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Rowena L. and Gordon D. Alcorn Papers

 Collection
Identifier: WCMss-326

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

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

Contact:
345 Boyer Avenue
Walla Walla WA 99362 United States
509-527-5922