RS 9/2/53
Gaessler, William G. (1888-1985)
Papers, 1907-1979

Special Collections Department
403 Parks Library
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011-2140

Descriptive summary

creator:

Gaessler, William G. (1888-1985)

title:

Papers

dates:

1907-1979

extent:

6.86 linear ft.  (4 records center cartons and 1 oversized box)

collection number:

RS 9/2/53

repository:

University Archives, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University.

 

Administrative information

access:

Open for research

publication rights:

Consult Head, Special Collections Department

preferred citation:

William G. Gaessler Papers, RS 9/2/53, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library.

 

Biographical note


JWilliam George Gaessler was born December 15, 1888 in St. Louis, Missouri. After attending the University of Cinncinnati from 1907-1908 he transferred to The Ohio State University where he received his B.S. (1911) and M.S. (1929).

Gaessler worked as a research associate professor and associate professor of plant chemistry, Iowa Agricultural Experiment Station and Iowa State College Department of Chemistry, 1931-1963. In this capacity, he authored several extension publications related to plant chemistry.

Gaessler was a charter member of the Ames section of the American Chemical Society and served as President in 1919-1920. He was also active in the Phi Delta Chi fraternity, Phi Lamda Upsilon Honorary Chemistry and Alpha Chi Sigma honorary chemical fraternities as well as Sigma Xi honorary scientific society, the Osborn research club and the Iowa Academy of Science.

In addition to these professional associations, Gaessler was involved in several community-oriented organizations, including Kiwanis International, the Ames Service Club, Camp Fire Girls, Congregational Church, the Ames Coordinating Council, and the Iowa State University Cosmopolitan Club.

Gaessler married Myrtle J. Bihl in Chicago, Illinois on September 22, 1921. Mrs. Gaessler passed away July 8, 1965 in Ames, Iowa. They had two children, Ruth Marie Veltrop and William Bihl Gaessler, and five grandchildren. Gaessler died in 1985.

 

 

Collection description


This collection includes biographical materials, correspondence, agricultural experiment station annual reports, project reports, clippings, honors, photographs, publications, speeches and reference files.They document research on sorghum, bindweed, pericarp in corn, and other U.S. Department of Agriculture/Iowa State College experiment station workings. Included are personal and financial documentation as well as correspondence from other U.S.D.A. Agricultural Experiment Stations such as Hawaii, Nevada, California, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Ohio, Nebraska, and Iowa. Other notable items include materials related to: Coover Recognition Day; Agricultural Experiment Station reports, notes and charts, an assortment of World War II propaganda as well as Iowa State University's involvement in atomic research; four original Henry Wallace works and a small amount of fraternity/secret organizations catalogs.

Correspondents include: A.L. Bakke, Loomis, Melhus, Johnson, Kephart, Munro, T. Spease, N. Hanson, F. Ingram and Iowa State College faculty/administration. Organizations include: American Chemical Society, Osborn Research Club, U.S. Department of Agriculture Bureau of Plant Industry, Phi Delta Chi, Cosmopolitan Club, Chemical Abstracts Service, Phi Lambda Upsilon, and Kiwanis.

Organizations include: American Chemical Society, Osborn Research Club, USDA Bureau of Plant Industry, Phi Delta Chi, Cosmopolitan Club, Chemical Abstracts Service, Phi Lambda Upsilon, and Kiwanis. Other noteworthy items include: Coover Recognition Day; Ag Experiment Station Project Reports, Notes, and Charts; an assortment of WWII propaganda as well as Iowa States' Atomic involvement; four original Henry Wallace works and a small assortment of fraternity/secret organization catalogs.

 

 

Organization


The collection is listed alphabetically.

 

Container List

Box

Folder

Title

Dates

2

48

Agricultural and Grain Reports

1932

3

2

Agricultural Experiment Stations: Dean Files, Budgets, Proposals, Progress Reports

1915-1930

1

28

Alkaloids: Color Reactions of Drugs

n.d.

3

11

American Chemical Society

1945-1962

1

7

American Chemical Society: Ames Section

1937-1942

1

8

American Chemical Society: Ames Section

1937-1942

1

9

Annual Report: Agricultural Experiment Station, Project 607: Sweet Corn Pericarp and Toughness

1940-1941

1

11

Annual Report: Project 607: Pericarp and Toughness

1937-1940

1

3

Annual Reports: Agricultural Experiment Station and Project Outlines

1937-1941

3

1

Annual Reports: Chemistry Section

1911-1930

2

7

Article and Correspondence: “The Relation Between Composition and Strength of the Culm in Corn”

1941

1

20

Bindweed Project Outline: “Project 484: Biology and Control of Field Bindweed”

1935

1

16

Bindweed: Analysis of Roots

1935-1936

1

14

Bindweed: Articles and Graphs

1935-1937

2

12

Bindweed: Cherokee

1937-1939

2

13

Bindweed: Cherokee

1938

2

11

Bindweed: General

1936-1937

1

23

Bindweed: General Information

1940

2

15

Bindweed: Hays, Kansas

1938-1942

1

18

Bindweed: Loomis

n.d.

1

19

Bindweed: Melhus

1937

1

21

Bindweed: Project 484 Data, Samples, and Charts

1936-1937

2

10

Bindweed: Project 484: Annual Report, Root Samples, Log Book

1945

1

22

Bindweed: Travel

1940

2

1

Building Equipment and Maintenance

1948-1954

3

10

Chemical Abstracts Service : Abstracts, Evaluations, Notes

1942-1963

3

12

Chemical Abstracts Service: Abstracts, Evaluations, Notes 

1942-1963

3

3

Chemical Abstracts Service: Abstracts, Evaluations, Notes

1967-1972

3

19

Chemical Abstracts Service: Abstracts, Evaluations, Notes

1975-1979

1

32

Chemical Calculations and General Agricultural Chemicals

1911-1913

1

15

Cherokee Plots: Root Drying

1936-1937

2

2

Concordia Turn Veren Golden Jubilee

1925

1

29

Condimental Stock Foods and Dangers

1916-1922

1

13

Coover Recognition Dinner and Coover Day

1944

2

41

Correspondence and News Clippings: Faculty

1915-1934

2

40

Correspondence and News Clippings: Fisk Garhardt

ca. 1930s

1

17

Correspondence: A.L. Bakke

1935-1942

3

6

Correspondence: Employment

1917-1920

3

24

Correspondence: Fredrick Ingram

1914-1916

3

22

Correspondence: Irving Robitshek

1910-1916

3

23

Correspondence: Neils Hanson

1916

2

16

Correspondence: Personal Letters, J-M

1937-1942

2

18

Correspondence: Personal Letters, R-S

1942

3

5

Correspondence: Pharmacy and Druggist

1941

3

4

Correspondence: Phi Delta Chi Fraternity

1911-1945

3

9

Correspondence: Phi Delta Chi Fraternity

1917-1930

2

45

Correspondence: Student Admissions, Henry Wilkens, 25-Year Club

1946-1947

3

21

Correspondence: T. Spease

1911-1916

2

46

Cosmopolitan Club

1945-1947

2

25

Equipment and Maintenance

1949-1950

2

27

Faculty Personnel File

1961-1975

2

53

Gaessler’s Personal Urinalysis Results

1945

2

43

Home Economics and Physical Education

1917-1922

2

24

Illumination Survey for Main Lecture Room in the Chemistry Building

1948

2

44

International Students

1952

2

39

Iowa Highway Commission Payroll and Salaries

1939-1964

2

52

Iowa State College and the Atomic Bomb

1945

2

50

Iowa State College Student Directory

1913

2

3

Lamberton, Minnesota Experiment Station

1938-1942

1

25

Letters of Authorization, Appointment, and Resignation from the USDA Bureau of Plant Industry

1940-1942

2

4

“N” File: Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station, Newlands Agricultural Experiment Station

1936-1942

2

38

National Resources Planning Board: Roster of Scientific, Specialized Personnel

1940

2

23

News Clipping: “The United States in a New World”

1942

2

51

News Clippings from the Farm Science Reporter

1940-1944

2

35

News Clippings: Aging and Retirement

1959-1970

2

31

News Clippings: Chemistry, Agriculture, Graduate School, and Politics

1941-1954

2

36

News Clippings: Faculty and Colleagues

1958-1965

2

55

News Clippings: General

n.d.

2

34

News Clippings: Honors

1950

2

28

News Clippings: Iowa State University

n.d.

2

42

News Clippings: Local Politics and Ames Elections

1924

2

37

News Clippings: Pre and Post-Second World War Propaganda

ca. 1940s

2

14

Noxious Weed Research

1936

2

30

Obituary: Mrs. William (Myrtle Bihl) Geassler

1965

2

54

Ohio State University Directory

1911

1

12

Osborn Research Club

1938

3

7

Pamphlets: “The Science Agency”

n.d.

2

17

Payroll for Personnel

1935-1944

1

10

Pericarp in Corn (original file read Dr.Haber, 1939)

1939-1941

1

1

Personal Correspondence

1935-1940

1

6

Personal Correspondence

1942-1944

1

5

Personal Correspondence (includes photographs)

1938-1943

3

8

Pharmacy Board

1911-1926

4

2

Phi Delta Chi Fraternity:  Newsletters

1907-1934

3

18

Phi Delta Chi Fraternity: Addresses, Talks, Banquets

1910-1913

3

25

Phi Delta Chi Fraternity: Chapter Charters, Memberships

1916

3

27

Phi Delta Chi Fraternity: Correspondence with Grand Council

1916

4

3

Phi Delta Chi Fraternity: Directory

1929

4

5

Phi Delta Chi Fraternity: Fraternity Publications

1907-1915

4

4

Phi Delta Chi Fraternity: General Information, Catalogs

ca. 1910

3

26

Phi Delta Chi Fraternity: Grand Council

1912-1916

4

1

Phi Delta Chi Fraternity: Grand Council Meeting Minutes

1910-1921

3

28

Phi Delta Chi Fraternity: Newsletters and By-Laws

1919-1921

2

6

Phi Delta Chi: Rituals and By-Laws

1910

3

20

Phi Lambda Upsilon: Theta Chapter (Iowa State University)

1911-1916

5

2

Photographs and Program: Kiwanis International 34th Annual Convention

1949

5

1

Photographs: Ames Kiwanis Club

1942

2

47

Photographs: Blizzard

ca. 1930s

5

4

Photographs: Shriners

n.d.

2

20

Photographs: Untitled Photographs of a Class

1930

2

29

Photos and Postcards of Ames and Iowa State University

1900-1940

2

21

Physical Education Literature

1938

5

3

Portrait: L.B. Spinney

1943

2

49

President’s Address to Iowa State College Staff

1938

1

24

Project 484 and 4108: Photographs of Root-drying Equipment

1942

3

17

Project 584L Clarifications of Sorghum Sirup

1937-1940

3

15

Projects in Plant Chemistry: Finance Reports

1931-1944

3

16

Projects: Unclassified Observations

1939

2

19

Purchasing and Public Vouchers

1935-1942

1

30

Reports of Work to President (Project Reports)

1927-1928

2

9

Reprints

1917-1946

2

5

“S” File: Personal and Professional Correspondence

1935-1942

1

27

Second World War, Peace, and the United Nations

1942-1943

2

8

Sigma Xi: Membership, Banquets, By-Laws

1920-1958

1

4

Sorghum and Iowa Clay: reports, materials, correspondence

1935-1941

1

2

Sorgo Sirup, Sorghum

1934-1948

3

13

“The Little CA No.’s 1-86”

1960-1958

2

22

Travel and Astrology Charts

1942

2

32

Travel File

1940-1960

2

33

U.S. Olympics Souvenir Book

1952

1

31

“Uncle Henry’s Own Story” (regarding Henry Wallace)

1915, 1917-1919

3

14

University of Nebraska: School of Pharmacy and Yearbooks

1914-1945

1

26

Vocational Guidance

1946-1947

2

26

Wickwire Spence Steel Company

1941

Comments: tzanish@iastate.edu
Iowa State University Library, Ames, IA 50011
URL: http://www.lib.iastate.edu/arch/rgrp/9-2-53.html
Revised: 11 October 2006 .