Franklin C. and Joanne Currier Daiber papers

Creator:	Daiber, Franklin C.
Date(s):	1939-2001
Bulk Dates:	1940-1995
Call Number:	MSS 0715
Language:	Materials entirely in English.
Abstract:	Professor Emeritus of marine studies Franklin C. Daiber (1919-2003) and his wife Joanne Currier Daiber (1927-2007) were two of the first marine scientists hired by the University of Delaware in the 1950s. The Franklin C. and Joanne Currier Daiber papers include correspondence, photographs, negatives, artwork, and publications documenting their personal relationships and professional research and scholarship as marine scientists at the University of Delaware in the mid-twentieth century.
Physical Description:	2.25 linear feet
Immediate Source of Acquisition:	Gift of Steven C. Daiber, June 2013 and June 2015
Processing Information:	Processed by Maureen Cech and Dustin Frohlich, October 2014. Additional processing and encoding by Dustin Frohlich, November 2017. Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Biographical and Historical Notes

Professor emeritus of marine studies Franklin C. Daiber (1919-2003) and his wife Joanne Currier Daiber (1927-2007) were two of the first marine scientists hired by the University of Delaware in the 1950s.

In 1951, the University of Delaware biology department established a marine lab in Lewes, Delaware, to address growing concern over the decline in the state's fish populations. Joanne Currier was the first woman marine scientist hired by the University of Delaware to participate in the program's first funded research project to sample and analyze plankton populations of the Delaware estuary. She earned her B.A. in biology from Bates College in 1949, where she completed her senior thesis on a disorder found in the shells of lobsters. She received a master's degree in biology from Vassar College in 1951.

Dr. Franklin C. Daiber joined the University of Delaware in 1952 as the first faculty member to teach marine science and played a significant role in establishing the College of Marine Studies (now the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment), creating a program in icthyology and fisheries with an emphasis on graduate studies. Dr. Daiber retired from the University of Delaware in 1987; the Franklin C. Daiber Residence Complex in Lewes was named in his honor. In 2000, Dr. Daiber established a fellowship at the University of Delaware in recognition of his wife's pioneering work in marine studies: the Joanne Currier Daiber Fellowship is awarded to a woman graduate student in the Marine Biology-Biochemistry Program. In addition, the university's College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment named the coastal research vessel R/V Joanne Daiber "in honor of the devotion Mrs. Daiber had for the University of Delaware marine program and the professional sacrifices she made in her early career."

Dr. and Mrs. Daiber published a two-volume memoir of the early days of the marine studies program in Lewes and their work and life together in Lewes and Newark titled Salty Memoirs: Adventures in Marine Science (2000). The publication was designed by their son Steven Daiber, proprietor of the Red Trillium Press.

Sources

University of Delaware College of Earth, Ocean, & Environment. "R/V Joanne Daiber." Accessed January 15, 2015. https://www.ceoe.udel.edu/schools-departments/school-of-marine-science-and-policy/marine-operations/r-v-joanne-daiber.

"In Memoriam Franklin C. Daiber." UDaily. Accessed January 15, 2015. http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2003/fdaiber.html

"Obituaries." Bates Magazine. Accessed January 15, 2015. http://www.bates.edu/magazine/back-issues/y2007/summer07/departments/vital-statistics/obituaries-4/.

Additional biographical information derived from collection.

Scope and Contents

The Franklin C. and Joanne Currier Daiber papers include correspondence, photographs, negatives, artwork, and publications documenting their personal relationships and professional research and scholarship as marine scientists at the University of Delaware in the mid-twentieth century.

The collection is arranged into six series: I. Correspondence; II. Franklin C. Daiber; III. Joanne Currier Daiber; IV. Artwork; V. Publications; and VI. Photographs, negatives, and slides.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Shelving Summary

Boxes 1-2: Shelved in SPEC MSS record center cartons

Box 3: Shelved in SPEC MSS shoeboxes

Removals: Shelved in SPEC MSS oversize boxes (17 inches)

Access Information

This collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

MSS 0715, Franklin C. and Joanne Currier Daiber papers, Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware

Related Materials in this Repository

MSS 0816, Franklin C. Daiber botanical slides

Conditions Governing Use

Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce isrequired from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections Department, University of Delaware Library, https://library.udel.edu/static/purl.php?askspec

Container List

I. Correspondence, 1937-1978

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.

I.A. Letters to Joanne Currier, circa 1952-1960

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
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.

I.B. Letters to Franklin C. Daiber, 1952-1984, undated

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
Letters in this folder are addressed to "Franklin Daiber, Vessel Blue Goose, U.S. Consulate, Merida, Yucatan, Mexico."
1984 August	Box 1, F16

undated	Box 1, F17

I.C. Other correspondence, 1953-1978

Wedding cards and greeting cards, 1953-1957

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

II. Franklin C. Daiber, 1941-1992

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

Travel diaries, 1973-1992

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

III. Joanne Currier Daiber, 1949-1962

III.A. Personal, 1953

Wedding accessories, circa 1953	Box 1, F35
Items include satin rose bouquet and garter. Items have been removed to SPEC MSS shoeboxes.

III.B. Professional, 1949-1962

Master's thesis drafts, circa 1949-1951	Box 1, F36
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.
"Quantitative Seasonal Aspects of Zooplankton in the Delaware River Estuary", 1962 June	Box 1, F37
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.
Chesapeake Science vol 3, no. 2, 1962 June	Box 1, F38

IV. Artwork, 1955-1993

MacIntire, Helena [M. G.], "Bayside Lab" watercolor painting (1 of 2), circa 1955	Box 2, F39
Art original : watercolor on paper.
MacIntire, Helena [M. G.], "Bayside Lab" watercolor painting (2 of 2), circa 1955	Box 2, F40
Art original : watercolor on paper. Alternate painting of "Bayside Lab."
Jackson, (first name unknown). "Roosevelt Inlet, Lewes" etching. 16 of 30, circa 1955, 1993	Box 2, F41
1993 letter attached to verso.

V. Publications and programs, 1952-2001

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
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.
Estuarine Bulletin (2 of 3), 1959-1963	Box 2, F45

Estuarine Bulletin (full run) (3 of 3), 1955-1963	Box 2, F46
This folder contains the complete run of the bulletin.
Delaware Conservationist , 1957, 1966	Box 2, F47

Duke University Marine Laboratory reports, 1965	Box 2, F48

Gary W. Schmelz publications, 2001	Box 2, F49
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.

VI. Photographs, negatives, and slides

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.

VI.A. Photographs and negatives, 1951-1967

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

VI.B. Tidal marsh, wetland, and coastal slides, 1965-1994

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

Manuscript and Archival Collection Finding Aids

Franklin C. and Joanne Currier Daiber papers

Biographical and Historical Notes

Sources

Scope and Contents

Shelving Summary

Access Information

Preferred Citation

Related Materials in this Repository

Conditions Governing Use

Container List

I. Correspondence, 1937-1978

I.A. Letters to Joanne Currier, circa 1952-1960

I.B. Letters to Franklin C. Daiber, 1952-1984, undated

I.C. Other correspondence, 1953-1978

Wedding cards and greeting cards, 1953-1957

II. Franklin C. Daiber, 1941-1992

Travel diaries, 1973-1992

III. Joanne Currier Daiber, 1949-1962

III.A. Personal, 1953

III.B. Professional, 1949-1962

IV. Artwork, 1955-1993

V. Publications and programs, 1952-2001

VI. Photographs, negatives, and slides

VI.A. Photographs and negatives, 1951-1967

VI.B. Tidal marsh, wetland, and coastal slides, 1965-1994

Names

Subjects

Formats

Manuscript and Archival Collection Finding Aids

Franklin C. and Joanne Currier Daiber papers

Summary

Biographical and Historical Notes

Sources

Scope and Contents

Using these materials

Shelving Summary

Access Information

Preferred Citation

Related Materials in this Repository

Conditions Governing Use

Container List

I. Correspondence, 1937-1978

I.A. Letters to Joanne Currier, circa 1952-1960

I.B. Letters to Franklin C. Daiber, 1952-1984, undated

I.C. Other correspondence, 1953-1978

Wedding cards and greeting cards, 1953-1957

II. Franklin C. Daiber, 1941-1992

Travel diaries, 1973-1992

III. Joanne Currier Daiber, 1949-1962

III.A. Personal, 1953

III.B. Professional, 1949-1962

IV. Artwork, 1955-1993

V. Publications and programs, 1952-2001

VI. Photographs, negatives, and slides

VI.A. Photographs and negatives, 1951-1967

VI.B. Tidal marsh, wetland, and coastal slides, 1965-1994

Names & Subjects

Names

Subjects

Formats