Series I. Correspondence, consists of letters and postcards Joanne Currier and Franklin Daiber sent to one another during their courtship and early marriage. The correspondence in the collection primarily includes letters prior to their marriage in 1953; the exchanges reflect their warm relationship and provide insight into Joanne Daiber's scholarship as a marine scientist and the growth of the Marine Studies program at the University of Delaware. Later correspondence reflects Franklin Daiber's participation in the Smithsonian-Bredin Yucatan Expedition of 1960, where he worked under the guidance of Waldo LaSalle Schmitt (1887-1977). The researchers traveled along the Mexican peninsula in the Blue Goose, collecting zoological specimens and fossils for research. Other correspondence in the series includes wedding cards and greeting cards sent to the couple from family and friends, as well as letters they wrote to their young sons, Steven and Gregory from 1973-1978.
| circa 1952 | Box 1, F1 |
| circa 1953 April - 1953 August | Box 1, F2 |
| 1953 September | Box 1, F3 |
| circa 1953, undated | Box 1, F4 |
| 1954 | Box 1, F5 |
| 1960 | Box 1, F6 |
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Letters and postcards in this folder reflect Franklin Daiber's participation in the Smithsonian-Bredin Yucatan Expedition of 1960, during which he worked under the guidance of Waldo LaSalle Schmitt (1887-1977). The researchers sailed among islands along the Mexican peninsula in the Blue Goose, collecting zoological specimens and fossils to ship home for further research. The letters document Schmitt's research habits and describe time Daiber spent with J. Bruce Bredin, who, with his wife Octavia du Pont Bredin, organized Schmitt's expeditions through the 1950s in partnership with the Smithsonian Institute. |
| 1952 June | Box 1, F7 |
| 1953 April | Box 1, F8 |
| 1953 May | Box 1, F9 |
| 1953 June | Box 1, F10 |
| 1953 July | Box 1, F11 |
| 1953 August | Box 1, F12 |
| 1956 March | Box 1, F13 |
| 1956 September - 1956 October | Box 1, F14 |
| 1960 | Box 1, F15 |
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Letters in this folder are addressed to "Franklin Daiber, Vessel Blue Goose, U.S. Consulate, Merida, Yucatan, Mexico." |
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| 1984 August | Box 1, F16 |
| undated | Box 1, F17 |
| Wedding cards (1 of 2), 1953 | Box 1, F18 |
| Wedding cards (2 of 2), 1953 | Box 1, F19 |
| Greeting cards, circa 1937-1957 | Box 1, F20 |
| Letters to Steven and Gregory Daiber, 1973-1978 | Box 1, F21 |
Series II. Franklin C. Daiber, comprises materials related to the researcher's professional life, arranged chronologically, including his 1950 doctoral dissertation, articles and clippings about his work in the Marine Studies program, and various awards and appointments he received in his later career. Travel diaries which document Daiber's field studies of tidal marshes in various parts of Canada, Europe, and South America are also included in the series and are arranged chronologically.
| Alfred University Class of 1941 graduation program, 1941 | Box 1, F22 |
| Doctoral dissertation for Ohio State University : The Life History and Ecology of the Sheepshead, Aplodinotus Grunniens Rafinesque, in Western Lake Erie , 1950 | Box 1, F23 |
| Marine laboratory news, 1955-1985 | Box 1, F24 |
| Awards and appointments, 1986-1988 | Box 1, F25 |
| Newfoundland, Labrador, Nova Scotia, 1973 | Box 1, F26 |
| Scotland, Norway, Arctic Marshes, 1976 June | Box 1, F27 |
| England - Field Studies Council tour, 1978 July | Box 1, F28 |
| Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Greenland, Baffin Island, 1982 July - 1982 August | Box 1, F29 |
| Ecuador, 1984 | Box 1, F30 |
| Ireland, 1986 | Box 1, F31 |
| Galapagos (II), 1988 | Box 1, F32 |
| Canadian Rockies, Vancouver, Victoria, Olympia National Park, 1988 | Box 1, F33 |
| Saint Lawrence, Gaspé, 1992 | Box 1, F34 |
Series III. Joanne Currier Daiber, documents aspects of the marine scientist's personal and professional life from 1949-1962. Personal items include a small amount of Daiber's bridal accessories for the couple's 1953 wedding. Professional materials in the series are arranged chronologically and reflect Daiber's scholarly work as a marine biologist and includes a draft of her master's thesis titled, "The Relation of the Growth of Oysters to Different Ecological Conditions in Rand's Harbor," along with her field- and research notes. The series also includes her article, "Quantitative Seasonal Aspects of Zooplankton in the Delaware River Estuary," originally published in the journal Chesapeake Science.
| Wedding accessories, circa 1953 | Box 1, F35 |
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Items include satin rose bouquet and garter. Items have been removed to SPEC MSS shoeboxes. |
| Master's thesis drafts, circa 1949-1951 | Box 1, F36 |
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This folder contains an annotated draft of Joanne Currier's Master's thesis "The Relation of the Growth of Oysters to Different Ecological Conditions in Rand's Harbor," along with field and research notes. |
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| "Quantitative Seasonal Aspects of Zooplankton in the Delaware River Estuary", 1962 June | Box 1, F37 |
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Reprinted from Chesapeake Science Vol 3. No. 2 , June 1962. Joanne Daiber wrote this study in conjunction with L. Eugene Cronin, the first director of the University of Delaware Marine Studies program. |
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| Chesapeake Science vol 3, no. 2, 1962 June | Box 1, F38 |
Series IV. Artwork, consists of two watercolor paintings by Helena MacIntyre of "Bayside Lab," one of the first research laboratories established in Lewes, Delaware. The series also includes a print of "Roosevelt Inlet, Lewes," where the lab was located.
| MacIntire, Helena [M. G.], "Bayside Lab" watercolor painting (1 of 2), circa 1955 | Box 2, F39 |
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Art original : watercolor on paper. |
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| MacIntire, Helena [M. G.], "Bayside Lab" watercolor painting (2 of 2), circa 1955 | Box 2, F40 |
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Art original : watercolor on paper. Alternate painting of "Bayside Lab." |
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| Jackson, (first name unknown). "Roosevelt Inlet, Lewes" etching. 16 of 30, circa 1955, 1993 | Box 2, F41 |
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1993 letter attached to verso. |
Series V. Publications and programs, comprises printed materials that relate to the establishment and activities of the Marine Studies program at the University of Delaware. The materials include laboratory reports, newspaper clippings, and bulletins including Delaware Conservationist and a complete run (1955-1963) of the Estuarine Bulletin, an early quarterly publication of the University of Delaware Department of Biological Sciences Marine Laboratories. The series also includes the scientific publications of Gary Schmelz, Ph.D., a marine biologist, paleontologist, and former associate of Franklin Daiber. Materials are arranged chronologically.
| University of Delaware Marine Laboratories reports, 1952-1958 | Box 2, F42 |
| Wilmington Sunday Star Delaware magazine, 1953 August 2 | Box 2, F43 |
| Estuarine Bulletin (1 of 3), 1955-1959 | Box 2, F44 |
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Estuarine Bulletin was quarterly publication of the University of Delaware Department of Biological Sciences Marine Laboratories. The bulletin contained articles and diagrams of the activities and research of the Marine Studies program and was designed for general readership. |
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| Estuarine Bulletin (2 of 3), 1959-1963 | Box 2, F45 |
| Estuarine Bulletin (full run) (3 of 3), 1955-1963 | Box 2, F46 |
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This folder contains the complete run of the bulletin. |
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| Delaware Conservationist , 1957, 1966 | Box 2, F47 |
| Duke University Marine Laboratory reports, 1965 | Box 2, F48 |
| Gary W. Schmelz publications, 2001 | Box 2, F49 |
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Gary Schmelz, Ph.D., was a marine biologist, paleontologist, and former associate of Franklin Daiber's. The publications contain two letters laid in from Schmelz to the Daibers. |
Series V. Photographs, negatives, and slides, comprises images taken by Franklin and Joanne Daiber documenting the activities of the couple and their involvement with the university's marine labs in southern Delaware. The series contains images of the first marine biology laboratory at Bunting's Landing in Lewes, Delaware as well as the Bayside Laboratory (also in Lewes). Images of the institution's first three research vessels: Arcartia, Wolverine, and Skimmer are included, as well as images of Joanne Daiber and others at work oyster scraping and plankton hauling and/or at work in the lab. Additional photos include those of the Daiber family vacationing in Lewes, and also those of various high school science day camps and fossil collecting trips sponsored by the Marine Studies program. The series also contains over 100 research slides taken by Franklin Daiber, largely of tidal marshes and wetlands, but also of landscapes, botanical specimens, fossils, flora, and other natural phenomena. The slides are arranged chronologically and were shot largely in Delaware in locations such as Lewes, Cape Henlopen, Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, and Blackwater Tidal Marsh. Other locations include marshes and wetlands in New Jersey, Maine, Massachusetts, South Carolina, and Georgia as well as locations abroad such as Nova Scotia and Norway.
| Photographs (1 of 3), circa 1951-1967, undated | Box 2, F50 |
| Photographs (2 of 3), 1952-1967, undated | Box 2, F51 |
| Photographs (3 of 3), 1952-1967, undated | Box 2, F52 |
| Negatives, 1955-1963, undated | Box 2, F53 |
| Lewes and Cape Henlopen, Delaware, 1965-1983 | Box 2, F54 |
| Delaware (various locations), 1965-1986 | Box 2, F55 |
| Lewes and Cape Henlopen, Delaware, 1967-1994 | Box 2, F56 |
| Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Delaware, 1970-1988 | Box 2, F57 |
| Tidal marsh--Maine and Massachusetts, 1973-1977 | Box 2, F58 |
| Nova Scotia, 1973-1980 | Box 2, F59 |
| Norway, 1976 | Box 2, F60 |
| Tidal marsh--England, 1976 | Box 2, F61 |
| Tidal Marsh- Iceland, 1976-1980 | Box 2, F62 |
| Rural Delaware and Chesapeake City, Maryland, 1977 | Box 2, F63 |
| Dune plants--Lewes, Delaware, 1980 | Box 2, F64 |
| New Jersey, 1980-1984 | Box 2, F65 |
| Tidal marsh, low country--South Carolina and Georgia, 1981 | Box 2, F66 |
| Blackwater tidal marsh, Delaware, 1981-1994 | Box 2, F67 |
| New Jersey [various locations, 1983-1987 | Box 2, F68 |
| Non-tidal wetland, Delaware, 1989 | Box 2, F69 |
| Dunes--Delaware, 1993-1994 | Box 2, F70 |