Howard S. Irwin records

The Howard S. Irwin Records document Irwin's NYBG administrative career as well as the history of NYBG during his administrative appointments from 1971 to 1979.

Series 1, Correspondence, documents many of the activities in which Irwin was involved during his NYBG administrative career as well as many of the individuals he communicated with, both personally and professionally. The records are arranged alphabetically by surname or institution name, with correspondents who had few letters grouped together by first letter. Some correspondents have been grouped by region or institution.

Series 2, Administrative Records, documents the administrative activities of NYBG as well as Irwin's administrative involvement from 1971-1979. This includes committee meetings, development projects, and Irwin’s selection as President. The records in this series are divided into three sub-series: A. General Administrative Records, B. Annual Reports, and C. Howard S. Irwin. It appears that past records of Annual Reports stayed with the Executive Office until they were transferred to the Archive with Irwin’s records. As a result, this collection contains Annual Report records starting in 1952, far predating Irwin’s tenure as President. Sub-Series C contains records relating to Irwin specifically, such as some of his research and scripts for speeches and talks he gave. This sub-series has two audio reels of interviews Irwin gave as President.

Series 3, Financial Records, documents NYBG's financial activities during Irwin's term as the Executive Director (1971) and President (1973-1979). Records include NYBG budgets, New York City Budgets, financial statements, records of the Systems Steering Committee, capital planning records and other financial records.

Series 4, Education, contains information about educational programs sponsored by and affiliated with NYBG. This series is divided into the following three sub-series: A. General Educational Records, B. Endangered Species Symposium, and C. Conservation. Sub-series B documents the extensive preparation and actual presentation of NYBG's Bicentennial Symposium: "Threatened and Endangered Species of Plants in the Americas and Their Significance in Ecosystems Today and in the Future," which ran from May 11-13, 1976. Sub-series C documents other conservation activities undertaken by the Garden.

Series 5, Publications, contains records of NYBG's publication activities during Irwin's NYBG administrative career. Of interest here are the records of Irwin's efforts to merge “The Garden Journal” with “Horticulture” magazine to form a new NYBG magazine that would appeal to a larger audience. This series also covers the publications Flora Neotropica and Flora North America, as well as the activities of their associated organizations.

Series 6, Public Relations, includes the Garden’s public relations and publicity activities, as well as events meant to promote internal morale, such as awards ceremonies. In addition to press releases and advertising, this series contains information of events, tours, merchandise, and membership.

Series 7, Staff, contains records of staff meetings, personnel records, disciplinary records, retirement and medical benefits, and discussion on how limited space should be allocated to staff. There are also extensive security records, including crime and accident reports.

Series 8, Buildings and Grounds, documents NYBG's building and construction activities during the 1970's. This includes correspondence with architects, records of the restoration of the Conservatory, Irwin’s efforts to relocate the Edgar Allen Poe cottage to the Garden, and Operations records.

Series 9, Affiliations, documents Irwins' involvement, as an NYBG administrator (mainly during his presidency), with organizations such as the American Association of Museums (AAM), the Association of Systemic Collections, and the American Institute of Biological Sciences. Sub-series A focuses on Irwin’s involvement with the Association of Systematics Collections, an organization Steere also worked with. As the Association of Systematics Collections has its own archive maintained by the Smithsonian Institution, most of the material related to that organization was discarded. Only correspondence and documents directly related to Irwin were kept.

Overall, these records illustrate that Irwin's NYBG administrative career was for the most part not associated with his earlier career as a member of NYBG's scientific staff. Clearly, familiarity with NYBG's scientific operation was desirable for Irwin as a Chief Executive Officer. However, as the records illustrate, Irwin the administrator was involved and informed of all administrative activities and thus had little time for his own scientific research.