Waldo L. McAtee papers, 1900-1961, bulk 1900-1904
A Guide to his papers at the Indiana University Archives
Processed by Ryan K. Lee
Electronic finding aid
encoded by Ryan K. Lee
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
McAtee, W. L. (Waldo Lee),
1883-1962.
TitleWaldo L. McAtee papers, 1900-1961, bulk 1900-1904
Collection No.
C231
Extent
.9 cubic feet
Language
Materials are in English.
Abstract
Waldo Lee McAtee was a famous
ornithologist and an Indiana University Alumnus. This collection is comprised of papers
from when he was a student at Indiana University.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for research.
Advance notice is required.
Biographical Note
Waldo Lee McAtee was born on January 21, 1883 in Jalapa, Indiana. McAtee was a student
at Indiana University from 1900-1906, majoring in Biology and Zoology, earning his A.B.
in 1904 and A.M. in 1906. As a student, McAtee was active in his studies and was even
the curator for the I.U. Zoological Museum, where his duties included classifying
specimens. Also, when professors were absent, he was often called upon to teach science
classes such as Embryology. During his studies, he took a summer to work in Washington,
D.C., rearranging a collection of North American and Mexican bird specimens. This summer
job introduced McAtee to members of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, who offered him
a position while he was still an undergraduate.
Aside from academics McAtee was also a very active participant in I.U. athletic events,
particularly football games, as a yell leader over a group called the “Howling Hundred”,
where he rallied students to attend games and even wrote fight songs to taunt the
opposing team. He would remain a devoted Hoosier fan throughout his life.
Upon graduation, McAtee joined the Bureau of Biological Survey of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, where he worked for over 30 years studying birds and their feeding habits.
He helped develop the Division of Food Habits Research within the Biological Survey and
served as its first director. Along with this duty he served as the editor of the
technical publications of the Biological Survey team. In 1935, McAtee created an
abstracting service for scientific publications which was called Wildlife Review, for
which he served as editor for 12 years from 1935-1947. He edited all the publications of
the Fish and Wildlife Service of the U.S. Department of Interior, the agency that
succeeded the Biological Survey, during World War II.
McAtee was instrumental in the creation of The Wildlife Society, a scientific and
educational association based in Washington, D.C., that is dedicated to the promotion of
wildlife management. He also played a role in the establishment of the Journal of
Wildlife Management, serving as its first editor. McAtee was active in the American
Ornithologists’ Union where he served as treasurer for many years. He was a fellow of
the American Association for the Advancement of Science. McAtee served as a technical
advisor on the Scientific Consulting Board for Nature Magazine, a publication of the
American Nature Association.
Throughout this time, McAtee was the author of over 1000 papers on topics from
ornithology to botany, writing approximately 750 publications concerning the food of
birds. He even wrote a book on the natural history of Washington, D.C. His work helped
him gain world wide acclaim as a biologist and ornithologist. His research was also
influential in helping to establish many of the nation’s bird protection laws.
Honors and awards followed Waldo McAtee throughout his career. He received the
Distinguished Service Award from the Department of Interior for his scientific
accomplishments. In 1938 he was named as 1 of 130 zoologists to be “starred” in the
magazine American Men of Science, having been voted by his colleagues as an outstanding
scientist in his field. In addition, McAtee was elected as a Fellow of the American
Ornithologists’ Union. In June of 1961, McAtee received an Honorary Doctor of Science
Degree from his alma mater, Indiana University.
Waldo McAtee was more than just a biologist. He also had many interests in folklore and
poetry. He researched folk speech and folk remedies of the settlers of Indiana, also
known as “Hoosiers,” and published some papers on his research. In addition he published
a collection of his poetry in a pamphlet entitled “Verses”; one verse entitled “To the
Arbutus” was requested for an I.U. songbook in the 1920’s.
Waldo Lee McAtee retired in 1947 and lived in Chapel Hill, North Carolina until he
passed away from stomach cancer on January 7, 1962, at the age of 78.
Arrangement
This collection is organized into five series: 1) Lab Notes 2) Drawings 3) Publications
4) Correspondence 5) Realia.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Waldo L. McAtee are organized into five series: Lab Notes, Drawings,
Publications, Correspondence, and Realia. The bulk of the collection consists of the
series Lab Notes and Drawings. The collection dates span from 1900 to 1961.
The Lab notes series includes notes McAtee took for courses he attended while a student
at Indiana University. Some of these notes include attached drawings. This series is
arranged alphabetically by topic. Some of the topics covered include biology and
ornithology.
The Drawings series consists primarily of sketches of cells and other biology-related
topics. Also included in this series are some maps of the Indiana University-Bloomington
campus and the Monroe County area. This series has been arranged alphabetically by
topic.
The Publications series include papers and pamphlets published by or about McAtee.
Topics include birds, Hoosier folklore, and poetry. This series is arranged
alphabetically by author.
The Correspondence series consists of two letters: one from Elisabeth Johnston in 1921
requesting McAtee’s song “To the Arbutus” for an I.U. songbook; the other from Waldo
McAtee, written in December of 1961, to Professor Val Nolan, Jr., a member of the I.U.
Athletics Committee, concerning McAtee’s opinions of I.U. Athletics and their recruiting
troubles. This series is arranged chronologically.
The final series is Realia, which consists of an etched glass pane with McAtee’s and
others’ names, ca. 1900, and McAtee’s A.B. and A.M. diplomas. The diplomas are located
with oversized materials. Please ask staff for more information.
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Indexing Terms
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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.
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Separated Material
Photographs and oversized diplomas removed from the collection. Ask staff for more
information.
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
Accession 95/001, 95/004, and 2003/012
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], Waldo L. McAtee papers, Collection C231, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.
Provenance
Collection material transferred to the Indiana University Archives by Robert Bruce
McAtee, Waldo McAtee's son.
Processing InformationProcessed by Ryan K. Lee
Completed in 2003.
Series:
Lab Notes, 1900-ca. 1904
Box 1
Biology,
ca. 1900
ca. 1901
Botany,
undated
and Miscellaneous Famous Quotes, undated
Charles Darwin and Botany, undated
Evolution, undated
Embryology, ca. 1902
French Pronunciation Notes, undated
Ornithology,
Field Notes on bird population around Indiana University,
undated
Pencil Sketch and Notes on various birds, undated
Paleontology,
Part I, undated
Part II, undated
Brachiopoda,
Part I, undated
Part II, undated
Physiology, ca.1901
Zoology, undated
Series:
Drawings, 1901-1947
Box 1
Cell Biology and Zoology, undated
(Fish eggs?)
Cell Biology and Zoology, undated
Miscellaneous
Histology, 1901
Eggs and Tissue Cells
Indiana University-Bloomington Campus Map, 1947
Pen Sketching of Roads and Geographical Features
Monroe County Area Map, undated
Zoology, undated
Vertebrate Embryo
Series:
Publications, 1905-1961
McAtee, W. L.
Box 1
"Birds of the Vicinity of the University of
Indiana. "In
Proceedings of the Indiana
Academy of Sciences, 1904,
65-202. n.p., 1905.
Grant County, Indiana, Speech and Song. n.p.:
privately printed, 1946.
Studies in the Vocabularies of Hoosier Authors:
Baynard Rush Hall (1793-1863).
Chapel Hill, N. C.: by the author,
1960.
Studies in the Vocabularies of Hoosier Authors: Edward
Eggleston (1837-1902).
Chapel Hill, N. C.: by the author,
1961.
Verses. Washington, D.C.: by the author,
1920.
Richmond, W. Edson and Elva Van Winkle.
"Is there a Doctor in the House? "
Indiana History Bulletin 35
(September 1958)
:115-135.
This article, about Hoosier folk remedies, is referred to by the authors as
an addendum to articles previously written by McAtee. This copy of the
article was given as a gift to McAtee.
Series:
Correspondence, 1921-1961
Box 1
Elisabeth Johnston to Waldo McAtee, 1921
Waldo McAtee to Val Nolan, Jr., 1961
Series:
Realia, 1900-1906
Box 1
Etched glass pane, ca. 1900
A.B. Diploma, 1904
A.M. Diploma, 1906
Diplomas are located with oversized materials. Please ask staff for assistance.