The records that make up the Arthur M. Zimmerman fonds document his professional activities and research endeavours from the 1960s to the present. They are rich in correspondence and manuscript drafts of articles and seminars that document the collaborative research efforts among Zimmerman and his colleagues. The correspondence files are especially insightful on Zimmerman’s relationship with his students both while they were under his supervision and later in their careers. Series of professional correspondence, recommendations, reviews and editorial positions give evidence to Zimmerman’s role as an expert whose knowledge and opinions were sought by his peers. Finally, records that reflect his teachings of courses within in the Department of Zoology are contained more or less in one series, Teaching Files.
Finally as one might expect in personal records, there is very little evidence of his role in University administrative positions. Neither is there any significant amount of records documenting his personal life. The Personal Correspondence series, for example, contains mainly correspondence regarding professional appointments and remuneration.
These records will be of general interest to researchers studying the history of science and particularly of cellular biology, the history of the teaching of science, and the history of any of the associations to which Dr. Zimmerman was active. It may also be useful to those researching the role of scientists in society in general, especially with respect to their influence on issues surrounding drug abuse.
Zimmerman, Arthur M.
