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University of Colorado. DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY, JOHN GARDINER, B. Sc., PROFESSOR
BOX 548, BOULDER, COLO.
(2)
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long. We would have Physics, Chemistry, Botany, Zoology, possibly Geology and Astronomy; of course very elementary, but still of some use to the teachers many of whom are very poorly educated. Your Prof. of Mathematics and Physics will join us, we shall have a fairly good programme.
Wishing you and yours a very prosperous New Year, I am,
Yours very truly, John Gardiner.
I hope you have escaped la grippe. I have so far but everybody else seems to have it, so I expect soon to succumb.
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University of Colorado, Boulder, Colo. May 12th, 1889.
Dear Sir, I trust you will pardon an entire stranger for writing to you, but I am anxious to visit your botanical laboratory, and wish to know if you will be at Lincoln during June. I have recently been appointed Prof. of Biology in this University, and as the department practically has yet to be created I am desirous of getting all the information possible about the way to run it. I want to make it a success, and as I know that you have done so with yours, I think I could get many valuable hints from you. My present intention is to [ ] a course of Elementary Biology (some what [ ] Huxley Martin lines), and courses of Botany Zoology [ ]
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appears to be some difficulty in this climate and altitude in getting suitable specimens, however, and I am not yet sure of the details of the courses. I have many small difficulties too, most of which I think a correspondence or conversation with you would remove. I may say that I am an Englishman, or rather Scotchman, (naturalized American), educated at Owens College, Manchester and graduate of the University of London. My botanical training I received from Prof. H. Marshall Ward, then at Owens; zoological from [ ] [ ] Physiological from Arthur [Gaugee]. I held a scientific position in the Bahama Islands for two years, and afterwards spent seven months at the Naples Zoological Station. My health broke down and I had to come to Colorado, where it has been almost completely restored. I had long thought of settling in this country ultimately, and so am glad
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(2) to have been able to do so sooner than I expected. The University is still rather embryonic - it must be considerably younger than yours - but in the scientific departments excellent work is being done in Chemistry & Physics, and I hope soon to be able to say as much of Biology, of which I am the first regular teacher. We are much cramped for want of room, but a new scientific building to cost $50,000 will probably be begun before long. Will you be at Lincoln during June? Our Commencement is the 28th of this month, and I would like to visit your laboratory soon after that date. Boulder is only 30 miles from Denver, so the trip to Lincoln is not a long one. I may say that though I am to teach both Botany and Zoology, my leanings are all toward Botany, especially Cryptogam-
