George C. Wheeler Correspondence, Scrapbook, and Biology Lecture and Laboratory Notes

Hermann J. Muller (1890-1967) was educated at Columbia University and came to the Rice Institute in 1915 to teach biology. His tenure at Rice was brief and he later went on to teach at Columbia, the University of Texas in Dallas and Indiana University. In 1946, Muller won the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology for his work with mutations and X-rays.

Joseph I. Davies (1896-1966) was an Englishman who became Julian Huxley's assistant and followed him to the Rice Institute in 1914. At Rice, Davies earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in biology. Opposite of Huxley, Davies remained at Rice for his entire professional career. He served many years as Chairman of the Biology Department. In 1966, Davies died in the laboratory ten days from retirement.

Julian Huxley (1887-1975) was a prolific writer on numerous topics such as cancer research, religious philosophy, zoology and poetry and was best known as a popularizer of science. He was born in London, England and educated at Eton and Oxford University. Huxley taught biology at the Rice Institute from 1914 to 1916 when he went back to England to participate in the war effort. Huxley later taught at King's College at Oxford and from 1946 to 1948 he was the first Director-General of UNESCO (the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization). In 1958, Huxley was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

George Carlos Wheeler (1897-1991) went to Texas Christian University in 1914 with the intention of becoming a high school language teacher. His long-time interest in biology, however, dominated his spare time and upon transferring to the Rice Institute in 1915, Wheeler began to enroll in biology classes. His first teacher and academic advisor was Julian Huxley, who strongly influenced Wheeler to become a professional biologist. When Wheeler completed his undergraduate work at the Rice Institute in 1918, he enlisted in the army and was sent to the Yale Army Laboratory School. After Armistice, he carried out his military service at Base Hospital in Camp Dodge, Iowa. In 1919, he started his graduate work in entomology at Harvard's Bussey Institute. After he received his Ph.D., Wheeler went on to teach at Syracuse University, the University of North Dakota and the Desert Research Institute (University of Nevada).