Herbarium

This collection documents Bob Cook's (1946- ) work as Director of the Arnold Arboretum from 1989-2009. The Director's papers reflect a wide range of administrative functions including strategic planning, project management, fundraising, and community relations.

Elmer Drew Merrill served as Director of the Arboretum from 1936 until 1946 and as Emeritus Professor until 1956. The collection is comprised mainly of his administrative correspondence from 1935-46 which includes his position as Administrator of Botanical Collections at Harvard University and also includes one year, 1903, of his correspondence as Botanist for the Bureau of Agriculture and Forestry as well as some other letters and memoranda written before 1935.

The Ida Hay collection principally includes correspondence, memos, information, grants, annual reports, and loan and voucher requests, and records regarding the daily management of the Arnold Arboretum Herbarium collection in Jamaica Plain between 1970 and 1993. Documentation of Hay’s bibliographic and indexing projects as well as her community projects is also included. Also included are photographs of herbarium processes and procedures.

Compiled primarily during his tenure as supervisor of the Arnold Arboretum, the papers of Oakes Ames consist of correspondence, budgets, photographs, and biographical material. Ames served as supervisor of the Arnold Arboretum from 1927-1935; a period marked by the diversity of research and an increase in staff participation in teaching at Harvard.

The Peter Shaw Ashton papers document Ashton's work as Director of the Arnold Arboretum, 1978-1987. The collection consists primarily of administrative records including agendas and reports, budgets, and documentation of special projects.