Papers of Morris M. Skinner

Collection

Identifier: WMMS

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Papers of Morris M. Skinner consists of documents dated from 1925 to 2000, with the bulk falling from 1960 to 1996. The collection documents Skinner's research and consulting projects, along with many of his publications that came out of this work. Skinner conducted extensive studies on groundwater recharge, bentonite, and cavitation, all of which are reflected in this collection. Because of his research related to photogrammetry and remote sensing, a number of aerial photographs exist in the collection in several different formats. These photographs of rivers include the Cache la Poudre, South Platte, Mississippi, Yellowstone, and Souris. The collection also includes reference materials Skinner collected as well as videotapes he used in his teaching. Other than these items, there are no teaching materials in the collection.

Dates

Creation: 1925-2000
Creation: Majority of material found within 1960-1996

Creator

Skinner, Morris M. (Person)

Restrictions on Access

There are no access restrictions on this collection. However, it is stored off-site, so advance notice is required.

Restrictions on Use

Not all of the material in the collection is in the public domain. Researchers are responsible for addressing copyright issues.

Biography

Morris Skinner worked as a professor of civil engineering at Colorado State University (CSU) for more than four decades. He focused both his teaching and research on hydraulics.

Morris M. Skinner earned a B.S. (1954) and an M.S. (1955), both in civil engineering, from the University of Wyoming. In 1957, he served as a U.S. Army combat engineer stationed in Ft. Belvoir, Virginia. He began his professional career at CSU in 1958 and earned his Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Colorado in 1971.

At CSU, Skinner mainly taught hydraulics and engineering mechanics courses and was involved in bringing computer processing to the classroom and laboratory environments. He was a member of the Hydraulics Program and was in charge of the Fluid Mechanics Laboratory. His research focused on groundwater recharge, use of bentonite to reduce seepage, cavitation studies, hydraulic modeling, and use of infrared imagery for hydraulic and hydrologic studies. In the 1970s, Skinner pioneered airborne data collection procedures for infrared imagery and photography, as well as interpretation techniques applied to river systems.

Skinner was a registered professional engineer in Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. Over the course of his career, Skinner received several honors, including the 1976 National Society of Professional Engineers Award for his contributions and dedication to the engineering profession and the 1980 and 1983 Chi Epsilon Gold Key Award for Outstanding Civil Engineering Professor. Upon his retirement in 1999, Skinner became an emeritus professor.

Extent

17.5 linear feet (11 record cartons, 1 photograph box, 1 tube)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Morris M. Skinner worked as a professor of civil engineering at Colorado State University (CSU) for more than four decades. He focused both his teaching and research on hydraulics. More specifically, his research focused on groundwater recharge, use of bentonite to reduce seepage, cavitation studies, hydraulic modeling, and use of infrared imagery for hydraulic and hydrologic studies, all of which are reflected in this collection. In addition to his publications and research are numerous aerial photographs of rivers, including the Cache la Poudre, South Platte, Mississippi, Yellowstone, and Souris, and videotapes he used in his teaching.

Arrangement

Materials arrived with some loose groupings. These were the basis for creating series, mostly by subject area or material type.

The collection consists of 3 series in 12 boxes and 1 tube:

Series 1: By Skinner, 1960-1993 and undated

Series 2: Research and consulting projects, 1925-2000 and undated

Series 3: Visual and media materials, 1956-1996 and undated

Subseries 3.1: Aerial photographs, 1956-1980 and undated

Subseries 3.2: Videotapes, 1990-1996 and undated

Acquisition

The Papers of Morris M. Skinner was donated by Dr. Skinner in three groups, the first in 2014 and the others in 2018.

Related Collections

The Papers of Everett V. Richardson, the Papers of Daryl B. Simons, and the Papers of James F. Ruff all document the study and teaching of hydraulics at CSU in the same time period.

Processing

Processing was completed in July 2021. Duplicates, commonly available publications, and most unidentified photographs and media items were removed, as were U-matic tapes that appeared to have been transferred to VHS. A set of publishing materials for a published item was removed. Any Social Security numbers found were redacted and the pages photocopied. Loose items were inserted in acid-free folders. Binder clips and rusty fasteners were removed.

Inventory Note

Note: Some title information supplied by the archivist is bracketed. Estimated pagination is preceded by an "e." Two identical copies of the same item are indicated by the phrase "2 copies" at the end of the entry, following the number of pages of each copy.