Diary, 1943 March 1-1944 June 4

File — Box: 3, Volume: 14

Identifier: II

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

During this period Woodbury was a professor of Zoology at the University of Utah. This diary gives a picture of life in Salt Lake at the height of the war. Woodbury spent his time teaching writing, attending lectures and meetings. Occasionally, almost casually, he mentions the war and its affect on the University and surrounding community.

5 March. "11:00 Attended convocation in Kingsbury Hall for students leaving for war. Grim business."

9 March. Woodbury "gave a talk [at the Knerr Study Club] on Biological Background for War and had a great discussion afterward."
16 March. Woodbury drove to St. George to study the desert tortoise. "Slow travel because of 35 mile war speed limit."
24 March. "First day of school. Registration about half of normal because of war only one class filled up."
26 March. "In evening Grace & I had dinner with Dr. H. E. Gregory at Newhouse Hotel. Discussed my history of Zion & he agreed to look it over for me."
28 March. "Went to priesthood meeting at 9:30. Discussed Dr. Erickson's book. The priests are still blind, their point-of-view does not change."
29 March. "In evening worked spading to make war garden in background of vacant lot."
30 March. "Gregory returned mss. on history of Zion and United Order and recommended that I publish with Ut. Hist. Soc."
1 May. "Went to Utah Acad. Science at Weber College, Ogden... I presented a paper on the flowers of the Joshua tree as a source of food."
8 May. "Dix is down at draft board induction center today. He was not rejected this time."
15 May. "Dix went into army today."
22 May. "Grace and I took Pres. & Mrs. LeRoy E. Cowles in our car & went with a faculty group to Camp Kearns (SW of S.L.C.) and spent the day watching drill, touring the bldgs & grounds, listening to fine program after lunch."
24 May. "...I took mss. down to Capitol to Historical Society and discussed problems of publication with Marguerita Sinclair."
8 June. Walter Lippman spoke at commencement at University.
11 June. [Pres. Cowles] was thinking of publishing commencement address of Walter Lippman. I said fine, but when he proposed publishing Hugh Brown's baccalaureate sermon, I objected on 2 grounds: 1. He assumed U S Govt was so perfect, it could not be improved. 2. That this world was run on supernatural principles. This evoked a whole evening of discussion."
25 June. "In evening went to a town hall meeting being broadcast from Kingsbury Hall, debating question 'Should Germany be partitioned after the war?' I asked a question."
26 June. "At a meeting of the Neighborly Circle Maurine Whipple reviewed a proposed book."
18 August. "We spent evening at Ericksens visiting with. Senator E. D. Thomas."
21 August. At a study group meeting, "Judge Clarence Baker reviewed supreme court decisions in relation to civil liberties."
7 September. "Worked on my income tax return. Went down town to Internal Revenue for help. Not feeling very well, slept on floor awhile."
8 September. "Radio announced the fall of Italy (unconditional surrender) today. Listened to a lot of news."
12 Sept. "Grace, Edith and I went to the Audubon Society breakfast and field trip at Mueller's Park, East of Bountiful."
18 September. "Took Walter to depot to check his baggage ahead of his departure to visit Lowell and then to Boston to take a position with Radiation Laboratories for research."
20 Sept. "In evening we had a fire scare, when flames shot out of library chimney across the road."
21 Sept. "After Seminar, we had a staff meeting & appointed committees to work on Seminar program and on Biology/placement test."
3 Oct. "A university expedition...went to salt wet desert about 7 miles north of Knolls to study old bird nests. We had to push auto from time to time and I developed a hernia in my side."
6 Oct. "Came home this evening to find Dix had been discharged from the army because of his high blood pressure."
15 Oct. "Went to lecture at Unitarian Church by Benjamin C. Marsh of the Peoples Lobby of Washington D.C."
17 Oct. "Enjoyed dinner in the sun...and thoroughly enjoyed an afternoon despite the whorl of war in world."
26 Oct. "Went to Study Group meeting this evening at Fred Dremann's at 1439 on Browning where Walter Critchlow reviewed Undercover."
31 Oct. "In evening, we all went over to Ericksens where Gordon Ericksen told of his around-the world trip for Douglas Aircraft Corporation: Red Sea, India, Australia, New Zealand etc. at war."
11 Nov. "In evening went to audubon meeting where Dr. W. H. Behle talked about Birds of Gunnison Island."
30 Nov. "In evening went to meeting of study group at Walt Critchlow's where George Steward talked on Collective Irrigation."
1943. Memorandum [Yearly Summary]. "Spent the year teaching at Universtiy of Utah and in research on Birds of Utah. Summer spent largely in Mill Creek at cabin where I worked on birds and built a trail for exercise running from cabins around mountainside 1/2 mile to fir grove. Finished my share of species writeups, about 125 this year."
1 Jan. 1944. "Grace and I went to Pres. Cowles New Years reception in Union Bldg...Evening spent at home in front of fire with Grace, Dix & Edith."
20 Jan. "In evening, we went to Study Club at W. P. Jerrell's where Elmer Smith talked on racial problems in Utah."
29 Jan. "Went to state capitol to visit Governor Maw, whom I told of the work of the old Utah Natural Resources Association and their recommendation for a conservation commission. He asked if the old report could be brought up to date and asked me to take the responsibility of getting recommendations to him along that line."
30 Jan. At the wild life annual meeting in the Newhouse Hotel, "Gov. Maw made one speech advocating overhaul of Big Game Board to remove a federal representative and replace with a Utah man. C. N. Woods formerly district forester clashed violently with the governor on that point."
8 Feb. "In evening, we went to Neighborly Circle where Dr. Mahoney talked about steel economics in relation to the Geneva Steel Plant."
9 Feb. "At Audubon Society, I proposed a plan of study for Audubon Society members whereby information could be collected on life histories of local birds by keeping notes on nesting birds in yards or nearby places."
10 Feb. "This morning met with Drs. Chamberlain and Reese to consider what to do about the report to Governor on Conservation committee. We decided to recommend the appointment of a committee of as many of the old Natural Resources directors as still available and then replace the others by new names."
11 Feb. Woodbury was "working on the Idea of a conservation dept. In evening, I called George R. Hill and asked if he would back such an organization. Yes, but not as chairman of a committee. He also suggested additional names."
16 Feb. "I went down to the State Capitol to a meeting in which Col. Frederick Pope, President of the National Fuels Co., offered Utah the use of a semi-commercial pilot plant for experimental production of smokeless fuel."
17 Feb. "Then went to Capitol to present to the governor an extract of ideas about a proposed state dept. of conservation and a list of names suggested for a committee to prepare legislation."
20 Feb. "Came down with 'flu' this morning. Built a fire in fireplace and laid on floor all day in front of fire."
27 Feb. "Studied a tentative program for an organizational meeting of a committee proposed to governor for planning for a conservation Dept."
6 March. Glen Snow, and Woodbury "discussed Snow Canyon possibilities and state dept. of conservation policies." Evening spent with [Ross] Hardy on further discussion of conservation."
12 March. Visited with Ansel F. Hall about "a plan he had for a boy's camp at Mesa Verde next summer." He wanted Woodbury to be in charge of the Zoological work but Woodbury felt he did not have time."
14 March. "Chamberlin offered me a chance to teach a section of an army course in general Biology for premedics which I accepted."
22 March. "In evening went to Study Club at home of Judge Clarence E. Baker where we heard a negro discuss racial problems."
27 March. "In evening, at home, a democratic primary was held in our house; only 12 voters appeared and district 249 officers were elected, Grace was vice-chairman & delegate."
12 April. "At 4, we went to a meeting of young (under 26) male students where Dean S. W. Angleman discussed the effect of the recent order cancelling all deferments for students with the expectation of drafting them probably to get all available young men into military service before the big invasion of Europe."
22 April. "Walter Cottam dropped in my office & spent an hour chatting. Told me the board had ruled that men must retire at 65 and that R. V. Chamberlin, head of our Biol. Dept. was that age. He asked if I had been offered the job as his successor. I asked if he had."
26 April. Woodbury & Cottam again discussed Chamberlin's retirement. "He [Cottam] was very bitter about Chamberlin and I defended him so we were on opposing sides."
27 April. Woodbury went to "Visit with G. Wesley Browning who had been one of the members of the original Aggassiz chapters back in 1882 to 1886. He told us of old times and showed us his pastel paintings and loaned me a copy of his Agassiz Notes."
28 April. "Had a friendly chat with Dr. Chamberlin this p.m. (late). He had been employed years ago with the understanding that he would not retire until 68 and former Pres. Geo. Thomas had been in to offer his help in establishing that fact."
9 May. "In evening, I finished reading Gregory's manuscript on the geography of Southern Utah population. It is a good supplement to my history of Zion Canyon and I shall recommend that they be published together."
12 May. "In evening, Grace and I went to hear a lecture on Japan, where we were told we had a long way to go to beat her."
28 May. "Grace, Edith, Lowell, Dorothy and I went up Canyon to cabin in Mill Creek and entertained a party of 30 premedic soldier boys belonging to my class in general biology."
29 May. "In faculty meeting (2 hrs), a great deal of debate developed over proposals of the medical school to amend the faculty code. Solved by Chamberlin offering a substitute."
4 June. "This diary is too small so I will transfer to another book."

Dates

1943 March 1-1944 June 4

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.