The material in this collection was transferred to the University of Rhode Island Archives in May 1981 by John G. W. Kelley, a graduate student in the Department of Geography and Marine Affairs. He transferred the records of the University of Rhode Island Weather Service and the University of Rhode Island Student Chapter of the American Meteorological Society in his capacity as an officer of both those organizations. The records of the Atmospheric Science Program and other correspondence were in the possession of Professor James M. Havens prior to being transferred.
James M. Havens was professor of geography at the University of Rhode Island. He was hired as an assistant professor in the Department of Geography in 1970. He was promoted to associate professor in 1972, served as acting chairman of his department during the spring and summer semesters of 1976, and continued as professor in the Department of Geography and Marine Affairs. This department was created in 1977 with the merger of the departments of Geography and Marine Affairs. Professor Havens was appointed Rhode Island State Climatologist in 1978 by the National Climatic Center. Dr. Havens resigned his professorship in July 1981.
Any qualified person doing scholarly research is permitted to use material housed in the Special Collections Unit.
Terms governing use and reproduction: Photocopying and scanning of materials is a fee based service available in the repository and is allowed at the discretion of the Archivist when in compliance to the Unit's policy on copyright and publication.
James M. Haven Atmospheric Science Collection, Rec. Gr. 29, University of Rhode Island.
The documents collected here represent three of the different roles of Professor Havens at the University of Rhode Island. In addition to his other professional activities, he worked to create the interdisciplinary Atmospheric Sciences program, beginning with the formation of an "ad hoc" committee in 1977. He was faculty advisor to the University of Rhode Island Chapter of the American Meteorological Society from the Chapter's inception in 1973 until his resignation in 1980. Dr. Havens also served as the director of the student-operated University of Rhode Island Weather Service from the Service's creation in 1973 until he left URI in 1980.
The collection is arranged into three series as follows:
The material in this collection was transferred to the University of Rhode Island Archives in May 1981 by John G. W. Kelley, a graduate student in the Department of Geography and Marine Affairs. He transferred the records of the University of Rhode Island Weather Service and the University of Rhode Island Student Chapter of the American Meteorological Society in his capacity as an officer of both those organizations. Mr. Kelley transferred a collection of photographic slides to Special Collections in February 2013.
The records of the Atmospheric Science Program and other correspondence were in the possession of Professor James M. Havens prior to being transferred.
This series, the largest and most complete, contains the papers of Professor James M. Havens relating to his work in the field of Atmospheric Science. These records span the creation of an "ad hoc" committee on Atmospheric Science, the creation of the Department of Geography and Marine Affairs as a result of the 1977 merger of the departments of Geography and Marine Affairs, and the discontinuation of the Atmospheric Science Program following Dr. Havens' resignation of his professorship.
The first folder contains a timeline, "Atmospheric Science at The University of Rhode Island." The researcher may find this useful in determining where to look for information. The second folder contains census data regarding the number of students studying atmospheric science. Of interest in this series are folders 1-5, which contain correspondence, proposals, meeting minutes, and lists regarding the Atmospheric Science program. Folder 2 contains information from a folder originally labeled "ad hoc," referring to the "ad hoc" committee which initially worked on the creation of the Atmospheric Science program at URI. This is the most extensive folder in the series. Subsequent folders document the struggle to continue the program despite Dr. Havens' decision to leave the University. These were clipped together separately from the "ad hoc" file, but bear a relationship to the work of that committee.
The remainder of this series contains documents and publications resulting from Dr. Havens' work in the field of atmospheric science.
The records are arranged in alphabetical order and in chronological order within each folder.
This series contains the records of the the American Meteorological Society (A.M.S.) Student Chapter at the University of Rhode Island. The chapter was started in 1973, with Professor James M. Havens serving as faculty advisor. Professor Havens continued in this role until he left the University in 1980.
The main activity of this club was participating in the National Weather Forecasting Contest, in which students forecast the weather for different places in the United States throughout the academic year. Other activities included attending lectures in the field of meteorology and trips to meteorological conferences.
The first folder in this series contains documents regarding membership and activities. The subsequent folders, National Forecasting Contest results, awards for performance in the National Forecasting contest, and news releases and newspaper clippings pertaining to these contents.
The records are arranged in alphabetical order and in chronological order within each folder.
This series includes the records of the University of Rhode Island Weather Service. The URI Weather Service began in 1974 under the directorship of Professor James M. Havens. The student-run Service continued through the spring semester of 1981. The main function of the Service was to provide daily weather forecasts for the Kingston, RI area on weekdays when the University was in session.
At the beginning of this series are the records of the Service's primary activity, the daily weather forecasts. Additionally, there are newsclippings, research observations from the Kingston Hill Weather Station, correspondence regarding weather forecasting equipment, and weather notes for an unspecified date.