Administrative Information

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Preferred Citation

Joseph T. Flakne Papers, 1900-1993, Accession #10887-a, -b, -c, Special Collections Dept., University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

This collection was donated to the Library by Joseph T. Flakne of Lorton, Virginia, on January 10 and July 19, 1991 and April 2, 1992.

Biographical/Historical Information

A conservationist, environmentalist, and civic and womens' rights activist, Joseph Flakne was born on November 10, 1900, in Minnesota, where he became interested in nature at any early age. In 1929, he hitchhiked to Alaska and attended Alaska's Agricultural College and School of Mines, now the University of Alaska. To earn tuition, he worked for the U. S. Biological Survey, monitoring reindeer, caribou, and other wildlife. During 1946-1953, he was chief of the Alaska Division of the Office of Territories for the U. S. Department of the Interior. In 1946, he and his wife Irene moved to a log cabin in Fairfax County's Mason Neck near Washington, D. C., when the Department of the Interior transferred him to work for Alaskan statehood. During 1958-1961, he was a labor relations officer in Ancorage, Alaska for the U. S. Government. In 1964, he retired to his log cabin and began donating his time and energy to improving the park system in North Virginia. He was a conservation consultant for the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District from 1972-1986. He continued to be actively involved in conservation matters concerning the Occoquan Regional Park, Mason Neck State Park, and other natural refuges in the area, and worked closely with the NVSWCD and the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. He received widespread recognition for his public service record and his efforts in conservation and care of the environment, and was honored with the 1986 Chevron Conservation Award and the 1989 Elly Doyle Service Award, sponsored by the Fairfax County Park Authority.

Scope and Content Information

This collection of papers (primarily electrostatic copies) consists of ca. 370 items, ca. 1900-1993, pertaining to Joseph T. Flakne, a conservationist, environmentalist, and civic and women's rights activist. Included are correspondence, printed articles, award citations, documents, writings and speeches, photographs, memorabilia, and various publications relating to Flakne, conservation efforts in North Virginia and Alaska, and women's issues and concerns.

Material on Alaska consists of correspondence, photographs (electrostatic copies), and printed material, and pertains to Flakne's work in labor relations, 1959-1961, and his retirement as Labor Relations Officer with the United States Army in Anchorage, Alaska in 1961; the University of Alaska; and, conservation. Items include reminiscences of Alaska, the "University of Alaska Alma Mater and Fight Song," and "An Account of the Muskox Transplant--Nunivak to Nelson Island - 1968."

Awards and honors received by Flakne include the Chevron Conservation Award, 1986; the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority and Fairfax County Board resolutions to honor Flakne, 1988; the Elly Doyle Park Service Award, 1989; the National Voluntary Service Award, 1990; and the Take Pride in America National Award, 1990. Material includes correspondence and ceremony programs.

There is material pertaining to Fairfax County, especially conservation efforts. Related topics include Mason Neck, parks and recreation, and natural reserves.

In addition, there are seven bound volumes pertaining to various topics, including Joseph T. Flakne, the Flakne and Orvella families, citations and awards of Flakne, Micronesia, Fairfax County, and the Occoquan Workhouse. Honors given to Flakne include ones from the University of Alaska, the Arctic Institute of North America, the County of Fairfax, and the American Legion. There are a certificate, 1966, and a citation, from the Department of the Interior signed by Stewart Lee Udall (1920- ). Other items of interest include an autograph letter, April 26, 1945, from Charles E. Bunnell (1878-1956), University of Alaska, concerning a job for Flakne as Commissioner of Agriculture; an inscribed photograph of explorer Peter Freuchen (1886-1957); and, personal data, 1945-1947, concerning Flakne's honorable discharge from the United States Army, Headquarters, Alaskan Department. Material pertaining to the Occoquan Workhouse includes papers of the Committee for Occoquan Workhouse Historic Marker; articles and statements on women suffragists; photographs of the marker and dedication ceremony along with programs and speeches; and, a draft for a booklet printed by the League of Women Voters entitled "Remember the Ladies..."

There are also five audio cassettes of oral history interviews, 1979-1987, of Joseph T. Flakne by Nan Netherton, covering topics such as Alaska Statehood, Fairfax County Civic Affairs, Western trip, and women's issues.