David A. Egloff Papers, 1892-2002, n.d.
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Administrative/Biographical History
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
David Allen Egloff, biologist, teacher and conservationist, was born in Mason City Iowa on April 13, 1935 to Margaret Carson Bruce (1906-1996) and William Chauncey Egloff (1901-1958). His father, a physician (University of Chicago – Rush Medical School M.D. 1927; residency and fellowship at Peter Bent Brigham and Harvard Medical School 1928-1932), practiced internal medicine with an emphasis on cardiology in Mason City from 1932 to 1958. David’s paternal grandfather, William Jacob Egloff (1863-1930) also was a physician and surgeon (Northwestern School M.D. 1887) who practiced in Mason City from 1887 to 1930. His paternal great grandparents, who were French and German Catholics, immigrated to Iowa in 1855-56 from Bavaria. David’s mother, the third of seven children of immigrants (1901-02) from Protestant Northern Ireland, was a medical secretary in Boston when she married William Egloff in 1932 and moved to Iowa. David grew up with one brother William Bruce Egloff (1937-1951); his half sister, Martha Emily Egloff (1924- ) and half brother Frank Rattray Lillie Egloff (1925- ) lived with their mother in Connecticut.
After attending Mason City public schools (1940-51) and the Mercersburg Academy (Pennsylvania) (1951-53), David attended Amherst College (B.A. 1957, Biology), Yale University (M.S. 1959, Zoology), and Stanford University (Ph.D. 1966, Biological Sciences). At Yale David completed a Master’s thesis based on the analysis of cyclomorphosis in a field population of the cladoceran Daphnia catawba with John L. Brooks and G. Evelyn Hutchinson. At Stanford David completed his doctoral dissertation based on a field and experimental study of sex determination and sex ratios in the copepod Tigriopus californicus with Arthur C. Giese and Donald P. Abbott.
As a member of the Biology Department at Oberlin College from 1966 to 1999 Egloff taught courses in the areas of invertebrate biology and ecology at both introductory and advanced levels primarily for Biology majors. He inaugurated at Oberlin the study of live marine invertebrates and the use of mathematical models for the analysis of populations and ecosystems. In support of the nascent environmental studies program from 1979 to 1992 he taught an interdisciplinary introductory environmental biology course and advanced seminars focused on multidisciplinary aspects of fisheries biology and environmental engineering.
Egloff initiated efforts beginning in 1969 that resulted in the formation of the Environmental Studies Program. He chaired the Environmental Studies Committee (ESC) at its formation by the College faculty in 1978 and also chaired its successor the Environmental Studies Program Committee (ESPC) from 1980-87, during which time the first faculty member in Environmental Studies (Joan Hartman) was recruited for 1982-83.
Egloff was elected to the College Educational Plans and Policy Committee (1983-87) and served as Chair of the Biology Department (1988-92). As chair of the City of Oberlin Open Space and Conservation Committee and College Ad Hoc Arboretum Committee in the 1970’s he was instrumental in establishing policies and practices that enhanced the appearance of the town and college. Beginning in 1992 and continuing until two years after his retirement in 1999 he served as the Chief Health Professions Advisor for the College.
His scholarly research during his Oberlin career ranged from published studies of invertebrates, primarily zooplankton, in local streams, ponds, and Lake Erie. In the 1980’s he began a series of experimental and field studies on marine rotifers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. His contributions also included a chapter on ecosystem modeling of a freshwater lake in Systems Analysis and Simulation in Ecology (1975) and a review of marine cladocera that appeared in Advances in Marine Biology (1997).
In 1959 in Pelham, New York, David married Susan Darmstadt Tenney (Smith College B.A. 1956; Yale University, M.S. 1960 Biological Oceanography; Oberlin Conservatory of Music, 1984 Equivalency in music therapy). Their two children, Elizabeth Hammer Egloff (Amherst College, B.A. 1983) and Georg Brandl Egloff (Berklee School of Music, B.M. 1986) were born in Monterey County, California and as of 2004 were pursuing careers in California: Elizabeth in public health in Santa Rosa and Georg in music composition in West Hollywood.
Author: David A. Egloff Forms of Material (links to similar genres) Administrative Information
The papers of David A. Egloff primarily document his interest in arboretums and the landscaping and appearance of the college and the town of Oberlin, Ohio. The collection contains files relating to Egloff’s service on the Ad Hoc Campus Arboretum Committee, as well as collected materials relating to arboretums (Ohio and other states).
The writings contained within this collection (by Egloff or other authors) concern a variety of subjects, including arboretums, landscaping at Oberlin College, and environmental issues. The researcher should consult the inventory for the listing of the titles included in the writings series.
The bulk of the correspondence relates to his professional activity (on campus and external), and covers a wide range of subjects including the Oberlin College Biology department, research, and environmental concerns. Access to this series by permission of the College Archivist.
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
Series I. Ad Hoc Campus Arboretum Committee, 1908-89 (9 folders)
The contents of this series relate to the history of Oberlin College landscaping and the responsibilities of the Ad Hoc Campus Arboretum Committee, focusing on the Oberlin College Arboretum, Tappan Square, and the town of Oberlin. The series includes Building and Grounds reports, news clippings, correspondence, notes, maps, and a report to the President of the College, Emil Danenberg (includes photocopies). Slides were kept in this series to maintain the integrity of the materials relating to them. The dates for the file “History” include the copies or transcriptions of original documents.
Series II. Arboretums, 1931, 1939, 1952, 1956-81, 1983, 1990, 1999, n.d. (9 folders)
This series contains pamphlets, maps, notes, letters, and slides regarding eight arboretums (Ohio and other states). Slides were kept in this series to maintain the integrity of the materials relating to them.
Series III. Correspondence (incoming and outgoing), 1968-99, 2002 (9 folders) Restricted
Consists of letters sent and received by David Egloff that concern the Oberlin College Biology department and other campus related matters. Also included in this series is correspondence with colleagues and friends external to the Oberlin community. This series is restricted. Access by permission of the College Archivist.
Series IV. Subject Files, 1938, 1953, 1955, 1961, 1963, 1970-93, 1995, n.d. (8 folders)
Consists of copies of grant applications (funded and not funded) for projects relating to biology; correspondence, articles, and photographs relating to George T. Jones and the Jones Quarry; historical information, photographs, and financial records relating to the Camden Bog; and, a file relating to a sabbatical leave. The photographs were kept in this series to maintain the integrity of the associated materials.
Series V. Talks, 1969-79, n.d. (1 folder)
This series contains copies of Egloff’s presentations and notes used for talks.
Series VI. Writings, 1892, c.1903-07, 1947, 1952, 1959-98, n.d. (6 folders)
The writings are divided into two subsets: Writings by Egloff, and Writings of Others Collected by Egloff. The writings cover subjects such as water quality, marine life, arboretums, and botany. Also included is a copy of the Report on a Campus Arboretum and Landscaping at Oberlin College, 1979 (with assistance from members of the Ad Hoc Campus Arboretum Committee and Michael Doyle, A.B., 1978). The writings include reprints, journals, chapters (copies), newspapers articles, student papers, and a student notebook.
Series VII. Posters, 1970, 1980 (flat file)
This series contains two posters: “Eco Oberlin,” April 1970, and “Humankind Tomorrrow III: Energy an Issue of Survival,” January 1980.