Use Restrictions

The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions.

Preferred Citation

John Whalan George Mason University history collection, C0264, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Acquisition Information

Donated by John Whalan before 2008.

Processing Information

Processing completed by Elizabeth Beckman in May 2015. EAD markup completed by Elizabeth Beckman in May 2015. Finding aid updated by Amanda Menjivar in March and June 2023. Box inventory created by Madeline Puppos in June 2023.

Biographical Information

John Whalan was a biology student at George Mason College and George Mason University in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was active in the Whig Society and served as its president for a time. Additionally, he, along with several other classmates, was involved in the construction of the Herschel Observatory and telescope in the mid-1970s.

Scope and Content

The collection documents John Whalan's involvement in the George Mason College/University Whig Society, as well as the creation of Herschel Observatory and its telescope. It includes correspondence, maps, notes, promotional materials, newsclippings, and photographs dating from 1967-1975. The collection also includes a retrospective essay by Whalan from 2005 on the history of the observatory and sketches of the telescope. There are also two bound volumes of handwritten notes from Whig Society meetings from 1966-1973.

Arrangement

Materials are arranged by subject and format. Box one contains photos and loose papers. Box two contains record books in custom clamshell boxes.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Astronomy
• George Mason University
• Whalan, John