Charles Davis Hollister papers
Scope and Content Note
The Hollister papers dating from 1967 to 1998 consist of eleven boxes, 24 folders of photographs and three filing cabinets of ocean floor photography, a total of 9 linear feet.
Dates
- Creation: 1967-1998
Language of Materials
The records are in
English.
Access
Open: materials are available for research.
Use
Copyright: Permission to publish material from the collection must be authorized by the Institution Archivist.
Biographical Information
Charles Davis Hollister
Charles Davis Hollister (1936-1999) joined the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in 1967 as an oceanographer/sedimentologist in the Department of Geology and Geophysics. His early research documented the global effects of deep ocean circulation on sediment texture and on the distribution of current controlled sediment rifts. Hollister started the development of the giant piston coring system and documented the longest continuous record of ocean basin history in a single 100-foot long core. He also made significant discoveries concerning ocean sediment transport and directed the High Energy Benthic Boundary Layer Experiment (HEBBLE). In addition, Hollister initiated the sub-seabed concept and led the international team that studied the scientific feasibility of isolating high-level radioactive material into sediments below the sea floor.
Hollister graduated from Columbia University in 1967 with a Ph.D. in geology. He served the Institution in a number of capacities both scientific and administrative. He was named Senior Scientist in 1979 and was appointed Dean of Graduate Studies for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s Joint Program for the years 1979 -1989. In 1989 he accepted appointment as WHOI’s Associate Director for External Affairs and in the same year was appointed Vice President of the Corporation. He spent the later part of his career administering and fund raising for the Institution.
He was the author of numerous papers and books including Face of the Deep, 1971 and three books on sediment transport and waste disposal. He testified before several U.S. Congressional committees concerning disposal of nuclear waste. Hollister was a member of the American Geophysical Union and a fellow of the Geological Society of America, among other professional affiliations. He was also a past president of the American Alpine Club.
He died hiking on August 23, 1999, while on vacation with family members in Wyoming. He was 63 years old.
Extent
14 boxes plus photographs (9 lin. ft.)
Overview
The Charles Davis Hollister papers span the years 1967-1998, and consist of biographical information about Hollister and his family, projects and papers relating to his work at WHOI, and numerous photographs.
Arrangement
Arranged in three series:
List of Series:
Custodial History
The custodial history of the papers is undocumented.
Acquisitions Information
Charles Hollister deposited several cartons of data in the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Data Library and Archives (DLA) including cruise data from USS Pensacola and USS Portland as well as data from the Deep Sea Drilling Program (DDP) Leg 35. Jacqueline Hollister, his wife, donated five cartons of files from his office upon his death in 1999. She donated four additional cartons of files in 2001. Mary Zawoysky transferred to the Archives the planning materials from a 1993 conference on radioactivity. In 2003 the Archives received an additional carton from Mrs. Hollister
Separated Material
Files from the later part of Hollister’s career, particularly those files related to development and fund-raising, have been incorporated into the papers of the Development Office. Development Office files from the 1990s will be retained in that office until scheduled to be deposited in the DLA.
Hollister's work also produced a large quantity of ocean floor photography housed in the Library’s bottom photography collection.
Processing Information
Second-level processing completed by Melissa Lamont in April 2001. Processing of this collection was partly supported by a grant from the Friends of the Center for History of Physics, American Institute of Physics.
All materials were housed in acid free boxes and folders, staples and other metal clasps removed. Photocopies were made of a large volume of older fax paper. Since the collection was donated to the Data Library and Archives in several pieces, the original order could not be discerned. Effort was made to retain original folder titles and the material was arranged nearly chronologically.
- Title
- A Guide to the the Charles Davis Hollister papers, 1967-1998
- Author
- Melissa Lamont
- Date
- April 2001
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written inEnglish
Repository Details
Part of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Data Library and Archives Repository