The Scripps Institution of Oceanography Office of the Director manages all aspects of the Institution, including education, research, and collaboration with state, federal, international, and private organizations. The records were all created within the Director's Office, and document the history of the administration of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Office of the Director Records, 1920-2013 (SAC 1)
OFF-SITE STORAGE: COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. ALLOW ONE WEEK FOR RETRIEVAL OF MATERIALS.
Restrictions: Original media formats are restricted. Viewing/listening copies are available for
researchers.
Extent: 100 Linear feet (246 archives boxes, 2 shoeboxes, 2 flat boxes, and 4 map case folders)
Digital Content
A small selection of materials from the collection have been digitized. The digitized images may be viewed by searching the phrase "SIO Office of the Director records" in quotes, on the UC San Diego Library Digital Collections website.
In 1903, UC Berkeley biologist William E. Ritter and San Diego physician Fred Baker, with the financial support of philanthropists E. W. Scripps and Ellen Browning Scripps, founded the Marine Biological Association of San Diego. The purpose of the Association was to advance the study of marine sciences. Ritter was appointed as its first Director and supervised the activities of temporary research stations in San Diego Bay. In 1905, the Association leased property above La Jolla Cove and established a marine laboratory. Ms. Scripps added a codicil to her will in 1909 bequeathing a gift to the Regents of the University of California for a permanent marine biological station, and construction of the first building on the current campus, the George H. Scripps Memorial Marine Biological Laboratory, was completed in 1910. In July of 1912, the Association deeded its property to the Regents and became the Scripps Institution for Biological Research, formally becoming part of the UC System. In 1925, it was renamed the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO).
The dawn of World War II led to a tremendous expansion in oceanographic research, an expansion in which SIO played a significant role. SIO contributed to wartime research in the areas of oceanic conditions (including temperature, salinity, and currents), radiation, sonar, and submarine detection instruments. The National Defense Research Council established the University of California Division of War Research (UCDWR), which relied heavily on SIO's resources and researchers. The resulting techniques and equipment were then given to the United States Navy for practical application in the oceanic battlefront.
SIO helped prove the value of oceanographic research during the war, and the federal government continued to collaborate with the Institution in successive years. Several SIO scientists were involved in atom bomb testing, underwater physics and acoustics experiments, and thermodynamics studies, to name a few areas of continued research. At a time when many industries were scaling back activity and waiting for pre-war activities to resume, SIO was expanding. Largely due to the efforts of Roger Revelle, then of the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Institution entered into an agreement with the ONR that stated federal funds would be granted in support of SIO's oceanographic research and training of military personnel.
This expansion was also reflected in SIO's courses and facilities. Harald Sverdrup anticipated the post-war demand for trained oceanographers, and he secured state funding to expand SIO's real estate, infrastructure, personnel, and educational curriculum. SIO was thriving, and in the late 1950s its prominence would become a significant factor in the case for establishing the newest University of California campus in La Jolla.
UC San Diego was officially established on November 18, 1960, and SIO became a department of the university. Over the next several years, finalization of land acquisition and the building of a general campus proceeded in earnest. Newly appointed faculty waited out the construction, working temporarily from laboratories and offices around SIO's campus. As UC San Diego's college system has grown over the years, so too has SIO. Originally focused on graduate instruction and organized into two teaching departments (Oceanography, and Marine Biology), SIO now offers undergraduate and graduate instruction in three academic research sections (Biology, Earth Science, and Oceans and Atmosphere) and eight major research divisions.
The Director of SIO is the Institution's chief administrative officer. The Director also serves as the UC San Diego Vice Chancellor of Marine Sciences, and the UC San Diego Dean of the Graduate School of Marine Sciences. The Director's office manages all aspects of SIO's administration, including education, facilities, finances, and research. Historically, the Director has functioned as the key representative of SIO interests in University of California and UC San Diego campus concerns.
Directors to date have been: William Emerson Ritter (1912-1923), Thomas Wayland Vaughan (1923-1936), Harald Sverdrup (1936-1948), Carl Eckart (1948-1950), Roger Revelle (1951-1964), Fred Noel Spiess (Acting Director, 1964-1965), William Nierenberg (1965-1986), Edward Frieman (1986-1996), Wolfgang Helmut Berger (Interim Director, 1996-1998), Charles Kennel (1998-2006), Tony Haymet (2006-2012), Catherine G. Constable (Interim Director, 2012-2013), and Margaret Leinen (2013-present).
The Scripps Institution of Oceanography Office of the Director manages all aspects of the Institution, including education, research, and collaboration with state, federal, international, and private organizations. The records were all created within the Director's Office, and document the history of the administration of Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO).
The collection is arranged in record groups that reflect the tenure of each Director, beginning with the directorship of T. Wayland Vaughan (SIO's second Director). Series are numbered consecutively throughout the collection.
T. Wayland Vaughan (1923-1936)
Harald Sverdrup (1936-1948)
Roger Revelle (1951-1964)
William Nierenberg (1965-1986)
Edward Frieman (1986-1996)
Charles Kennel (1998-2006)
Tony Haymet (2006-2012)
T. Wayland Vaughan: The records of T. Wayland Vaughan, a geologist and oceanographer who was the Director of SIO from 1924 to 1936. Of particular historical interest is the scrapbook presented to Vaughan upon the occasion of his retirement; the scrapbook depicts SIO's organizational structure and includes photographs of SIO staff at that time.
Arranged in nine series: 1) CORRESPONDENCE, 2) BUDGET AND ACCOUNTING, 3) FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, 4) INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS, 5) PHOTOGRAPHS, 6) PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS, 7) REPORTS, 8) RESEARCH AND WRITINGS, and 9) SUBJECT FILES.
Harald Sverdrup: The records of Harald Sverdrup, a Norwegian oceanographer and polar explorer who was the Director of SIO from 1936 to 1948. The records largely consist of correspondence and subject files, which heavily document SIO's budget and funding, Sverdrup's work towards the 1946 establishment of the Institution of Geophysics at UCLA, and war research and post-war projects, especially those funded by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Geological Society of America.
Arranged in five series: 10) CORRESPONDENCE, 11) BUDGET AND ACCOUNTING, 12) REPORTS, 13) RESEARCH AND WRITINGS, and 14) SUBJECT FILES.
Roger Revelle: The records of Roger Revelle, a nationally distinguished scientist who was the Director of SIO from 1951 to 1964. The records document Revelle's efforts to expand SIO's facilities, funding, programs, and seagoing research. A prominent member of several national and international committees, Revelle influenced the federal government's involvement in oceanographic research; this is evidenced in the Federal Government Agencies series.
From 1954 to 1961, Revelle worked tirelessly on the creation of a new University of California campus, championing the land adjacent to SIO as the ideal location. He wrote proposals, drafted policies, and helped attract remarkable faculty members for the new campus. In addition to his duties as Director of SIO, he was appointed Director of the Institute of Technology and Engineering, the Dean of the School of Science and Engineering, and chief administrative officer of UC San Diego until Herbert York's appointment as founding Chancellor in 1961.
Arranged in nine series: 15) ADMINISTRATIVE FILES, 16) CORRESPONDENCE, 17) BUDGET AND ACCOUNTING, 18) FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, 19) INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS, 20) PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS, 21) RESEARCH AND WRITINGS, 22) SUBJECT FILES, and 23) UC SYSTEMWIDE.
William Nierenberg: The records of William Nierenberg, a physicist and oceanographer who was the Director of SIO from 1965 to 1986. The records consist of files generated by Nierenberg, Assistant Directors George L. Matson and Jeffery D. Frautschy, Acting Director Fred Noel Spiess, and other Director's Office staff. The records document Nierenberg's twenty-one year tenure, the longest to date, during which SIO saw the expansion of its fleet by five sea-going vessels, the improvement of laboratory facilities and equipment, and the introduction of shipboard computers.
Arranged in twenty-two series: 24) ADMINISTRATIVE FILES, 25) CORRESPONDENCE, 26) BUDGET AND ACCOUNTING, 27) CALIFORNIA STATE AGENCIES, 28) CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM, 29) COMMITTEES, 30) CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS, 31) DEEP SEA DRILLING PROJECT, 32) FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, 33) GIFTS, PRIVATE GRANTS, AND ENDOWMENTS, 34) GROWTH AND ACADEMIC PLANS, 35) INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS, 36) LICENSES, AGREEMENTS, AND PERMITS, 37) PERSONNEL, 38) PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS, 39) REAL ESTATE, 40) SAN DIEGO REGIONAL AGENCIES, 41) SPACE ASSIGNMENTS, 42) SUBJECT FILES, 43) UC SAN DIEGO, 44) UC SYSTEMWIDE, and 45) VISITS.
Edward Frieman: The records of Edward A. Frieman, a physicist and deep-sea diver who was the Director of SIO from 1986 to 1996. The records were primarily generated by Frieman and his office staff, and include the records created during Interim Director Wolfgang Berger's 1996-1998 tenure as well. The records include correspondence, financial records, meeting minutes, reports, and other materials that document the daily administration of SIO and its interactions with other agencies.
Arranged in twenty-one series: 46) ADMINSTRATIVE FILES, 47) CORRESPONDENCE, 48) BUDGET AND ACCOUNTING, 49) CALIFORNIA STATE AGENCIES, 50) CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM, 51) COMMITTEES, 52) CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS, 53) FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, 54) GIFTS, PRIVATE GRANTS, AND ENDOWMENTS, 55) INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS, 56) LICENSES, AGREEMENTS, AND PERMITS, 57) PATENTS, 58) PERSONNEL, 59) PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS, 60) REAL ESTATE, 61) REPORTS, 62) RESEARCH AND WRITINGS, 63) SAN DIEGO REGIONAL AGENCIES, 64) SUBJECT FILES, 65) UC SAN DIEGO, and 66) UC SYSTEMWIDE.
Charles Kennel: Records of Charles Kennel, a physicist who was the Director of SIO from 1998 to 2006. They document the daily administration of SIO during Kennel's tenure.
Arranged in thirteen series: 67) ADMINISTRATIVE FILES, 68) CORRESPONDENCE, 69) BUDGET AND ACCOUNTING, 70) COMMITTEES, 71) CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS, 72) FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, 73) INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS, 74) PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS, 75) REPORTS, 76) RESEARCH AND WRITINGS, 77) SUBJECT FILES, 78) UC SAN DIEGO, and 79) VISITS.
Tony Haymet: The records of Tony Haymet, a chemist who was the Director of SIO from 2006 until 2012.
Arranged in two series: 80) ADMINISTRATIVE FILES, and 81) CORRESPONDENCE.
This collection has additional unprocessed materials not described in this finding aid. See the UC San Diego Library catalog record to view the acquisition dates and extent of unprocessed additions.