Rowena L. and Gordon D. Alcorn Papers
Scope and Contents
The Gordon D. and Rowena L. Alcorn Papers contain personal material related to Gordon D. and Rowena L. Alcorn. This collection, which dates from 1964 to 1996, consists of booklets, newspaper articles, and correspondence chiefly regarding their careers and published works.
Dates
- Creation: 1964-1996
Creator
- Alcorn, Gordon Dee (Person)
- Alcorn, Rowena L. (Rowena Lung) (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Biographical Note
Rowena Lung Alcorn, born on March 27, 1905, was a Northwest painter and author. Most of her life’s work was dedicated to studying, writing about, and painting Native Americans of the western United States. Her Nez Perce Indian portraits have been exhibited in the Smithsonian Institution, the Delaware Art Center, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, the Los Angeles Southwest Museum, Nevada State Museum at Carson City, and the Washington State Capitol Museum. Alcorn and her husband, Dr. Gordon Dee Alcorn, co-authored one book and more than one hundred articles about Northwest history. She was also an art instructor at the University of Puget Sound, Grays Harbor College, and Pierce College. Alcorn died on May 3, 1996. Her husband, Gordon Dee Alcorn, born in Olympia, Washington on April 9, 1907, was a noted biologist, naturalist, environmentalist and author whose teaching career spanned more than 50 years. He helped establish the Slater Museum of Natural History on the campus of the University of Puget Sound. Alcorn had an important role in bringing the museum’s collections of bird skins, eggs, and nests to a high standard. Additionally, he held positions on the board of governors of the Nature Conservancy, president of the Bird and Mammal Society, and was the chairman of the Washington Natural Heritage Program for the state Department of Natural Resources. Gordon D. Alcorn died on March 25, 1994 at the age of 86.
Extent
0.2 Linear Feet (1 manuscript box)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Gordon D. and Rowena L. Alcorn Papers, which date from 1964 to 1996, contain personal material related to Gordon D. and Rowena L. Alcorn. The collection includes articles, newspaper clippings, and correspondence related to Gordon D., a biologist, naturalist, environmentalist and author, and Rowena L. Alcorn, a painter and author.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated to the Whitman College and Northwest Archives by Rowena L. Alcorn from 1987 to 1994. The accession number associated with this donation is retro-0756. Additional material was donated by Julia N. Allen on February 2, 2018. The accession number associated with this donation is 2018-017.
- Title
- Guide to the Rowena L. and Gordon D. Alcorn Papers
- Author
- Updated by Rayana Weller
- Date
- 2012, 2019
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Whitman College and Northwest Archives Repository