Sears, Lotti M. (1916-1995), Papers, 1936-1991 (C4021)

2.5 linear feet

INTRODUCTION

The papers contain correspondence, papers, photos, research, and miscellaneous material of a University of Missouri geneticist involved with cytogenetics, a branch of genetics which is concerned with the study of chromosomes and cell division.

DONOR INFORMATION

The Lotti Sears Papers were donated to the University of Missouri on May 19, 1994 (Accession No. 5427) by Lotti M. S. Sears.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Dr. Lotti Maria Steinitz Sears was born on May 2, 1916, in Berlin, Germany to Kate and Ernst Steinitz. She left Germany in 1933 to study horticulture at a vocational college in England before joining her parents and sister in the United States in 1936. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Pennsylvania State University in 1938. In 1942, she received a PhD in Genetics from the University of California at Berkeley. She became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1943. After doing postdoctoral work at CalTech, the University of Southern California, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Steinitz accepted a position at the University of Missouri School of Medicine and was subsequently appointed to the Genetics Faculty at the University of Missouri.

Dr. Steinitz made noteworthy contributions with two plant species during her tenure at the University of Missouri, working on the development of a series of telocentric wheat lines and also on the production of trisomics in Arabidopsis.

Steinitz married Dr. Ernest R. Sears on June 16, 1950. The couple had two daughters, Kathleen Sears Lindblad, and Barbara Beate Sears, and one son, John Jacob Sears.

Lotti and Ernest Sears traveled extensively throughout the world. They spent six months in both Israel and Australia, where they conducted research with former post doctoral students. Dr. Lotti Sears died on January 28, 1995.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The Lotti Sears Papers include personal and professional correspondence, lecture and research notes, reports, project proposals, grant applications, photographs, school diplomas, and miscellaneous material. The papers are arranged into four series:

FOLDER LIST

Correspondence Series

The Correspondence series, arranged in alphabetical order by subject, consists of both personal and professional correspondence. The personal correspondence includes letters to Sears from friends and relatives discussing recent trips taken, family updates, and plans to visit. The professional correspondence includes letters Sears wrote and received from various colleagues, letters of recommendation, letters to various institutions for possible employment, as well as grant and research proposals. Some photographs of people and cytogenetic processes are included throughout the correspondence.

f. 1Ashley
f. 2Avivi, L.
f. 3Babcock, E.B.
f. 4Beadle, G.W.
f. 5B
f. 6Chang
f. 7-8Chen, Suzanne Lee
f. 9C
f. 10Duncan, Robert E.
f. 11D
f. 12Erickson, Ralph O.
f. 13E
f. 14Faberge, A.C.
f. 15Foglia, Frank
f. 16F
f. 17Geitler, L.
f. 18Gersh, I.
f. 19Gerstel, Daniel
f. 20Grell, Rhoda F.
f. 21-22G
f. 23Heiden, Igna Beth
f. 24Hermsen
f. 25Hollaender
f. 26Horowitz, Norman
f. 27Hyde, Beal
f. 28-29H
f. 30I
f. 31J
f. 32Kamra
f. 33Kastan
f. 34Kaufmann
f. 35Kempka, Klepper
f. 36Kimball, Kimber
f. 37Kimber
f. 38Kodani, Masuo
f. 39Kolonista, Ida Gordon
f. 40LaCour, L.F.
f. 41Langridge, J.
f. 42Laudgribe-Wolff
f. 43Lederberg
f. 44Lenz, Mogli; Lerner
f. 45Lesley, Lilieufeld
f. 46Li, H.W.
f. 47Lindegren, Carl
f. 48Loewenberg, J.R.
f. 49Loo
f. 50L
f. 51Maan
f. 52Mack, Warren B.
f. 53Marsupials
f. 54Maxwell, Doty
f. 55McClintock, Barbara
f. 56McIntosh, McQuade
f. 57Mello-Sampayo
f. 58Michaels, Ruth
f. 59Miller
f. 60Mingo
f. 61Morris
f. 62Muller
f. 63Myers, C.E.
f. 64-66M
f. 67National Institute of Health (NIH)Grants
f. 68National Research Council
f. 69-76National Science Foundation (NSF)
f. 77Neumeyer, Victoria
f. 78Newcomer, Earl H.
f. 79Nicholson, M.N.
f. 80Nielsen, Etlar
f. 81N
f. 82Oak Ridge Labs
f. 83Oehlkers
f. 84Okomoto
f. 85Owczarzak, Alfred
f. 86Paddock, Elton
f. 87Patau, Klaus
f. 88P
f. 89Radcliffe College
f. 90Rao, Shama
f. 91Reading University
f. 92Robbelen
f. 93R
f. 94Schrader
f. 95Singh, R.B.
f. 96Singleton, J.R.
f. 97Singleton, W.R.
f. 98Siu, Ralph
f. 99Snyder, Bayne
f. 100Sonneborn, T.M.
f. 101Sontag
f. 102Sparrow
f. 103Stanford University
f. 104Stebbins, G. Ledyard, Jr.
f. 105Steinitz, Stephan and Hilde
f. 106Stern
f. 107Stubbs
f. 108Swaminathan
f. 109-110S
f. 111Tatum
f. 112-113University of Missouri
f. 114Van Melle, L.A.
f. 115Viegas, Wanda
f. 116Walker, Leonard
f. 117Wang
f. 118Went
f. 119Wojach, Gustave
f. 120Wrench, J.

Research Material Series

The Research Material series, arranged in alphabetical order by subject, includes lectures and lecture notes, class papers, and reports. Also included are reports which describe the various procedures and results of experiments, and research grant application material. The bulk of the research was done with agricultural plants.

f. 121Amniotic Cultures
f. 122Babcock, E.B.
f. 123Book Reviews
f. 124Cancer Reports
f. 125Centromere Structure and Behavior
f. 126Chemical Cytology Course
f. 127Chlorine
f. 128Class Paper
f. 129Culture and Lab Equipment
f. 130EMS
f. 131-133Grant Applications
f. 134-136Hemizonia
f. 137Hermsen
f. 138Heterochromatin
f. 139Huskins, C. Leonard
f. 140Jauhar
f. 141-143Lecture Notes
f. 144Oxford Chromosome Conference
f. 145Pairing of Telos
f. 146Physiology of Meiosis
f. 147Plant Cytology Lecture Notes
f. 148Plant Hormones
f. 149Program for Ga d 'B Length
f. 150Project Renewal
f. 151Reports
f. 152Research Grant
f. 153Research Reports
f. 154Sears, Barbara
f. 155Somatic Sections
f. 156-157Telocentrics
f. 158Telocentric Chromosomes
f. 159Wheat Chromosomes
f. 160Wheat

Photographs Series

The Photographs series, arranged in alphabetical order by subject, consists of photographs of family members, friends, professional colleagues, and glass plate negatives with images of genetic processes. A significant number of photographs are those showing examples of cytogenetic processes.

f. 161Antipodals and Triticum Vulgare
f. 162Cytogenic Glass Plate Negatives
f. 163Journal Paper Authorization
f. 164Kihara
f. 165Mob Hill
f. 166Sears, Lotti and Colleagues
f. 167Tradescantia Paludosa

Miscellaneous Series

The Miscellaneous series, arranged in alphabetical order by subject or topic, includes Sears's diplomas from various universities. This material also includes Red Cross cards, blood donor cards, memos and announcements, school commencement programs, cytology humor in the form of poems and songs, as well as both international and domestic professional business cards from fellow researchers and others in the field of cytology. Included are companies such as Leitz Scientific Instrument Division, Seiler Instrument & Manufacturing Company (Microscope Repair Service), Aloe Scientific, Carl Zeiss, Inc., and the Frank E. Fryer Company, Inc. (Optical Instrumentation).

f. 168Announcements and Memos
f. 169Business Cards
f. 170Car Owner's Manual/VW Purchase Order (In German)
f. 171Cytology Songs, Humor, Poetry
f. 172Diplomas
f. 173Expense Allowances
f. 174Genetics Students-Fu, T.K.
f. 175Hudson Shipping Company
f. 176Immigration
f. 177Missouri Botanical Garden
f. 178Penn State
f. 179Rationing Stamps
f. 180Red Cross, Blood Donor Cards
f. 181Sears, Ernest R.; Evans, Robert Thomas
f. 182Staff Report
f. 183University of Missouri, 126th Annual Commencement
f. 184University of Missouri, Muhrer

INDEX TERMS

These index terms are the subjects, people, places, etc. under which this collection is listed in all available indexes at the Western Historical Manuscript Collection-Columbia. If you are interested in a specific index term, please contact the reference staff

Cytologyf. 1-22, 24-35, 37-169, 171-174, 177-178, 181-184
Cytologyf. 7, 24, 32, 41, 51, 56, 72, 78, 93, 115, 136, 146, 151, 159-162, 167 (pictorial image)
Genetics--Study and teachingf. 1-22, 24-35, 37-169, 171-174, 177-178, 181-184
Genetics, Wheatf. 1-22, 24-35, 37-169, 171-174, 177-178, 181-184
Rationingf. 179
Reconstruction (1939-1951)--Japanf. 38
Sears, Ernest R. (1910-1991)f. 109, 144, 181
Sears, Ernest R. (1910-1991)f. 22, 23, 29, 37, 52, 55, 61, 66, 96, 149, 164, 174, 181 (pictorial image)
Sears, Lotti M.S. (1916-1995)f. 1-184
Sears, Lotti M.S. (1916-1995)f. 52, 55, 66, 81, 110, 149, 163, 164, 166 (pictorial image)
Wheat--Genetic aspectsf. 1-22, 24-35, 37-169, 171-174, 177-178, 181-184
Women Scientistsf. 1-184
World War, 1939-1945--Underground Movementsf. 114