Donnelly Library Receives Donation from Family of Former Biology Professor Robert Lindeborg
The New Mexico Highlands University Thomas C. Donnelly Library received a donation of scientific publications from the estate of long-time biology professor Dr. Robert G. Lindeborg, who died in 2001.
Dr. Lindeborg taught biology at the university from 1949 until his retirement in 1976. He continued teaching as a professor emeritus until his death. In November, Dr. Lindeborg’s family donated 70 books, and numerous scientific journal titles and research reports, to the university’s library.
The Donnelly Library staff handpicked items from Dr. Lindeborg’s collection to complement the library’s existing collection.
Books accepted in the biological sciences include the topics of anatomy, botany, ecology, embryology, evolution, mammalogy, orthinology, physiology and zoology. Other scientific books accepted include the topics of hydrology, climatology, chemistry, physics and anthropology.
Many books in Dr. Lindeborg’s collection focus on animals and plants of the Southwest, and southern Rocky Mountains. The oldest item in the donated collection is a zoology text from 1865. Another classic is a 1919 copy of “The Book of a Naturalist,” authored by William Henry Hudson, an Argentinean-born naturalist who lived in England as an adult.
One item of local interest is a 1951 report, “The Geology and Groundwater Resources of San Miguel County, N.M.,” written by the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources.
“It’s nice to have the personal collection of a former biology professor donated to the Donnelly Library, and we’re grateful to Dr. Lindeborg’s family,” said Leslie Broughton, assistant librarian, and head of collection and instruction.
Dr. Lindeborg is survived by three children, all of whom received degrees from Highlands University. His oldest son, Richard, is a Las Vegas resident. His second son, Tim, lives in Missoula, Mont., and his daughter, Siri Lindeborg Casey, lives in Albuquerque. Dr. Lindeborg’s wife, Margaret Eloise Isley Lindeborg, died in 1970.
Richard Lindeborg catalogued his father’s collection to prepare it for the university’s library staff to review.
“I started cataloguing the collection for my father about 10 years ago,” Lindeborg said. “My father would be happy to know that so many of his books and journals are going to be of use to students and faculty in the future.”
During his tenure at Highlands University, Dr. Lindeborg was a founder and president of the Southwest Association of Naturalists. In addition, he was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the New Mexico Academy of Science. Dr. Lindeborg’s research on land mammals and aquatic animals was widely published in scientific journals.
At Highlands University, Dr. Lindeborg was an officer for the university’s chapter of Sigma Xi, a scientific research society. He also was an adviser for the university’s Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, and judged the Northeastern New Mexico Science Fair for decades.
Dr. Lindeborg earned his doctorate degree in zoology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.