell, Theodore B.

Detailed Description of the Collection


  • Series 001:Professional Correspondence


    6 archival storage boxes , 2.75 linear feet
    • By Individual
      • Alex, A.H. [MC 183 Box 1, Folder1]
      • Baker, James R. [MC 183 Box 1, Folder2]
      • Biol, Mario Sousa S. [MC 183 Box 1, Folder3]
      • Bohart, Richard M. and G.E. [Folder 1 of 2] [MC 183 Box 1, Folder4]
      • Bohart, Richard M. and G.E. [Folder 2 of 2] [MC 183 Box 1, Folder5]
      • Bradley, J. Chester [MC 183 Box 1, Folder6]
      • Covell, Charles V., Jr. [MC 183 Box 1, Folder7]
      • Evans, Howard E. [MC 183 Box 1, Folder8]
      • Krombein, Dr. Karl V. [Folder 1 of 3] [MC 183 Box 2, Folder1]
      • Krombein, Dr. Karl V. [Folder 2 of 3] [MC 183 Box 2, Folder2]
      • Krombein, Dr. Karl V. [Folder 3 of 3] [MC 183 Box 2, Folder3]
      • La Berge, Wallace E. [Folder 1 of 2] [MC 183 Box 2, Folder4]
      • La Berge, Wallace E. [Folder 2 of 2] [MC 183 Box 2, Folder5]
      • Lanham, U.N. [MC 183 Box 2, Folder6]
      • McClay, A.T. [MC 183 Box 2, Folder7]
      • Medler, J.T. [MC 183 Box 2, Folder8]
      • Michner, Charles D. [Folder 1 of 3] [MC 183 Box 2, Folder9]
      • Michner, Charles D. [Folder 2 of 3] [MC 183 Box 2, Folder10]
      • Michner, Charles D. [Folder 3 of 3] [MC 183 Box 2, Folder11]
      • Milliron, Herbert [MC 183 Box 2, Folder12]
      • Moldenke, Andrew R. [MC 183 Box 3, Folder1]
      • Montgomery, B. Elwood [MC 183 Box 3, Folder2]
      • Morse, Roger A. [MC 183 Box 3, Folder3]
      • Moure, P.J. [MC 183 Box 3, Folder4]
      • Muesebeck, C.F.W. [MC 183 Box 3, Folder5]
      • Osychniuk, A.Z. [MC 183 Box 3, Folder6]
      • Parker, Frank [MC 183 Box 3, Folder7]
      • Pasteels, J.J. [MC 183 Box 3, Folder8]
      • Ponomareva, Anna A. [MC 183 Box 3, Folder9]
      • Ribble, D.W. [MC 183 Box 3, Folder10]
      • Ribble, D.W. [MC 183 Box 3, Folder11]
      • Roberts, Radclyffe B. [MC 183 Box 3, Folder12]
      • Rodeck, Hugo G. [MC 183 Box 3, Folder13]
      • Rozen, Jerome G. [MC 183 Box 3, Folder14]
      • Scullen, H.A. [MC 183 Box 3, Folder15]
      • Snelling, Roy [MC 183 Box 3, Folder16]
      • Stephen, William P. [Folder 1 of 2] [MC 183 Box 3, Folder17]
      • Stephen, William P. [Folder 2 of 2] [MC 183 Box 3, Folder18]
      • Timberlake, P.H. [Folder 1 of 3] [MC 183 Box 4, Folder1]
      • Timberlake, P.H. [Folder 2 of 3] [MC 183 Box 4, Folder2]
      • Timberlake, P.H. [Folder 3 of 3] [MC 183 Box 4, Folder3]
      • Toro, Harold [MC 183 Box 4, Folder4]
      • Townes, Henry [MC 183 Box 4, Folder5]
      • Weems, Howard V., Jr. [Folder 1 of 3] [MC 183 Box 4, Folder6]
      • Weems, Howard V., Jr. [Folder 2 of 3] [MC 183 Box 4, Folder7]
      • Weems, Howard V., Jr. [Folder 3 of 3] [MC 183 Box 4, Folder8]
    • Multiple-Entry Files
      • Atyeo; Bennett; Dietrich; Eickwort [MC 183 Box 4, Folder9]
      • Boucek; Macek; Pulawski [MC 183 Box 4, Folder10]
      • Butler; Werner [MC 183 Box 4, Folder11]
      • Chandler; Comeau; Cooper [MC 183 Box 4, Folder12]
      • Hedicke; Hill; Hiroshima; Hubbell [MC 183 Box 4, Folder13]
      • Lieftinck; Ordway; Schlinger [MC 183 Box 4, Folder14]
    • By Subject Letter Heading
      • G [MC 183 Box 5, Folder1]
      • H [MC 183 Box 5, Folder2]
      • I - J [MC 183 Box 5, Folder3]
      • K [Folder 1 of 2] [MC 183 Box 5, Folder4]
      • K [Folder 2 of 2] [MC 183 Box 5, Folder5]
      • L [MC 183 Box 5, Folder6]
      • M [Folder 1 of 2] [MC 183 Box 5, Folder7]
      • M [Folder 2 of 2] [MC 183 Box 5, Folder8]
      • N [MC 183 Box 5, Folder9]
      • P - Q [Folder 1 of 2] [MC 183 Box 5, Folder10]
      • P - Q [Folder 2 of 2] [MC 183 Box 5, Folder11]
      • R [MC 183 Box 5, Folder12]
      • S [Folder 1 of 2] [MC 183 Box 6, Folder1]
      • S [Folder 2 of 2] [MC 183 Box 6, Folder2]
      • T [MC 183 Box 6, Folder3]
      • U - V [MC 183 Box 6, Folder4]
      • W [MC 183 Box 6, Folder5]
      • X - Z [MC 183 Box 6, Folder6]
    • By Topic
      • British Museum of Natural History [MC 183 Box 6, Folder7]
      • California Academy of Sciences [MC 183 Box 6, Folder8]
      • Editorial Notes [MC 183 Box 6, Folder9]
      • Illinois Natural History Survey [MC 183 Box 6, Folder10]
      • Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences [MC 183 Box 6, Folder11]
      • Rockefeller Foundation, Imp. College of Tropical Ag. [MC 183 Box 6, Folder12]
      • Types of Collections [MC 183 Box 6, Folder13]
      • Misc. Professional Correspondence [MC 183 Box 6, Folder14]

    [Return to Descriptive Summary]


  • Series 002:Personal Correspondence


    1 archival storage box , 0.20 linear feet
    • Perez Simmons [MC 183 Box 7, Folder1]
    • Political [MC 183 Box 7, Folder2]
    • Undated [MC 183 Box 7, Folder3]
    • Dated [MC 183 Box 7, Folder4]

    [Return to Descriptive Summary]


  • Series 003:Glass Plate Lantern Slides, 1920 - 1939


    0.5 linear feet, 75 glass plate lantern slides

    Contained here are glass plate lantern slides of insects (including but not exclusively bees), index cards (possibly to slides), and mounted dragonflies. These item had been discovered in the offices or labs of the Department of Entomology, and they were transferred to Special Collections in July 2007. These materials have not been archivally processed.

    • Slides
      Accession no. 2007-0231       		[Card Box 8]

    [Return to Descriptive Summary]


  • Series 004:Travel Diaries and Field Notes, 1920-1963


    0.05 linear feet

    Diaries and notes from research trips and personal travel.

    • Travel Diaries and Field Notes, 1920-1963
      Accession no. 2008-0068       		[MC 183 Box 7, Folder 5]

    [Return to Descriptive Summary]