Title: John R. Mather Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1949-2000

Creator:

• Mather, John R., 1923-2003

Call Number: AGSL Manuscript Collection 30

Quantity: 3 cubic ft. (5 boxes)
Repository:

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries, American Geographical Society Library

Archival Locations:

UW-Milwaukee Libraries, American Geographical Society Library (Map)

Abstract:

Papers of John R. Mather, a geographer and climatologist. Mather worked with Charles Warren Thornthwaite and his research company, C.W. Thornthwaite Associates, and was also the head of the geography department at the University of Delaware. Collection contains correspondence, teaching materials, and various writings.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-agsl-agslmss0030

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John Russell ("Russ") Mather was born in Boston on October 9, 1923. He earned a BA in history from Williams College in 1945. Mather soon focused his studies on meteorology and earned a BS (1947) and MS (1948) in meteorology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He then began working at Charles Warren Thornthwaite's Laboratory of Climatology (later C.W. Thornthwaite Associates) as a research assistant and climatologist. It was at the Laboratory that he studied topics such as micrometeorology, evapotranspiration, and the water budget. He later became the president and director of the Laboratory from 1963-1972.

In 1951, Mather earned his PhD in geography from Johns Hopkins University. He taught classes at various universities, such as Johns Hopkins University (1949-1953), Drexel Institute of Technology (1957-1961), and the University of Chicago (1958-1961). He started teaching at the University of Delaware in 1961, and he chaired the Department of Geography there from 1966-1989. Mather received the University of Delaware's Excellence in Teaching Award in 1989. He retired as Professor Emeritus in 2000.

Mather conducted various research studies throughout his career and authored numerous articles and books, including The Genius of C.W. Thornthwaite and Water Resources: Distribution, Use, and Management. Mather was also the State Climatologist for Delaware from 1978-1991. He served as president of the Association of American Geographers (AAG) from 1991-1992 and was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the AAG in 1998. Mather was a council member for the American Geographical Society from 1981-2000 and was awarded the Charles P. Daly Medal from them in 1999. Mather died on January 3, 2003.

Collection contains general files on Mather's personal and professional life, including his time as president of the AAG; files on meetings of various geographic organizations he attended, with many related to the AAG; various writings, articles, manuscripts, and related correspondence; and the teaching materials Mather used while at the University of Delaware, such as classroom exercises, exams, lecture notes, and illustrations.

The records are arranged into the following series:

1. General Files, 1951-2000
2. Meetings, 1958-1992
3. Publications, 1949-1993
4. University of Delaware, 1961-2000

The files are organized alphabetically by personal name or by subject, then chronologically.

Citation Guide for Primary Sources

• Association of American Geographers Records. AGSL Manuscript Collection 23.

• Charles Warren Thornthwaite Papers. AGSL Manuscript Collection 27.

• American Geographical Society of New York Records. AGSNY Archival Collection 1.

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law.

Use Restrictions

The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).

Acquisition Information

Fritz Nelson donated the collection to the American Geographical Society Library in January 2008.

Processing Information

Norman Stewart processed the collection which was originally placed in with the Association of American Geographers Records (AGSL Mss 23). Since then, the AGSL processed this as a separate manuscript collection.

	Series: 1. General Files, 1951-2000
	Association of American Geographers (AAG)
Box   1 Folder   1	Chappell complaint, 1991-1992
Box   1 Folder   2	council meeting, 1991
Box   1 Folder   3	executive committee meetings, 1990-1992
Box   1 Folder   4	presidential papers, 1991
Box   1 Folder   5	Biblical References, copies of articles, undated
	Correspondence
Box   1 Folder   6	Calef, Wesley, 1963
Box   1 Folder   7	Carter, George, 1953-1962
Box   1 Folder   8	Marcus, Mel, 1963
Box   1 Folder   9	miscellaneous, 1951-1998
Box   1 Folder   10	publishers, 1957-1993
Box   1 Folder   11	"Life", autobiographical statement, 1951
Box   1 Folder   12	Thesis/Dissertation Materials, 1953
Box   1 Folder   13	University of Chicago, 1962
Box   1 Folder   14	Vita, 2000
Box   1 Folder   15	Water and the Civil War, miscellaneous documents, 1961-1963
	Series: 2. Meetings, 1958-1992	⇧
Box   1 Folder   17	AAG Annual Meeting, Miami, 1990-1991
Box   1 Folder   17-18	AAG Annual Meeting, San Diego, 1992
Box   1 Folder   19	East Lakes Division, 1968
Box   1 Folder   20	Gamma Theta Upsilon, Shippensburg University, 1992
Box   1 Folder   21	Great Plains/Rocky Mountain Division, 1991
	International Geographical Union
Box   1 Folder   22	committee on geographical monitoring and forecasting, 1989
	Thornthwaite Symposium, Montreal, 1972
Box   5 Folder   1	correspondence, 1971-1973
Box   1 Folder   23	papers, 1971-1972
Box   1 Folder   24	proceedings, 1972-1973
Box   1 Folder   25	program chair, 1971-1972
Box   1 Folder   26	Middle Atlantic Division, 1992
Box   1 Folder   27	Middle States Division, 1991
Box   1 Folder   28	New England-St. Lawrence Valley Division, 1990
Box   1 Folder   29	Pacific Coast Geographers Division, 1991
	Papers Read
Box   1 Folder   30	"A Shared Vision", AAG presidential address, 1993
Box   1 Folder   31	"Airsheds - Rational Geographic Regions?", undated
Box   1 Folder   32	"Applied Climatology - An Old Discipline with a Dynamic Future", 1972
Box   1 Folder   33	"Average Annual Water Balance of the World", symposium on water balance, 1969
Box   1 Folder   34	"Climatology - An Old Discipline with an Impressive Future", 1990
Box   1 Folder   35	"Coastal Storms of the Eastern U.S.", American Meteorological Society conference, 1966
Box   1 Folder   36	"Environmental Factors in Evapotranspiration", American Meteorological Society, 1958
Box   1 Folder   37	"Evaporation Investigations at Centerton, New Jersey", undated
Box   1 Folder   38	"Phenology: Thornthwaite's Vision for Agricultural Climatology", undated
Box   1 Folder   39	"Role of Water Balance in the Redistribution of Strontium in the Soil", International Geographical Union, Stockholm, 1960
Box   1 Folder   40	"Thornthwaite's Legacy to Climatology", International Geographical Union, Montreal, 1972
Box   1 Folder   41	"Water - A Crisis for all Seasons", undated
Box   1 Folder   42	"Water - A Developing Crisis", Southeastern Division, 1991
Box   1 Folder   43	"Water Budget - Past, Present, and Future", AAG, 1978
Box   1 Folder   44	"Water Use", AAG, 1965
Box   1 Folder   45	Universities Council on Water Resources, West Point, 1990
Box   1 Folder   46	West Lakes Division, 1990
	Series: 3. Publications, 1949-1993	⇧
Box   1 Folder   47	Agricultural Climatology, manuscript and notes (unpublished?), undated
Box   1 Folder   48	"An Evaluation of the Average Annual Water Balance", correspondence, 1991-1992
Box   1 Folder   49	"An Investigation of the Dimensions of Precipitation Echoes by Radar", reprint, 1949
Box   1 Folder   50	"An Investigation of the Evaporation from Irrigation Sprays", manuscript and correspondence, 1949-1950
Box   1 Folder   51	Book Reviews, 1955-1962
Box   1 Folder   52	"Climate and Vegetation", manuscript and correspondence, 1983
Box   1 Folder   53	Climatic Change and Water Resources of the Delaware River Basin, manuscript, 1966
Box   1 Folder   54	"Climatic Classification for Land Treatment Systems", manuscript, 1973
Box   1 Folder   55	Climatic Water Budget in Environmental Analysis, review, 1978
Box   1 Folder   56	"Coastal Storms of the Eastern U.S.", manuscript and correspondence, 1964-1965
Box   5 Folder   2	Country Gentleman, various columns, manuscripts and data, 1954
Box   1 Folder   57	"Deborah - Prophetess and Applied Climatologist", manuscript, 1998
Box   1 Folder   58	"Determination of Evapotranspiration by Empirical Methods", reprint, 1959
Box   2 Folder   1	"Disposal of Industrial Effluent by Woods Irrigation", manuscript and correspondence, 1951-1953
Box   2 Folder   2	"Effect of Climate on the New World Migration of Primitive Man", manuscript and correspondence, 1954
Box   2 Folder   3	Genius of C. Warren Thornthwaite, manuscript, 1994
	Global Change: Geographical Approaches
Box   2 Folder   4	"A Review", 1988
Box   2 Folder   5	bibliography, 1989
Box   2 Folder   6	chapter drafts, undated
Box   2 Folder   7-10	correspondence, 1987-1992
Box   2 Folder   11	outlines and related material, 1987-1988
Box   2 Folder   12	preliminaries, 1986-1987
Box   2 Folder   13	referee comments, 1987
Box   2 Folder   14	"Hydrologic Consequences of Increases in Trace Gases and CO2 in the Atmosphere", reprint, 1986
Box   2 Folder   15	"Influence on Soil Moisture and Vegetation on Evapotranspiration", manuscript and correspondence, 1957
Box   2 Folder   16	"Irrigation Interview", interview on climatology and irrigation scheduling, 1955
Box   2 Folder   17	"Laboratory of Climatology - An Institute for Climate Research", manuscript and correspondence, 1959-1960
Box   2 Folder   18	"Land of Milk and Honey?", with Amy Mather, undated
Box   2 Folder   19	"Microclimates and Cultivated Crops", correspondence, 1963
Box   2 Folder   20	"Moisture Balance in Grassland Climatology", reprint, 1959
Box   2 Folder   21	"Possible Sea Level Fall Due to Global Warming", with Hengchun Ye, 1993
Box   2 Folder   22	"Precipitation and Fatal Automobile Accidents", with M.J. Mack, 1992
Box   2 Folder   23	"Present Climatic Fluctuation and its Bearing on a Reconstruction of Pleistocene Climatic Conditions", manuscript and correspondence, 1953-1954
Box   5 Folder   3	"Role of Climate in the Distribution of Vegetation", manuscript and correspondence, 1967
Box   2 Folder   24	"Role of Climate in the Distribution of Vegetation", with G.A. Yoshioka, 1966
Box   2 Folder   25	Science and Art of Geography, edited volume, 1987-1989
Box   2 Folder   26	"Soil as a Record of Past Climate", manuscript, 1950
Box   2 Folder   27	"Summer of 1988: A Perspective", with J. Feddema, undated
	Series: 4. University of Delaware, 1961-2000	⇧
Box   2 Folder   28	Applied Science Committee, 1984-1985
	Distinguished Alumni Professorship
Box   2 Folder   29	courses taught and student evaluations, 1991-1993
Box   2 Folder   30	peer evaluations and vita, 1991-1993
Box   2 Folder   31	published statements and peer acknowledgements, 1991-1992
Box   2 Folder   32	Geography Department Programs, 1977-1992
Box   2 Folder   33	Letters of Recommendation, 1983-1991
Box   2 Folder   34	Miscellaneous, 1962-1967
Box   2 Folder   35	Position, 1961-1963
	Teaching Materials
	Applied Climatology, GEOG255
Box   2 Folder   36	notes and illustrations, undated
Box   2 Folder   37	project answers, undated
Box   2 Folder   38	Climatology, EV389B, undated
Box   2 Folder   39	History of Climatology, GEOG652, 1994
Box   2 Folder   40	Meteorology, GEOG220, undated
	Physical Geography, GEOG101
Box   2 Folder   41	exercises and exams, undated
Box   2 Folder   42-43	manual, undated
Box   3 Folder   1	overheads, undated
Box   3 Folder   2	syllabus and notes, undated
	Water and Society, GEOG320
Box   3 Folder   3-4	notes and illustrations, 1997, undated
Box   3 Folder   5	syllabus and exams, 1989-2000
Box   3 Folder   6	unsorted class materials, undated
Box   4 Folder   1-2	unsorted class materials, undated
	Water Budget in Environmental Analysis, GEOG455/655
Box   4 Folder   3	exams and projects, 1988-1994
Box   4 Folder   4-5	notes and illustrations, undated
Box   4 Folder   6	Watershed Ecology, GEOG467/667, undated