D. Elden Beck papers

Collection

Identifier: WASH-012

Scope and Contents

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Dr. D. Eldon Beck's daughter Janet Beck Clark, prior to her own death in 2012, donated original and photocopied correspondence, historical photographs, 3 small published booklets, colored slides, an original colored-pencil artwork by Ralph Huntsman, an onion skin copy of a short story by Maurine Whipple, and a biographical sketch with notes related to the life of her father. The time period represented ranges from 1930 to 1977. Photos of interest include Rattlesnake Pete (a small white rat that could kill snakes), the 3 oldest men alive at the time, and several Dixie Junior College [Utah Tech University] group and class photos. The original correspondence (1944-1977) is from Maurine Whipple to Dr. Beck and his wife, Florence Beck. The photocopied correspondence (1930-1934) comprises letters Dr. Beck wrote to Vasco M. Tanner, his instructor and mentor at Brigham Young University. The collection also includes four volumes of surveys that are comprised of a published book, a color-photocopied book, and two typed originals. After each collecting expedition, Dr. Beck would develop his own photographs and attach them in spaces just the right size on typed pages that described his companions, travels, and collections.

Dates

Creation: 1930 - 1977

Creator

Beck, D. Elden, 1906-1967. (Originator, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open and freely available to researchers during Special Collections hours or by appointment. Researchers must complete an Application for Use and show a photo ID prior to accessing materials.

Conditions Governing Use

Biographical/Historical note

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D. Elden Beck was born in Spanish Fork, Utah in 1906. Beck started college at Brigham Young University in 1925 and went on to earn a PhD from Iowa State College. Beck spent about 5 years from 1933 to 1938 in the Washington County, Utah area and was made head of the Biology Department at Dixie Junior College [Utah Tech University] soon after his arrival.

An avid collector of bugs, reptiles, and other small animals, he made countless excursions into the southern Utah wilderness. During this time, he corresponded often with a former BYU professor, Vasco M. Tanner; married Florence Robinson in 1934; and through her association with art instructor Ralph Huntsman, began Dixie Junior College's annual fine arts festival.

Maurine Whipple was in the midst of writing her best-selling novel The Giant Joshua when she visited Dr. Beck at Dixie Junior College. At this time, he was able to help her by providing much of the information about the flora and fauna thriving in the desert settings she described in her narratives. Later, he and his family became a source of encouragement for her during hard times in her life.

Beck worked on research teams for many organizations throughout his lifetime including: the American Museum of Natural History, the Taiwan Provincial Malaria Research Institute, the Atomic Energy Commission, and the World Health Organization. Beck also worked on research teams aimed at studying the effects of over 100 atomic bomb detonations in the Nevada test area. Beck passed away in 1967 at the age of 61.

Full Extent

0.42 Linear Feet (1 gray letter document case and 1 slide binder)

Language of Materials

English

Metadata Rights Declarations

License: This record is made available under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Creative Commons license.

Additional Description

Abstract

The D. Elden Beck papers cover the years 1930 through 1977 and contain original and photocopied correspondence, historical photographs, published booklets, colored slides, original colored-pencil art by Ralph Huntsman, a copy of a short story by Maurine Whipple, and a biographical sketch of Beck.

Arrangement

Collection is arranged chronologically within series.

Separated Materials

While processing this collection, the following items were separated and placed in other collections:

Programme Alumni, 1935

Russian Afternoon, 1935 November 20

Dixie Reviewers, 1936-1937

Orderville United Order Centennial Booklet, 1875 - 1975

"My Story of Silver Reef" by Wilma C. Beal

Orderville Heart of the United Order

Dixie College Songs: published by the Student Body of the Dixie College

Four volumes of biological survey books have been cataloged and included in the Special Collections book collection

Photocopies dealing with the donation of Beck's collection to BYU were discarded