The Bodecker Papers contain both personal and professional material. However, both his research interests and his time at Columbia University are not well-documented. Besides his own papers, there are some of his father, Charles (Carl) F.W. Bodecker (d. 1912).

Series I. Biographical and family records

Curricula vitae; obituaries; birth, death, and marriage certificates; and other biographical material relating to Charles F. Bodecker and other members of the Bodecker family.   The C. F. Bodecker autobiographical sketches, though undated, probably date to c.1940 and include much about his relationship with his father, his childhood, and his health.  The C.F.W. Bodecker material includes correspondence with the University of Buffalo and with his Viennese publisher, and letters from colleagues commenting on his book, Anatomy and Pathology of the Teeth (1894).

Series II. Correspondence and subject files

Letters from family members and colleagues; documents relating to “Happy Landing,” Bodecker’s retirement home in North Carolina; letters received upon his retirement from Columbia; and correspondence with and royalty statements from his publishers.

The principal correspondents are William Lefkowitz, who had been Bodecker’s research collaborator at Columbia, and Albert Schatz, the co-discoverer with Selman Waksman of the early antibiotic streptomycin.  It is not known how Bodecker and Schatz met and the correspondence here appears to be incomplete.  Much of it concerns Schatz’s alternative theory of the cause of dental caries, but the two discussed a wide variety of scientific and personal topics.  The Lefkowitz and Schatz correspondence includes many of Bodecker’s replies.

Series III. Educational records

Correspondence and official records relating to Bodecker’s education, mostly for his studies in Berlin and Jena, but also including a few items from his time at the University of Buffalo.

Series IV. Dentistry

Programs from professional meetings, 1920s-1930s; and correspondence relating to his tenure as editor of the New York State Dental Journal, 1944-1965.

Series V. Photographs

A few photographs of Bodecker, chiefly his Columbia University identification cards; and a few of unidentified individuals.

Series VI. Diaries & Other Bound Volumes

Diaries, address books, a log book of cruises taken in his boat, and a cash book. The early diaries, 1898-1902, are a chronicle of Bodecker’s daily activities and give a good picture of his life as a dental student in Buffalo and as a young dentist in Berlin.

The 1923-1926 diary, entitled “Personal Notes for Private Use,” (Box 4:6) is brief but highly introspective.  Begun not long after he returned alone to the US after 22 years in Berlin, it records his deep anguish and depression over his lack of affection for his wife, Josephine, who had remained behind in Germany, and his growing attraction to a woman only identified as “F,” – possibly his third wife, Florence. Bodecker turned to spiritualist practices for solace: consulting mediums, attending Theosophical and spiritualist meetings, and using a Ouija board.  The diary concludes with Bodecker breaking with Josephine, not long after her return to the US in 1925.

Series VII Reprints

Three volumes of Bodecker’s scientific articles, 1905-1958. They appear to be a complete record of his publications.

Series VIII Oversize material

Includes German university documents, certificates, blueprints, passports, and other documents too large to be housed in standard boxes.