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Preliminary Guide to the Julian D. Barksdale Papers
1937-1980

Julian D. Barksdale, 1966. Special Collections, UW Libraries, UW23233z

Biographical Note

Julian Barksdale was born in Texas in 1904. He grew up in Beaumont, site of the first oil well on the Gulf Coast, and came to his academic career via several years' work with oil companies. He attended the University of Texas for two years before going to Stanford to study sedimentary rocks. Barksdale received a B.A. in geology from Stanford in 1930 and then traveled in the service of various oil companies before returning to Stanford for graduate work in petrology. In 1936 he received his Ph.D. from Yale University.

Viewing teaching as an opportunity to try something different in his life, Barksdale took a position in the University of Washington Dept. of Geology in 1936 and remained at the university until his retirement in 1973. He taught graduate and undergraduate courses in addition to leading and organizing fieldwork seminars. From 1969 to 1973, he served as an undergraduate advisor for the department.

Barksdale became the head of the University of Washington Honors Program in 1964. He was active on committees of the Faculty Senate, serving as its president 1960-1961, and he also served on the Faculty Council on Academic Standards, the Library Advisory Committee, and a variety of committees in the College of Arts and Sciences.

After his retirement, Barksdale became involved with retiree and senior citizen's organizations, including the University of Washington Retirement Association, the Coalition of Retired and Higher Education Employees, and the Senior Citizen's Lobby. He died in 1983.

Scope and Content

The personal papers of Julian Barksdale consist mainly of his correspondence, including correspondence regarding his involvement with organizations for retirees and senior citizens. Subject series also document his work with senior citizen and retiree groups, as well as projects relating to his geological interests and UW geology scholarships. The file for the George E. Goodspeed Scholarship contains a good deal of correspondence concerning Barksdale's fundraising work.

The bulk of the collection is arranged into 41 subgroups that document Barksdale's membership in organizations and committees both in and outside of the University of Washington. Major subgroups include the UW Geological Sciences Department and its committees; the College of Arts and Sciences, especially the Honors Council, which includes papers of Barnet Baskerville, the first director of the Honors Council; the University of Washington Faculty Senate committees and sub-committees; and the University Retirement Association. Other subgroups include the UW Faculty Athletic Committee, UW Faculty Council on Academic Standards, UW Quaternary Research Center, Coalition of Retired and Higher Education Employees, the Research Society of the University of Washington, and the Senior Citizens Lobby, Inc.

Restrictions on Access

Open to all users, excluding one file, which is closed and contains exempt student and personnel information.

Restrictions on Use

Rights were not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Acquisition Info

Accession no.2036-72-27 was donated by Julian Barksdale on November 15, 1972. Accession no. 2036-2-73-9 was also given by Julian Barksdale. Accession no. 2036-3-83-6 was transferred from the Dept. of Geological Sciences on June 17, 1983.

Processing Info

Processed in 2003, accession number 2036-4 is a merger of accession numbers 2036-72-27, 2036-2-73-9 (which was previously merged with 2036-72-27) and 2036-3-83-6.

Inventory