Biographical note

Howard Paul Johnson was born to Gust and Ruth Johnson on January 27, 1923, in Odebolt, Iowa. Dr. Johnson received his B.S. (1949) and M.S. (1950) in agricultural engineering and Ph.D. (1959) in agricultural and civil engineering from Iowa State University. He also earned an M.S. (1954) in engineering mechanics from the University of Iowa.

During his graduate studies, Dr. Johnson worked at Iowa State as a part-time Lab Instructor (1949-1950), Research Associate (1950-1953), and Instructor (1954-1959) in the Department of Agricultural (and Biosystems) Engineering. Upon completion of his Ph.D., he joined the faculty of Iowa State as an Assistant Professor (1959) in the same department. He was promoted to Associate Professor (1960-1962) and Professor (1960-1988) and also served as Department Head (1981-1988). He retired in 1988.

Dr. Johnson's main research and teaching interests were on the impact agricultural practices had on land and water resources. He authored or co-authored over 100 published articles on hydrology, hydraulics, drainage, watershed management, and related topics. He also wrote Agricultural Engineering Century: Iowa State University (call no. S678.53.U6 J64x 2005), a history of the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at Iowa State University.

He was a member of several scientific and professional societies and the recipient of numerous awards. Dr. Johnson was elected fellow of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He received several awards from ASAE including the Hancor Soil and Water Engineering Award (1978) and the John Deere Gold Medal (1994). Iowa State named him an Anson Marston Distinguished Professor of Engineering in 1986. Dr. Johnson also served on numerous college and departmental committees while at Iowa State including the University Water Resources Committee, the Iowa State Water Resources Research Institute Council, and the ISU Press text review committee.

Howard Johnson married Patricia Larsen of Ames and together they had three children: Cynthia, Lynette, and Malcolm. As of 2006, the Johnsons reside in Ames, Iowa.
 

Collection description

This collection (1952-2005, n.d.) contains materials related to Dr. Johnson's professional career in the Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department at Iowa State University.  The collection includes biographical information, correspondence, and published research articles.  The collection also contains correspondence and administrative material related to the Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department.

Organization

The collection is arranged with biographical information in front and alphabetically thereafter. 

1

1

Biographical information: Award recognitions

1953-1985

1

2

Biographical information: Graduate program correspondence and forms

1955-1959

1

3

Biographical information: News clippings

1960-1988, n.d.

1

4

Biographical information: Vita

ca. 1999

1

5

Article: "Anaerobic Digestion of Hog Wastes"

1963

1

6

Article: "Applying Erosion Control Principles"

1963

1

7

Article: "Atrazine, Propachlor, and Diazinon Residues on Small Agricultural Watersheds: Runoff Losses, Persistence, and Movement"

1974

1

8

Article: "'Beat' the Wind when You Spray"

1962

1

9

Article: "Diffusion of Atrazine, Propachlor, and Diazinon in a Silt Loam Soil"

1973

1

10

Article: "Drainage Needs and Returns in North Central Iowa"

ca. 1981

1

11

Article: "The Effect of Man on Water Yield, Peak Runoff and Sedimentation"

1969

1

12

Article: "Effect of Tile Spacing on Crop Yield and Water Table Level in Planosol Soil"

1957

1

13

Article: "The Effect of Tillage Systems on Pesticides in Runoff from Small Watersheds"

1979

1

14

Article: "Effect of Tillage Systems on Runoff Losses of Nutrients, a Rainfall Simulation Study"

1978

1

15

Article: "Effect of Tillage Systems on Runoff Losses of Pesticides, a Rainfall Simulation Study"

1978

1

16

Article: "The Falling Water Table Between Open Ditch Drains"

1964

1

17

Article: "Factors in Gully Growth in the Deep Loess Area of Western Iowa"

1963

1

18

Article: "Field Evaluation of Flow Through Blind Inlets"

1962

1

19

Article: "Glass Bead-Glycerol Model for Studying Falling Water Table Between Open Ditch Drains"

1963

1

20

Article: "Hydraulic Characteristics of Aquifers of the Missouri River Floodplain Near Hornick, Iowa"

1963

1

21

Article: "Hydraulic Model of Runoff from Depressional Areas.  Part II.  Development of the Model"

1968

1

22

Article: "Hydraulic Roughness in Drain Tile"

n.d.

1

23

Article: "Hydrologic and Watershed Modeling – A Summary"

1973

1

24

Article: "Hydrologic Simulation of Watersheds with Artificial Drainage"

1975

1

25

Article: "Impact of Subsurface Drainage on Water Quality"

n.d.

1

26

Article: "Infiltration Capacities of Fayette Silt Loam from Analysis of Hydrologic Data"

1960

1

27

Article: "Infiltration Frequency on Ralston Creek Watershed"

1956

1

28

Article: "Leakage from Small Reservoirs as Affected by Polyphosphate and Bentonite Treatment"

1962

1

29

Article: "Mathematical Model for Gully Erosion"

1977

1

30

Article: "Mathematical Modeling of Drainage Watersheds"

1974

1

31

Article: "Meter for Measuring Flow Discharge from Pipes"

1964

1

32

Article: "Methodology of Programming Small Watershed Development"

1961

1

33

Article: "Modeling Evapotranspiration and Soil Moisture"

1974

1

34

Article: "Nitrate Movement with Zero-order Denitrification in a Soil Profile"

1980

1

35

Article: "Nonsteady Flow to Nonpenetrating Well"

1979

1

36

Article: "Pollution by Sediment: Sources and the Detachment and Transport Processes"

n.d.

1

37

Article: "Properties and Pumping Characteristics of Hog Wastes"

1964

1

38

Article: "Runoff Prediction from Point Rainfall Data by Application of the Digital Computer"

1964

1

39

Article: "A Runoff Sampler for Large Watersheds.  Part II.  Design of Field Installation"

1956

1

40

Article: "Selected Intense Storms in the Little Sioux River Watersheds"

1959

1

41

Article: "Simplified Procedure for the Measurement and Computation of Soil Permeability Below the Water Table"

1952

1

42

Article: "A Simulation Model of Leaching of Nitrogenous Fertilizers in a Tile-Drained Agricultural Field"

1981

1

43

Article: "Simulation of Runoff from Depression Characterized Watersheds"

1971

1

44

Article: "Soil and Water Loss from Conservation Tillage Systems"

1978

1

45

Article: "Soil Loss from Tile-Outlet Terraces"

1972

1

46

Article: "Stream Straightening Effect on Flood-Runoff Characteristics"

1972

1

47

Article: "Surface Water Quality"

1973

1

48

Article: "Tile Drainage Experimentation on Webster Soils: Results of Years 1954-1963"

1966

1

49

Article: "Tillage System Effects on Sediment and Nutrients in Runoff from Small Watersheds"

1979

1

50

Article: "Transport of Nitrate and Gaseous Denitrification in Soil Columns During Leaching"

1982

1

51

Article: "Unit Hydrograph Methods Compared"

1964

1

52

Article: "Unsteady-State Drainage of Fluid from a Vertical Column of Porous Material"

1962

1

53

Article: "Washoff of Herbicides Applied to Corn Residue"

1978

1

54

Article: "A Water-Balance Model for Deep Loess Soils"

1978

1

55

Article: "What Can You Do about a Wet Basement?"

1963

1

56

Article: "What Can You Expect from Irrigation?"

1960

1

57

College of Agriculture: Cabinet meeting notes

1981-1983

1

58

College of Agriculture: Cabinet meeting notes

1983-1985

2

1

College of Agriculture: Cabinet meeting notes

1985-1987

2

2

College of Agriculture: Cabinet meeting notes

1987-1988

2

3

Correspondence and materials related to Agricultural Engineering Century: Iowa State University

1993-2005

2

4

Correspondence: Awards Committee and letters of recommendation

1969-1994

2

5

Correspondence: Departmental letters and memos

1961-1984

2

6

Correspondence: Departmental letters and memos

1985-1988

2

7

Correspondence: Departmental status, salaries, budget, and plans

1987-1988

2

8

Correspondence: Employment and patent opportunities (1- 4x5 b/w photograph)

1955-1966

2

9

Correspondence: Faculty evaluations

1974-1987

3

1-2

Correspondence: Letters of recommendation

1985-2003

3

3

Departmental concerns: Davidson Hall renovation (floor plans for remodeling of graduate student offices, room 131, in map case)

1983-1986

3

4

Departmental concerns: Departmental evaluations and reports

1985-1988

3

5

Departmental concerns: Facilities correspondence and Space Committee meeting minutes

1981-1988

3

6

Departmental concerns: Long range planning reports and correspondence

1968-1988

3

7

Departmental concerns: Meeting notes

1981-1983

3

8

Departmental concerns: Meeting notes

1983-1985

4

1

Departmental concerns: Meeting notes

1985-1987

4

2

Departmental concerns: Meeting notes

1987-1988

4

3

Departmental concerns: Mission statement, budget, and accreditation report

1987

4

4

Departmental concerns: Reports

1986-1988, n.d.

4

5

Departmental concerns: Salary comparison information

1976-1984

4

6

Departmental concerns: Salary information for College of Agriculture and College of Engineering

1985-1986

4

7

Departmental concerns: Salary information for the Ohio State University

1980-1986

4

8

Departmental concerns: Summaries of departmental productivity (publications, degrees conferred, and research grants)

1986-1989

4

9

Professional consulting: Expert witness testimonials and statements

1976

4

10

Professional consulting: Report to City of Ames, "Stage-Discharge Relationships at Sheldon Avenue, Ames, Iowa for Storms on College Creek Watershed" (2 six-hour storm hydrographs located in map case)

1960