Series I: General Correspondence,, 1933-1973

Summary: The primary content of the correspondence includes discussion of scientific ideas and administrative matters, such as letters confirming shipment of scientific material and letters of recommendation. The letters are both typewritten and handwritten, and there is some memorabilia such as postcards and holiday cards.

Stauber filed correspondence with some authors in separate folders; in other cases, he created general folders containing correspondence with several individuals. These are grouped by the first letter of their last names. Stauber's own filing system was maintained with the exception of the creation of several new folders for correspondence with individuals that was in-depth or especially notable, and the refiling of some obviously misfiled items. The dates of the correspondence are noted on the folders covering individual correspondents. Photographs have been removed from the original folders, placed in protective coverings, and filed separately in two folders found in Series IX. There is one folder of personal photos, and one folder with scientific photos. A note has been included in each of the original folders indicating the nature of the photo, and its placement in a separate folder.

There are a few letters from the 1920s and 1930s, when Stauber was a student and first beginning his scientific career. These include letters from his cousin Ted Stauber and his friends Weaver Howard, Joseph Lee, and J. Clarence Chambers. Some of these letters are notable for their commentary on historical events such as the Depression, Roosevelt's New Deal, World War II, and race relations. A few discuss Stauber's contraction of tuberculosis and his hospitalization (Lee was a fellow patient at Edward Sanitarium).

There are also lengthy correspondences that begin in the 1930s with his mentors at the University of Chicago, Clay Huff and William Taliaferro. Stauber was in contact with both men (and their wives, some of whose letters are also included) until his death in 1973, and in their letters they discuss scientific ideas, scientific administration, and personal matters. There is also a separate file of material concerning Huff's retirement dinner, which Stauber organized.

A large proportion of the correspondence is with and about Stauber's students. Stauber served as an advisor to numerous students at Rutgers, and kept files of correspondence and administrative material on each of them. These files often include curricula vitae of the students, lists of their coursework, and letters of recommendation (school transcripts have been removed due to privacy laws). There are also some papers and exams. In quite a few cases, correspondence with students develop into correspondence among peers that lasts several decades. Examples can be found in the correspondence with Jim and Elizabeth Franchino (Mimi) Cappuccino, Jean Shieh and Sung Feng, Louis Gluck, Janet S. Keithly (who was also Stauber's daughter-in-law), Harold Lubin, Andrew A. Pirigyi, Albert L. Ritterson and Marenes R. Tripp.

Reading these letters, one has the impression of Stauber as a talented, committed, and involved professor. In addition to mentoring graduate students, Stauber worked with undergraduates in the same professional manner. Many students write to tell Stauber what an exceptional, inspirational, teacher he was. Elias Cohen (filed in folder CO-CU), Noah Finkel, Louis Gluck, Merle Preble (filed in folder P), and Martin Young all express their admiration in letters to Stauber.

Stauber's correspondence with other scientists is also quite extensive. There are lots of administrative letters, concerning the acquisition of scientific samples, reprints of scientific articles, and discussing specific arrangements of scientific conferences. There are also some notable examples of discussion of scientific ideas and the state of science in universities and larger society.

Among the files with in-depth scientific discussion, the letters to and from David J. Bradley, R. S. Bray, Aristides Herrer, Donald Heyneman, Harry Hoogstraal, John Janovy, Ellicott McConnell, and William Traeger primarily concern leishmanaisis and other parasites. The correspondence with James Engle, Al Huber, Luther Jeffries, Victor Loosanoff focuses on oysters and marine biology. Stauber discussed the state of biology and parasitology and other meta-scientific matters (e.g., the importance and meaning of collaboration and scientific controversy) with Thomas Cheng, Harold Haskin, Clay Huff, and Carl Sinderman.

Finally, there are a few examples of correspondence that may be of special interest to historians and social researchers. There are a few explicit discussions of the role of women in science (e.g., Cappuccino), and the correspondence with his female students and other female scientists has anecdotal value concerning the opportunities and roles available to women in biology in the mid-twentieth century (see folders on Helen Forrest and E. Margaret Shelswell). There is also some correspondence with R. Barclay McGhee, who was integral in the racial integration of the University of Georgia in 1961.