The Special Collections Research Center is pleased to announce the opening of our newest exhibition, “For the Love of the Sierras: Conservation, Advocacy, and the Legacy of George Whitmore.”
The exhibition features materials from the George Whitmore collection, which spans more than 80 years and documents Whitmore’s environmental advocacy and mountaineering activities. The collection highlights his conservation work as a member of the Tehipite Chapter of the Sierra Club, as well as his participation in one of the first successful ascents of El Capitan in Yosemite. The exhibition also includes materials from other related collections documenting environmental advocacy, conservation, and organizations connected to the Sierra Nevada. Featured materials come from the following collections:
- Tehipite chapter of the Sierra Club records
- June English Forestry collection
- Roy J. Woodward Memorial Library of Californiana
- And more
We extend our sincere thanks to the Whitmore Estate for its generous donation to the Fresno State Library, which established the George Whitmore collection and George Whitmore fund in Special Collections.
We also want to acknowledge the SCRC team for the curation and installation of the exhibition, in particular, Project Archivist Sara Pineda for their work processing the collection and providing the foundation for this exhibition; Suzanne Lopez for their exceptional design work and installation finesse; and the stellar student assistants in our unit for their valuable contributions.
We invite you to visit the exhibition and explore these materials highlighting the history of conservation, environmental advocacy, and the enduring legacy of George Whitmore. The exhibition will be available for viewing until May 2027 in the Special Collections Research Center on the 4th Floor South in the Fresno State Library. The Center is open M-F 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by appointment. scrc@mail.fresnostate.edu