Description
Thomas W. Whitaker (1904-1993) served as a geneticist for the United
States Department of Agriculture where he developed new varieties of cantaloupes, gourds, and lettuce. The collection
contains his articles, talks, and manuscripts, as well as correspondence received upon his retirement, and a photograph
album.
Background
Thomas W. Whitaker was born on August 13, 1904 in Monrovia, California. He graduated from the University of California,
Davis in 1927 and received his PhD in Biology at the University of Virginia in 1931. He served as a postdoctoral scholar at
Harvard University in 1933. In 1934, he became an Associate Professor at Agnes Scott College in Atlanta, Georgia. From
1936-1973, he worked as a geneticist for the United States Department of Agriculture where he developed better tasting and
disease resistant varieties of cantaloupes, gourds, and lettuce.
Restrictions
All applicable copyrights for the collection are protected under chapter 17 of the U.S. Copyright Code. Requests for
permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission
for publication is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of California as the owner of the physical items. It is
not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.
Availability
Collection is open for research.