Theodore W. Torrey papers, 1945-1986
A Guide to the Papers at the Indiana University Archives
Finding aid prepared by Jaye Bausser
Summary Information
Repository
Indiana University Archives
1320 East Tenth Street
Herman B Wells Library E460
Bloomington, IN 47405-7000
Phone: 812-855-1127
Email: archives@indiana.edu
http://www.libraries.iub.edu/archives
Creator
Torrey, Theodore Willett, 1907-
Extent
.4 cu. ft.
Language
Materials are in English unless otherwise
indicated.
Title Theodore W. Torrey papers, 1945-1986
Collection No.
C7
Abstract
Theodore W. Torrey, 1907-1986, was a
Professor in the Zoology Department at Indiana University from 1932 until his retirement
in 1972. The Theodore W. Torrey papers, comprising .4 cubic feet and spanning 1945 to
1986, consists largely unpublished manuscripts, most likely prepared for talks given at
the Sunday Evening Discussion Group. Also included are several speeches, two copies of
one of his publications and 2 personal items.
Access Restrictions
Collection is open for research. Advance notice required.
Biographical Note
Theodore W. Torrey, 1907-1986, was a Professor in the Zoology Department at Indiana
University from 1932 until his retirement in 1972. He was Chairman of the Department of
Zoology from 1948 to 1966. Torrey was born in Woodbine, Iowa in 1907 and spent his early
years in Colorado. In 1927 he was graduated from the University of Denver and
subsequently received his M.A. (1929) and Ph.D. (1932) from Harvard University.
Professor Torrey taught courses in embryology and comparative anatomy for pre-medical
students and advanced courses in experimental embryology for seniors and graduate
students. He developed and taught a course in developmental anatomy. The focus of his
research was on the investigation of vertebrate evolution, primarily the excretory and
reproductive organs. In his teaching he was one of the pioneers for using
three-dimensional photographs and visual aids in both lectures and the laboratory. His
textbook, Morphogenesis of the Vertebrates went through four editions from
1962-1979.
Arrangement
The Theodore W. Torrey papers are organized into four series: Professional materials,
Sunday Evening Discussion Group materials, Speaking engagements, and Personal materials.
Scope and Content Note
The Theodore W. Torrey Papers, 1945-1986, are organized in four series: Professional
Materials, Sunday Evening Discussion Group, Speaking Engagements, and Personal
Materials. With the exception of the items in Professional Materials, all items were
forwarded to the Archives by Biology Professor L.S. McClung in 1983 and 1984.
The Professional Materials consist of two copies of one of his publications and an item
from his course in Developmental Anatomy which correlates references in the lab manual
to the 2nd and 3rd editions of his textbook and which was probably meant as a handout to
students in the class.
The Sunday Evening Discussion Group Materials contain typewritten and handwritten copies
of talks Torrey prepared, most probably, according to Professor McClung, for the Sunday
Evening Discussion Group, a faculty group which included President Wells and which met
in rotation at the members’ homes for paper presentations and discussion. The Discussion
Group materials, most of which are undated, are arranged by title. Although most of the
items are undated, citations and references in a few of the texts give approximate dates
of their creation.
Speaking Engagements Materials consist of typed and handwritten copies of speeches he
gave and are arranged chronologically.
In Personal Materials are two items: a “Petition” presented to Torrey when he stepped
down as chair of the department and “The Torrey Genesis,” a genealogy he wrote.
-
Indexing Terms
-
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
IUCAT, the IU Libraries' online
catalog. Materials about related topics, persons or places can be found by searching the
catalog using these terms.
-
-
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
Gift; L.S. McClung, 1983-1984; Accession 94/015.
Usage RestrictionsThe donor(s) of this collection have not transferred their copyrights for the materials to the Trustees of Indiana University.
For more information, please contact the Indiana University Archives staff.
The Indiana University Archives respects the intellectual property rights of others and does not claim any copyrights for
non-university records, materials in the public domain, or materials for which we do not hold a Deed of Gift. Responsibility
for the determination of the copyright status of these materials rests with those persons wishing to reuse the materials.
Researchers are responsible for securing permission from copyright owners and any other rights holders for any reuse of these
materials that extends beyond fair use or other statutory limitations.
Digital reproductions of archival materials from the Indiana University Archives are made available for noncommercial educational
and research purposes only. If you are the copyright holder for any of the digitized materials and have questions about its
inclusion on our site, please contact the Indiana University Archivist.
Preferred Citation
[Item], Theodore W. Torrey papers, Collection C7, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.
Provenance
Deposited in the Archives in 1983 and 1984 by Professor L. S. McClung who received
them from Professor Torrey with directions to deposit them in the Archives.
Processing informationProcessed by Jaye Bausser
Completed in 2003
Series:
Professional materials, 1949,
1971
Box 1
Torrey, Theodore W.
"Zoology and Its Makers at Indiana University."
Bios 20, no. 2 (May 1949) : 67-99.
"Zoology and Its Makers at Indiana University: Sequel", July 1968
"Zoology and Its Makers at Indiana University." Reprinted from
Bios20, no. 2 (May 1949) : 67-99.
"Z-215--Developmental Anatomy." 1971?
Typewritten.
Series
Sunday Evening Discussion Group materials, Undated
Box 1
"Anthony van Leeuwenhoek." Undated
Typewritten.
"The Architecture of the Filterable Viruses." Undated.
Handwritten.
"The Coincident Discovery of Ideas." Undated.
Typewritten.
"Congenital Malformations in Man." 1963?
Typewritten. Handwritten notes attached. Citation in text is dated 1963.
"C. O. Whitman and the Early History of American Zoology." Undated.
Handwritten.
"Darwinian Evolution." 1956?
Handwritten. Citation to
Scientific
American,
1956.
"The Functional Nervous System." Undated.
Handwritten.
"History of the Microscope." Undated.
Handwritten.
"The Neurone as a Trophic Unit." Undated.
Handwritten.
"The Problem of a Liberal Education." Presented to the Discussion
Group, Sunday, March 11, 1945. 1945
Handwritten.
"The Problem of Animal Development." Undated.
Opens with a reference to the war. Handwritten.
"The Scars of Human Evolution." Undated.
Handwritten. Attached is an undated article from an unidentified periodical:
"The Scars of Human Evolution" by Wilton M. Krogman.
"Sex Determination." Undated.
Handwritten.
"Sex Differentiation in the Vertebrates." Undated.
Handwritten.
"What is Life?" Undated.
Handwritten.
"Zoology is the last . . ." Undated.
Untitled. Typewritten.
Series:
Speaking engagements, 1948-1961
Box 1
"The Excretory Organs of Mammalian Embryos." Undated
Handwritten. Begins: "Members and guests of Sigma Xi."
"Presented at the Appreciation Dinner for Dr. Fernandus Payne."
6 March
1948.
Typewritten.
Eulogy for Dr. Alfred Kinsey. 27 August 1956
Typewritten.
"Payne Portrait Presentation." 13 February 1961
Typewritten.
"Perspectives and Methods in Science." 2 June 1961
Read at the Fifth Annual Indiana University Alumni Institute. Copy of the
program attached.
Series:
Personal materials, 1966,
1976
Box 1
"A Petition." 28 May 1966
"The Torrey Genesis." November 1976
