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Helen Sawyer Hogg fonds
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Helen Sawyer Hogg fonds

  • UTA 1383
  • Fonds
  • [ca. 1890]-2004, predominant 1926-1993

This fonds contains the personal and professional papers of Dr. Helen Sawyer Hogg documenting her contribution to professional astronomy, her high regard as a popular educator as well as her responsibilities as a parent, daughter, wife and friend. The records have been arranged into series either by type of record or to reflect a certain type of activity. Records documenting various aspects of her career are filed first, followed by papers reflecting her personal life.

Included is both professional and personal correspondence; records relating to her activities on associations, boards and organizations; records such as draft manuscripts, correspondence and outlines and data relating to her publishing activities and research; papers relating to her education and her teaching responsibilities; as well as diaries and family papers series.

Because Dr. Hogg's career spanned nearly seven decades during a time astronomy as a discipline was still developing both nationally and internationally, these records are not only useful to those researching Dr. Hogg's achievements but will be insightful to those researchers studying the development of astronomy as a science and profession. Moreover, Dr. Hogg was a woman in a field of science, which is still dominated by men. Those studying women's history may find Dr. Hogg's personal records a useful case study in one woman's success in a largely male dominated profession.

Contained within the Helen S. Hogg personal records are three sous-fonds: Frank S. Hogg [1922-1952], her first husband and also an astronomer at the David Dunlap Observatory; Prof. Ruth Northcott [1932-1969], close personal friend and professional colleague of Helen Hogg, also on staff at the D.D.O.; Dr. C.A. Chant [193- - 194-], director emeritus of the D.D.O and head of the Department of Astronomy at the University of Toronto from 1904-1935. These sous-fonds are individually described and have been filed after the Helen Hogg personal records.

Hogg, Helen Battles Sawyer

Professional Correspondence

This series contains records from three accessions: B1994-0002, B2009-0021, and B2015-0007. The bulk of the files are from accession B1994-0002, and consists of general incoming and out-going correspondence mainly of a professional nature. It is arranged in two parts. The first part consists of files created by Helen Hogg containing correspondence and other accompanying material with individuals, institutions, clubs and associations regarding research, special projects, events, visits, excursions, travel, donations, lectures, awards and publications. For access, these have been arranged alphabetically by file title. Some of the more notable correspondence are with colleagues such as Amelia Whelau (University of Western Ontario), Steven Van Agt (Germany), Martha Liller (Harvard Observatory), Bart J. Bok (Harvard and Australia), Chu Yu-Hua (China), and there is also extensive correspondence with Harlow Shapley, director of the Harvard College Observatory and mentor to Prof. Hogg.

The second part of this series consists of miscellaneous correspondence arranged by decade. Far from being extraneous pieces, this correspondence is quite extensive and reveals much about her professional activities and on-going research. These files contain the largest volume of correspondence documenting both her and Frank Hogg's early career in the 1930s and 1940s. These files were created from loose correspondence within the records or from files, which were clearly miscellaneous.

Researchers should note that while this series does not represent the whole of the Hogg correspondence (much of which is specific to each series), it is a good representation of the scope of her interests and activities. Some of the correspondence relates directly to records in other series and researchers should bear this in mind when investigating a particular topic.

Personal Correspondence

This series contains extensive correspondence from family and friends documenting Dr. Hogg's personal relationships throughout her lifetime. The bulk of it is incoming correspondence, which has been filed by year to impose some order. Filed at the beginning are some files created by Dr. Hogg which also include outgoing correspondence. This is usually filed by correspondent chronologically.

Of significance are the courtship letters between Helen and Frank in the late 1920s, as well as her letters home to her family in Dunstable from the Dominion Observatory in Victoria B.C. and later from the David Dunlap Observatory in Toronto. These letters not only lend insight into their personal lives during these early years but detail, as well the progress of their astronomical work and the general activities at each observatory. They would be useful to anyone researching early astronomy in Canada.

Researchers should note that most of this correspondence was found loose and that attempts to sort it and identify it as personal have been made. However, some of the correspondence may relate directly to professional activities and will inevitably discuss professional as well as personal matters.

Education

This series encompasses Dr. Hogg's postsecondary education including her undergraduate schooling at Mount Holyoke College culminating in her earning an A.B. (Magna Cum Laude) in 1926, her graduation from Radcliffe College with an A.M. in 1928 and a Ph.D. in 1931. The series is comprised mainly of course outlines, course and laboratory notes, term papers, examinations, miscellaneous school-related assignments as well as Mount Holyoke and Radcliffe memorabilia. It includes a copy of Dr. Hogg's Ph.D. thesis as well as a critique of it by Harlow Shapley. Some examples of elementary and secondary school notebooks and exercises are also present.

Files B2015-0007/004 (11) & (12) consists of honorary degrees from the University of Toronto (1977), Mount Holyoke College, University of Waterloo, McMaster University, and Saint Mary’s University.

Memorabilia

Includes invitations, certificates, guest books, Helen Hogg's Baby Book, and scrapbooks. Also includes diplomas, awards and honorary degrees.

Graphic Records

Includes slides and photoprints documenting both Dr. Hogg's personal and professional life including family gatherings and events, trips, astronomical conferences, ceremonies, visits to various observatories. Also included are images she collected regarding the history of Astronomy as well as publicity shots of her taken for various publications.

Photoprints from B1996-0020 document the meeting of the International Astronomical Union Held in the Soviet Union [Russia], 1958. Helen Hogg, as well as other Canadian astronomers including A. Batten and S. van de Bergh, were present and can be seen in these shots.

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