DONOR:

Dr. Thomas K. Todsen

SIZE:

20 cubic feet

SCOPE & CONTENT:

Papers, maps, photographs and artifacts relating to:
  White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico
  Orchids and wildflowers
  Postal history
  Las Cruces, NM and regional history
  Postcards

BIOGRAPHY:

Thomas K. Todsen received his B.S., M.S., and PhD. in chemistry from the University of Florida.  He began working at White Sands Missile Range (formerly White Sands Test Facility) in the early 1950’s and remained there until his retirement as Director of Materials Testing. Dr. Todsen’s interests include the study of orchids and wildflowers, postal history and photography.  He has been a member of the Orchid Society of America since 1940, the American Society of Plant Taxonomists; the New Mexico Rare Plant Technical Council, and the American Media Photographer’s Association.  He was also a Fellow at the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Sciences. Dr. Todsen’s name appears in the Dictionary of International Biography, American Men and Women of Science, and Who’s Who in the West. An author on a number of scientific articles on orchids and other plants, Dr. Todsen has had both plants and animals named for him. His flower photographs have appeared in the six volume set, Wild Flowers of the Unites States, and the American Wildflowers, Western Region (both First and Revised Editions). Dr. Todsen is also an authority on postmarks.  He is the author of the New Mexico Territorial Postmark Catalog through the 10th edition and The Travelling Post Offices of Mexico.  He currently resides in Las Cruces, NM.