MS 572
Bookmark this page or copy and paste URL to Email message
Collection Summary | |
| Creator: | Yocum,Harrison |
| Collection Name: | Harrison Yocum Papers |
| Inclusive Dates: | 1864-2010 |
| Bulk Dates: | (bulk 1953-2008) |
| Physical Description: | 9.9 linear feet |
| Abstract: | This collection is centered on Yocum’s academic and professional interests in horticulture, botany and geology as well as his personal interests in musical composition, his family’s history and Christian religion and his role in the creation and development of Tucson Botanical Gardens. Items included in the collection are his notes on botany, research into palm trees, publications, autobiographical and family history information, press clippings; records regarding the Rockhounds, the Arizona branch of the International Palm Society and Tucson Botanical Gardens. |
| Collection Number: | MS 572 |
| Language: | Materials are in English. |
| Repository: |
University of Arizona Libraries, Special Collections University of Arizona PO Box 210055 Tucson, AZ 85721-0055 Phone: 520-621-6423 Fax: 520-621-9733 URL: http://speccoll.library.arizona.edu/ E-Mail: LBRY-askspcoll@email.arizona.edu |
Harrison Yocum (1923-2010) studied horticulture with a minor in botany at Penn State, graduating in 1955 then earning his MS in Botany at Rutgers in 1959. A lifelong botanist and horticulturalist, Harrison Yocum had a large collection of palm trees when he moved to Tucson from Bethlehem, PA in 1964. In Tucson he worked at the Dendrochronology Lab at the University of Arizona (UA). He moved on to supervising landscaping at Tucson International Airport (TIA), winning a number of awards for his work there. His home became the first site of the Tucson Botanical Gardens before it moved temporarily to Reid Park and finally to the Porter family’s nursery on Alvernon Way in 1975.
After retiring from TIA in 1982, he taught classes in geology at Pima Community College, organizing the Pima College Rockhounds’ field trips. Yocum led field trips to collect geologic samples far afield in southern Arizona, producing handouts with his whimsical original ink drawings and maps. His students at Pima College along with returning friends and students were referred to as the Pima College Rockhounds (which he also rendered as Rock Hounds and Rock-hounds; we have preserved his usage).
Harrison Yocum also had extensive training in music starting at about the time he graduated high school. He wrote 195 original compositions for piano which are also included in this collection, including his favorite piece, The Cardboard Mountains.
Harrison Yocum was instrumental in the establishment of the Tucson Botanical Gardens (TBG), however the bulk of this collection focuses on his geology club, the Pima College Rockhounds; his schoolwork and independent research on botany; his piano compositions; his autobiography and family history, with some material focused on TBG.
Also housed in the collection is much history and some genealogy of the Yocum family, including correspondence from his ancestor George Seifert as well as letters and mementoes from Harrison's parents Harrison senior (Harry) and Bertha Yocum and a book about his sister, Eloise as well as materials gathered from his parents’ trip to California in 1915.
This collection is arranged by medium: documents, cassettes, photo albums. Documents are arranged topically and by date when given.
No restrictions.
It is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission to publish from the owner of the copyright (the institution, the creator of the record, the author or his/her transferees, heirs, legates, or literary executors). The user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Arizona Board of Regents for the University of Arizona, its officers, employees, and agents from and against all claims made by any person asserting that he or she is an owner of copyright.
Harrison Yocum Papers (MS 572). Special Collections, University of Arizona Libraries.
Processed by Doug Welch.
| Work in Botany, 1950-2010 | |||||||||||
| Contains academic notes, schoolwork, academic projects, independent research focused on botany. | |||||||||||
| 1951-1989 | |||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | Plant Propagation, 1951 | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | Agronomy Notes from Penn State Botanical Labs (1 of 2), 1953 | |||||||||
| 1 | 3 | Agronomy Notes from Penn State Botanical Labs (2 of 2), 1953 | |||||||||
| 1 | 4 | Geology 20, 1954 | |||||||||
| 1 | 5 | Horticulture 8, 1954 | |||||||||
| 1 | 6 | Horticulture 211, 1955 | |||||||||
| 1 | 7 | Entomology 9, 1955 | |||||||||
| 1 | 8 | Flower Arranging, Horticulture 151, 1956 | |||||||||
| 1 | 9 | Agriculture 432, U Tenn, 1957-1958 | |||||||||
| 1 | 10 | Ferns, circa 1959 | |||||||||
| 1 | 11 | Academic Diplomas, 1935-1961 | |||||||||
| 1 | 12 | Academic and Professional Publications, 1961-1970 | |||||||||
| 1 | 13 | Press Clippings, 1966-1996 | |||||||||
| 1 | 14 | Professional and Academic Records, 1951-1989 | |||||||||
| 1 | 15 | Academic and Professional Awards and Certifications, 1956-2001 | |||||||||
| 1 | 16 | Garden Writers of America Manual for Writers, TV/Radio Commentators and Public Speakers, 1988 | |||||||||
| 1 | 17 | Biblical Notes on Botany, undated | |||||||||
| Work on Palm Trees, 1950-1986 | |||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 18 | Palm Seed Record, 1950-1985 | |||||||||
| 1 | 19 | Palm Material (1 of 4), 1959 | |||||||||
| 1 | 20 | Palm Material (2 of 4), 1959 | |||||||||
| 1 | 21 | Palm Material (3 of 4), 1959 | |||||||||
| 1 | 22 | Palm Material (4 of 4), 1959 | |||||||||
| 1 | 23 | Re; Palms Varied Items, 1964-1993 | |||||||||
| 1 | 24 | International Palm Society, 1957-1968 | |||||||||
| 1 | 25 | Arizona Chapter of International Palm Society, 1977-1986 | |||||||||
| Tucson Botanical Gardens, 1964-2010 | |||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 26 | Tucson Botanical Gardens Early Records, 1964-1974 | |||||||||
| 1 | 27 | Tucson Botanical Gardens Early Photos, circa 1965 | |||||||||
| 1 | 28 | Plans for Tucson Botanical Gardens, circa 1965 | |||||||||
| 1 | 29 | Tucson Botanical Gardens Foundational Documents, 1965 | |||||||||
| 1 | 30 | Tucson Botanical Gardens Correspondence, 1965-1975 | |||||||||
| 1 | 31 | Harrison Yocum Tucson Botanical Gardens Press Clippings and Articles, 1965-2010 | |||||||||
| 1 | 32 | Tucson Botanical Garden, Inc. Articles Published Concerning Tucson Botanical Garden Including Papers by Harrison Yocum (1 of 2), 1968-2008 | |||||||||
| 1 | 33 | Tucson Botanical Garden, Inc. Articles Published Concerning Tucson Botanical Garden Including Papers by Harrison Yocum (2 of 2), 1968-2008 | |||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 2 | 1 | Guides to Various Gardens (1 of 2), 1952-1981 | |||||||||
| 2 | 2 | Guides to Various Gardens (2 of 2), 1952-1981 | |||||||||
| 2 | 3 | Botanical Garden Brochures, undated | |||||||||
| Work in Geology, 1976-2010 | |||||||||||
| Records of the Pima College Rockhounds, 1976-2010 | |||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 2 | 4 | Perambulations of Pleasant Delights: Areas Frequented by the PIMA COLLEGE ROCK-HOUNDS (1 of 2), 1976 | |||||||||
| 2 | 5 | Perambulations of Pleasant Delights: Areas Frequented by the PIMA COLLEGE ROCK-HOUNDS (2 of 2), 1976 | |||||||||
| 2 | 6 | Pima College Rock-hounds Complete Records (1 of 3), 1977-2008 | |||||||||
| 2 | 7 | Pima College Rock-hounds Complete Records (2 of 3), 1977-2008 | |||||||||
| 2 | 8 | Pima College Rock-hounds Complete Records (3 of 3), 1977-2008 | |||||||||
| 2 | 9 | Rockhound Intineraries and Maps, 1977-2008 | |||||||||
| 2 | 10 | A Rockhound's Handbook (Manuscript), circa 1982 | |||||||||
| 2 | 11 | Pima College Rockhounds, 1982-2008 | |||||||||
| 2 | 12 | Maps and Articles for the Rockhounds (1 of 2), 1988-2002 | |||||||||
| 2 | 13 | Maps and Articles for the Rockhounds (2 of 2), 1988-2002 | |||||||||
| 2 | 14 | Pima College Rockhound Handouts, circa 1999 | |||||||||
| 2 | 15 | A Rockhound's Handbook(Revised), Circa 1999 | |||||||||
| 2 | 16 | Pima College Rockhounds Large Photos, 2001 | |||||||||
| 2 | 17 | Perambulations of the Pima College Rock-Hounds Book no. 6, 2007 | |||||||||
| 2 | 18 | Historical Notes on Southern Arizona, undated | |||||||||
| Miscellaneous Geology Materials, 1960-2010 | |||||||||||
| This subseries deals with Yocum's work in geology that was not directly related to the Rockhounds, including his participation in the Old Pueblo Lapidary Club. | |||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 2 | 19 | Historical Background of the Old Pueblo Lapidary Club, 2007 | |||||||||
| 2 | 20 | Catalog of Minerals, 1960-2010 | |||||||||
| 2 | 21 | Brochures from Geology-related Destinations, circa 1969 | |||||||||
| 2 | 22 | Notes on Minerals, undated | |||||||||
| Musical Compositions, 1945-2003 | |||||||||||
| Aside from work in botany and geology, Harrison Yocum studied music, the piano and composed a large number of original music, including many polkas and waltzes inspired by his observations and understanding of the natural world. Prominent among his works is the Catalina Suite in four movements, inspired by the mountain ranges surrounding Tucson. | |||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 3 | 1 | Opus 4The Cardboard Mountains(Catalina Suite), 1965 | |||||||||
| 3 | 2 | Piano Compositions (1 of 2), 1945-1976 | |||||||||
| 3 | 3 | Piano Compositions (2 of 2), 1945-1976 | |||||||||
| 3 | 4 | Piano Compositions (1 of 2), 1976-1989 | |||||||||
| 3 | 5 | Piano Compositions (2 of 2), 1976-1989 | |||||||||
| 3 | 6 | Piano Compositions (1 of 2), 1989-2003 | |||||||||
| 3 | 7 | Piano Compositions (2 of 2), 1989-2003 | |||||||||
| Autobiography and Family History of Harrison Yocum, 1952-2008 | |||||||||||
| Harrison Yocum became a custodian of his family history while caring for his parents. | |||||||||||
| Biographical Information About Harrison Yocum, 1952-2008 | |||||||||||
| This subseries focuses on Harrison Yocum himself, his autobiography, corrsepondence and his press clippings. | |||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 3 | 8 | Autobiography of Harrison Yocum, 2007 | |||||||||
| 3 | 9 | Harrison Yocum Press Clippings and Poems, 1956-2006 | |||||||||
| 3 | 10 | Who's Who Entries and Press Clippings, 2000-2004 | |||||||||
| 3 | 11 | Harrison Yocum Autobiographical Material Sent to Penn State, 2006 | |||||||||
| 3 | 12 | Correspondence, 1952-2010 | |||||||||
| 3 | 13 | Correspondence from Children, 2007 | |||||||||
| 3 | 14 | Video Interviews with Harrison Yocum (Contains CD/ROM), 2006 | |||||||||
| 3 | 15 | Visitors' Log from Funeral of Harrison Yocum, 2010 | |||||||||
| 3 | 16 | Badges from Professional Societies, undated | |||||||||
| Yocum Family History, 1864-2006 | |||||||||||
| A great deal of material focused on Harrison Yocum's parents and their family background were included in the papers, including documents from an ancestor dating back to the Civil War era. A few items of interest include Harrison Senior's draft notice ordering him for induction at a date two days after World War 1 ended along with an Army pamphlet warning of the dangers of "venereal disease" and publicity materials from the Yocum family's trip to California and the Panama-Pacific Exhibition in 1915. | |||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 3 | 17 | Family Correspodence, 1864-1917 | |||||||||
| 3 | 18 | Harrison Youcm Sr's Inspirational Books, circa 1900 | |||||||||
| 3 | 19 | Yocum Family History, 1900-1999 | |||||||||
| 3 | 20 | Tourist Literature from California, 1915 | |||||||||
| 3 | 21 | Program from a Charles Schwab Banquet, 1916 | |||||||||
| 3 | 22 | Harrison Yocum Sr's Draft Notice, 1918 | |||||||||
| 3 | 23 | Family Correspondence, 2005 | |||||||||
| 3 | 24 | Art and Life of Eloise June Johnson (nee Yocum), 2006 | |||||||||
| 3 | 25 | Harrison Yocum and Family Large Photos, undated | |||||||||
| Publications by and about Harrison Yocum, 2005-2009 | |||||||||||
| These are full issues of magazines featuring articles about Harrison Yocum, correspondence with a writer from Rock & Gem Magazine and a book containing his poem, "Contemplations" | |||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 3 | 26 | "Harrison Yocum Prizes His Backyard Kingdom,"Arizona Highways May 2005 (2 copies), 2005 | |||||||||
| 3 | 27 | Rockhounding Pioneer Harrison Yocum, Rock & Gem Magazine 2008 | |||||||||
| 3 | 28 | Correspondence and Manuscript re: Rock & Gem Article 2008 | |||||||||
| 3 | 29 | Timeless Voicescontains poem by Harrison Yocum undated | |||||||||
| Large Format Objects, 1900-2001 | |||||||||||
| These larger format flat objects are arranged smallest to largest. | |||||||||||
| box | folder | ||||||||||
| 4 | 1 | Harrison Yocum's Freemason's Apron undated | |||||||||
| 4 | 2 | Photocollage circa 2001 | |||||||||
| 4 | 3 | Confirmation Certificate for Harrison Yocum Sr. 1919 | |||||||||
| 4 | 4 | Baptism Certificates of Harrison Yocum's Parents 1900 | |||||||||
| 4 | 5 | Artwork by Harrison Yocum undated | |||||||||
| 4 | 6 | Large Masonic Certificate 1972 | |||||||||
| Cassettes of Yocum's Piano Compositions, undated | |||||||||||
| This is a group of 20 cassettes with minimal documentation stating they are recordings of Yocum playing his compositions. | |||||||||||
| box | |||||||||||
| 5 | Cassettes of Yocum's Piano Compositions undated | ||||||||||
| Photographs, undated | |||||||||||
| An aggregation of unorganized photos of Harrison Yocum and his friends and Rockhounds over the years. | |||||||||||
| box | |||||||||||
| 6 | Photographs, undated | ||||||||||
| Scrapbooks, 1962-2010 | |||||||||||
| Harrison Yocum organized a number of edited and captioned scrapbooks of his life, his family, his parties and his Rockhounding expeditions. Although some are numbered sequentially, not all volumes are in the possession of our collection. | |||||||||||
| Tucson Botanical Gardens, 1952-2008 | |||||||||||
| This subseries focuses on the development of Tucson Botanical Gardens in Yocum's backyard. | |||||||||||
| item | |||||||||||
| 1 | House and Garden of Harrison Yocum and Development at 1628 N. Jefferson Ave. original home of Tucson Botanical Gardens, 1962-1992 | ||||||||||
| item | |||||||||||
| 2 | House and Garden of Harrison Yocum Volume 3 “Original Home of Tucson Botanical Gardens” , 2002-2005 | ||||||||||
| Perambulations of the Pima College Rockhounds 1997-2009, 1997-2009 | |||||||||||
| Photos of Harrison Yocum and his Rockhounds out on their field trips. | |||||||||||
| item | |||||||||||
| 3 | Perambulations of the Pima College Rockhounds Volume II, 1997-1999 | ||||||||||
| item | |||||||||||
| 4 | Perambulations of the Pima College Rockhounds Volume III, 2000-2001 | ||||||||||
| item | |||||||||||
| 5 | Perambulations of the Pima College Rockhounds Volume IV, 2001-2002 | ||||||||||
| item | |||||||||||
| 6 | Perambulations of the Pima College Rockhounds Volume V, 2002-2003 | ||||||||||
| item | |||||||||||
| 7 | Rockhounds, 2001-2010 | ||||||||||
| item | |||||||||||
| 8 | Perambulations of the Pima College Rockhounds Volume IX, 2007 | ||||||||||
| item | |||||||||||
| 9 | Perambulations of the Pima College Rockhounds Volume X, 2008-2009 | ||||||||||
| Horticulture, Undated | |||||||||||
| Press clippings about horticulture. | |||||||||||
| item | |||||||||||
| 10 | Horticulture, 2008-2010 | ||||||||||
| Travel Photos, 2002-2009 | |||||||||||
| Travel photos of Harrison Yocum on vacation from Europe to Alaska. | |||||||||||
| item | |||||||||||
| 11 | Heritage Album of Harrison Yocum, 2002 | ||||||||||
| item | |||||||||||
| 12 | Photos from a trip to the Baltic Sea, 2004 | ||||||||||
| item | |||||||||||
| 13 | Photos from a trip to the British Isles, 2006 | ||||||||||
| item | |||||||||||
| 14 | Photos from a trip to Alaska, 2009 | ||||||||||
| Harrison Yocum's Family and Friends, 1952-2008 | |||||||||||
| Scrapbooks of parties and family events. | |||||||||||
| item | |||||||||||
| 15 | Party Album of Harrison Gerald Yocum “Golden Memories of my Cherished Friends” Volume I, 1986-1997 | ||||||||||
| item | |||||||||||
| 16 | “Golden Memories of my Cherished Friends” Volume 2, 1978-2005 | ||||||||||
| item | |||||||||||
| 17 | Family Scrapbook, 1961-2005 | ||||||||||