Special Collections Department - Resources - History Day Topics
Suggested Topics for 2010-2011 NHD Theme: Debate & Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences
These topics use resources available in the Special Collections Department at Iowa State University Library. Links are provided to online finding aids (where available) for collection descriptions and listings. For additional information about resources available for these and other topics, please contact the Special Collections Department.
Rural Issues:
AGRIBUSINESS ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT. Records, 1970-1975.
Extent: 14.7 linear feet.
Number: MS-068.
Description: A public interest organization founded in 1970 and based in Washington, D.C., the Agribusiness Accountability Project was the joint endeavor of three Washington public interest groups: the Project on Corporate Responsibility, the Center for Community Change, and the Washington Research Project. Initially concerned with migrant and seasonal farm workers, it soon turned to additional issues such as corporate power in agriculture, the land grant college system, cooperatives, rural social movements, and tax loss farming. The project resulted in the books Hard Tomatoes, Hard Times: The Failure of the Land Grant College Complex (1972) and Eat Your Heart Out: Food Profiteering in America (1975), both written by Jim Hightower. The collection includes correspondence, reports, newspaper clippings, press releases, statements and testimony, scripts, memoranda, and printed materials. Subjects in the research files include the role of agribusiness/corporations in agriculture, migration from small farms to urban areas, migrant workers, nomination of Earl Butz as Secretary of Agriculture, rural social movements in the seventies, the land grant college system, food action campaign, cooperatives, farm taxation, and the National Farmers Organization.
AGRICULTURAL POLICY WORKING GROUP. Records, 1987-1988.
Extent: 0.21 linear feet.
Number: MS-503.
Description: The Agricultural Policy Working Group was formed in December 1986 to defeat mandatory supply controls and to promote farm policies that the group believed would enhance agricultural and rural economies. Corporate members of the working group included Cargill, Central Soya Company, Continental Grain Company, International Minerals and Chemical Corporation, Monsanto, Nabisco, and Pillsbury. The group worked to defeat a 1987 bill, often referred to as the Save the Family Farm Act, sponsored by Senator Tom Harkin (Democrat, Iowa) and Representative Richard Gephardt (Democrat, Missouri) which would have placed controls on crop production. Agribusinesses argued that the bill would lead to higher food prices and critically reduce U.S. exports. The bill was eventually defeated. This collection contains papers, reports, an article, and news releases. The papers and reports by the Agricultural Policy Working Group address issues concerning farming in 1987 and 1988, such as budget reductions and decoupling (decoupling would separate the amount of farm payments from production quantities).
AGRICULTURAL PROPERTY RIGHTS ASSOCIATION. Records, 1972-1981.
Extent: 2.58 linear feet.
Number: MS-415.
Description: Grassroots farmers group formed in 1972 to oppose construction of an oil pipeline in eastern Iowa by the Dome Pipeline Corporation of Calgary, Canada. Collection includes correspondence, meeting minutes and reports, news clippings, and U.S. Department of the Interior reports and maps.
AMERICAN AGRICULTURE MOVEMENT. Records, 1972-1981.
Extent: 2.58 linear feet.
Number: MS-463.
Description: Organization formed in 1977 in response to Congressional legislation entailing four years of farm prices below the cost of production. In many states, farmers organized protests, strikes, pickets, boycotts, and marches on state capitols and on Washington, D.C. (1977-1979). Collection includes a historical calendar, newsletters, press releases, correspondence, and news clippings
FARM CRISIS COMMITTEE. Records, 1979-2008, n.d.
Extent: 5.04 linear feet.
Number: MS-482.
Description: The Farm Crisis Committee was formed in November 1984 by a group of 17 farmers and businessmen in the Emerson, Nebraska area as an outgrowth of the Midwest Governors Conference. Its purpose was to deal with the farm crisis of the 1980s and influence the 1985 U.S. Farm Bill. Led by committee president Tim L. Wrage, the organization sought to raise awareness of the farm crisis and to organize legislative response to the decline of the family farm in the Midwest. Collection contains subject files, documents, proposed legislation, newspaper clippings, and other publications dealing with the farm crisis. It includes correspondence with U.S. Senator Tom Harkin and numerous letters from farmers and from workers in agriculture-based industries.
NATIONAL FAMILY FARM COALITION. Records, ca. 1978-1984.
Extent: 10.4 linear feet.
Number: MS-548.
Description: Organization founded in 1978 to inform the general public about agricultural systems that are self-sustaining, environmentally sound, and economically stable. With headquarters in Washington, D.C., the coalition monitored Congress, lobbying for legislation that furthered its goals. It absorbed the National Family Farm Education Project in 1981 and disbanded in 1984. Records include correspondence, testimony before Congress, bylaws, annual reports, and information on state organizations.
ORMSBY, GEORGE J. Papers, 1911, 1927-1935, 1939-1943, 1959.
Extent: 2.2 linear feet.
Number: MS-109.
Description: Resident of Wilton Junction, Cedar County, Iowa. Collection contains photocopied newspaper clippings dealing with the Cow War in eastern Iowa (1931-1935) and the Farmers Holiday Movement (1932-1934), two farmers protest movements. It includes a copy of a 1959 issue of The Iowan with an article on the Cow War ("Times of Trouble: The Cow War") with manuscript annotations in an unknown handwriting. The collection also includes photocopied correspondence to George Ormbsy from Iowa state officials and legislators and a scrapbook of Harvey Ingham's farm-related writings in the Des Moines Register.
RISSER, JAMES V., JR. (1938- ). Papers, 1963-1983.
Extent: 7.4 linear feet.
Number: MS-438.
Description: Journalist and educator. James V. Risser, Jr., received a B.A. (1959) and a certificate in journalism (1964) from the University of Nebraska; in 1962 he earned a law degree from the University of San Francisco. He was employed by the Des Moines Register from 1964-1985, and was in its Washington, D.C., bureau from 1969 to 1985. Risser has been a member of the Communications Department at Stanford University since 1985. While working at the Des Moines Register, Risser won two Pulitzer Prizes for national reporting in 1976 and 1979. The first was for his 1975 series of articles exposing corruption in grain inspection for grain shipped overseas. The second was for a 1978 series of articles on environmental damage caused by farming. He also won the Thomas L. Stokes award for environmental reporting in 1971. Collection includes correspondence, photographs, news clippings, research notes on grain standards, awards and honors, and publications.
RURAL COALITION. Records, 1943-1990, n.d.
Extent: 35.1 linear ft.
Number: MS-368
Description: The Rural Coalition, a national alliance of regionally and culturally diverse organizations concerned with rural issues provides a national, unified voice for rural people and their communities. One of the goals of the Rural Coalition has been to influence public policy to create fair legislation and returns for rural communities and minority and small farmers. The principles of the Rural Coalition include: justice and equal opportunity for all regardless of race, sex and place of residence; entitlement to goods and services essential for a decent quality of life including education, health and employment; effective control and use of resources for the long-term viability of rural areas; and the importance of community-based organizations to the development of rural communities. The collection contains organizational records and subject files which include correspondence, task force records and reports, committee materials (agendas, plans, reports), studies, annual meeting materials and minutes, board meeting materials and minutes, testimonies and statements before congressional committees, grant applications, newsletters and publications. The organizational records include records of the different task forces: jobs, natural resources, Native American issues, rural economy and development, and rural military issues.
Civil Rights:
ALLEN, EDWARD S. (1887-1985) AND MINNE (1887-1980). Papers, 1887-1985, n.d.
Extent: 1.68 linear feet.
Number: RS 13/14/51.
Description: Pacifists, civil libertarians, university professors. Edward Switzer Allen was born in Kansas City on December 12, 1887. He received an A.B. (1909), A.M. (1910) and a Ph. D. (1914) from Harvard University in Geometry. He joined the faculty of the Department of Mathematics at Iowa State in 1921. He was a member of the American Civil Liberties Union and a founder of the Iowa Civil Liberties Union (1935) where he served as president for several terms. A book titled "Freedom in Iowa" was written by Dr. Allen dealing with this organization in Iowa. Together with his wife Minne, Dr. Allen worked diligently for civil liberties. Minne Müller-Liebenwalde was born February 7, 1887 in Sondershausen, Germany. She earned a B.S. from Iowa State College. At Iowa State, she was an Instructor of sociology and was promoted to Assistant Professor. Minne Allen was also a member of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Ames Friends Meeting, and United Church Women. This collection (1887-1985) consists of biographical information on Edward and Minne Allen. It includes their correspondences, and work with the Iowa Civil Liberties Union. The civil liberties case of James Rusk in particular denotes special attention. This series contains published articles and manuscripts by Edward Allen, news clippings, course material, and memorabilia from Harvard. It contains lectures and course material from when Edward Allen taught at Iowa State University and research notes on various topics.
CARLANDER, KENNETH (1859-1947). Papers, 1878-[ongoing].
Extent: 14.26 linear feet.
Number: RS 9/10/52.
Description: Animal ecologist and peace activist. Carlander was a professor of Zoology, Entomology, and Animal Ecology at Iowa State from 1946-1988. Carlander and his wife, Harriet Bill Carlander, were active members of the United World Federalists from the late 1940s through the 1970s. This collection contains research on various aspects of fish and animal ecology, lecture notes, and papers written by Carlander and his wife, Harriet Bill Carlander. The collection also contains an extensive amount of material relating to the Carlanders' involvement in the United World Federalists and other peace and world government organizations. In addition, the collection contains personal and professional correspondence, including that related to Carlander's work with the Iowa Cooperative Wildlife Research project and various fishery research, including work done on Iowa lakes.
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY, GOVERNMENT OF THE STUDENT BODY, (CARRIE CHAPMAN) CATT HALL REVIEW COMMITTEE. Records, 1878-[ongoing].
Extent: 1.68 linear feet.
Number: RS 22/1/8.
Description: The Government of the Student Body (Carrie Chapman) Catt Hall Review Committee was appointed by Iowa State University President, Dr. Martin C. Jischke in 1998 to study the controversy associated with renaming of Agriculture Hall to Carrie Chapman Catt Hall. The collection contains records that document the work of the Government of the Student Body (Carrie Chapman) Catt Hall Review Committee. The records include meeting minutes, historical research, historical research, a copy of a September 29th Movement presentation, and printed copies of information from the Internet.
Conservation Debate:
1000 FRIENDS OF IOWA: CITIZENS FOR RESPONSIBLE LAND USE. Records, 1992- [ongoing]
Extent: 0.21linear feet.
Number: MS-612.
Description: 1000 Friends of Iowa formed in the 1990s to educate Iowa's citizens and policy-makers about the benefits of sound land use. They promote state and local land use planning to protect farmland and natural areas and ensure livable communities to encourage orderly development that most efficiently uses tax dollars and infrastructure.The collection consists of newspaper clippings regarding land use in Iowa, often focusing on proposed development. Also includes records from the Rural-Urban Land Stewardship Project (RUSP). In addition, there is a folder of print outs from selected pages within the organization's web page.
AMERICAN SCHOOL OF WILDLIFE PROTECTION COLLECTION, 1919-1992, n.d.
Extent: 0.42linear feet.
Number: MS-133
Description: The American School of Wildlife Protection was the result of a summer meeting of the Iowa Conservation Association (ICA) held at McGregor, Iowa, in July 1918. Leaders of the ICA believed that their annual March meeting should be supplemented by a summer session. The school was established in McGregor in August 1919 and continued each summer until 1941. The school was also known as the MacGregor Wild Life School and the American Institute of Nature Studies.
One of the first of its kind in the United States, the school's purpose was to promote conservation values among the public. The school's sessions combined education with activism and included both lectures and field trips. Topics included Native American history and lore, botany, geology, forestry, entomology, and ornithology. The sessions lasted one week for the first few years, and were later expanded to two weeks. The collection includes articles about the school, correspondence, a report, a library listing of the school's books, photographs, interview transcripts, photographic prints of the school's students and teachers, faculty rosters, the nomination application for the National Register of Historic Places and informational programs.
BENNETT, HUGH HAMMOND (1881-1960). Papers, 1924-1959.
Extent: 15.33 linear feet.
Number: MS-164.
Description: Conservationist and pioneer in the soil conservation movement in the United States. In 1909, Bennett was given general supervision of the soil survey work in the Eastern and Southern states and portions of the Central and Southwestern divisions, duties he kept until 1928. Bennett promoted soil conservation beginning in 1905, working to convince legislators of the need to control erosion. Bennett was placed in charge of soil erosion for the Bureau of Chemistry and Soils (1928-1932), and he organized and headed the Soil Erosion Service of the Department of the Interior (1933-1935). Collection contains writing and speeches on soil conservation; manuscripts for articles and books; published articles; drafts and final proof for Bennett's Elements of Soil Conservation; field diaries covering trips in the United States and abroad, mainly Cuba; memoranda; statements before Congressional committees; speeches, articles, and correspondence relating to the SCS reorganization controversy; reference files on soil conservation world-wide; personal and family items; and a small amount of correspondence.
CITIZENS UNITED FOR THE CONSERVATION OF UNDERGROUND WATER, INC. Records, 1981-1988, n.d.
Extent: 0.42 linear feet.
Number: MS-222.
Description: Citizens United for the Conservation of Underground Water was incorporated in Carroll County, Iowa in 1981. Their purposes in organizing were: to protect Iowa's underground water supplies and aquifers from depletion or misuse by irrigation or other excessive uses; to protect underground and surface water supplies with a view toward ensuring adequate water to residents of Iowa and to resist applications for irrigation which would be detrimental to the underground and/or surface water supplies of the state; and to protect the environment and the ecology of the area from the misuse of Iowa's natural water supplies. The collection contains correspondence, legislative materials, news clippings, annual report filings, a court brief, committee materials, and articles of incorporation and dissolution documents.
FARM LAND PRESERVATION ASSOCIATION, INC. Records, 1975-1979, n.d.
Extent: 0.84 linear feet.
Number: MS-108.
Description: The Farm Land Preservation Association, Inc., was organized in 1976. The purpose of the corporation was to oppose the construction of a diagonal interstate (I-380) between Cedar Rapids and Waterloo, Iowa, in order to protect and preserve farmland. The corporation attempted to prevent the highway construction through legal action. After three years of litigation, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis gave the Iowa Department of Transportation permission to build the highway in 1979, and I-380 was completed in 1985. The corporation filed Articles of Incorporation in 1976 and a Certificate of Cancellation in 1984. The corporation is now inactive. The collection contains articles of incorporation, correspondence, court proceedings, environmental impact statements, a route location study done by the Iowa State Highway Commission, and news clippings.
IZAAK WALTON LEAGUE OF AMERICA. IOWA DIVISION. Records, 1922-1973, n.d.
Extent: 9.66 linear feet.
Number: MS-036.
Description: The Izaak Walton League was founded in 1922, and is one of the nation's oldest and most respected conservation organizations. Its mission is to "conserve, maintain, protect, and restore the soil, forest, water, and other natural resources of the United States and other lands; to promote means and opportunities for the education of the public with respect to such resources and their enjoyment and wholesome utilization." The Izaak Walton League Iowa Division was formed in 1923 and coordinates the local chapters and programming. Programming typically focuses on conservation initiatives and activities related to streams, wetlands, clean air, outdoor ethics, and sustainability. The collection contains correspondence, histories, legislative information, membership information, minutes, national and state project reports, news releases, newspaper clippings, photographs, printed material, other reports, resolutions, and speeches. These materials document the wide-ranging administrative and programmatic activities of the Iowa Division.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CONSERVATION DISTRICTS. Records, 1936-1990.
Extent: 98 linear feet.
Number: MS-460.
Description: Organization of soil conservation districts. These districts were first organized in the 1930s to combat soil erosion on the local level; each district had a plan that outlined the best use of the district's land and included long-term goals for preserving it. By February 1947, E. C. McArthur, supervisor and chair of a South Carolina conservation district, organized the National Association of Conservation Districts to provide better service to all districts. The organization coordinates the efforts of soil conservationists, farmers, and communities to provide ongoing conservation and development of soil, water, and related natural resources.
PAMMEL, LOUIS HERMANN (1862-1931). Papers, 1856-1970, n.d.
Extent: 38 linear feet.
Number: RS 13/5/13.
Description: Botanist, conservationist, and educator, chairman of the ISU Botany Department. L.H. Pammel (1862-1931) was born in LaCrosse, Wisconsin; married Augusta Emmel in 1887, by whom there were six children. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1885, received the M.S. degree from there in 1889, and the Ph.D. from Washington University in 1897. In February 1889, he came to Iowa State College to take the chair of Botany. He soon introduced a course in bacteriology, making Iowa State the first U.S. institution to offer the subject to general students. Pammel was made Experiment Station botanist and conducted research in plant pathology and weeds that resulted in numerous publications from the Station. He made extensive collections of plants, which he gave to the college, and did work for the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Pammel was a prolific writer and received many honors. He was active in the creation of the state park law and served as first president of the Iowa State Board of Conservation. Collection contains correspondence, printed materials, newspaper clippings, interviews, photographs, and scrapbooks. His work included his research in barberry, rust and plant diseases, fungi, poisonous plants, seeds, weeds as well as his interests in conservation and the history of ISU.
RUNKEL, SYLVAN T. (1906-1995). Papers, 1925-1998, n.d.
Extent: 25.62 linear feet.
Number: MS-619.
Description: Conservationist, forester, and writer. Runkel graduated from high school in Moline, IL in 1924 and received his B.S. (1930) in Forestry from Iowa State College (University). In 1934, Runkel began his tenure with the United States Soil Conservation Service (SCS) as a forester technician and biologist. In 1952, he became the State Biologist and was appointed by the Governor to the State Preserves Board in 1969 and served for ten years, two as chair. After his retirement from the SCS in 1972, Runkel drafted four environmental impact statements for Iowa Watershed projects, and co-authored five books: Wildflowers of the Iowa Woodlands (1987), Wildflowers of the Illinois Woodlands (1994), Wildflowers of the Indiana Woodlands (1994, with Alvin F. Bull), Wildflowers of the Tallgrass Prairie: the upper Midwest (1989)and Wildflowers and other plants of Iowa wetlands (1999, with Dean M. Roosa). The collection contains correspondence, photographs, writings, notes, workshop and presentation information, and subject files related to his conservation work.
Evolution - Creation Debate:
EVOLUTION/CREATION COLLECTION, 1951-2008, n.d.
Extent: 25.62 linear feet.
Number: MS-181.
Description: The Evolution/Creation Collection was created as an artificial collection by Iowa State University's Special Collections Department in the early 1980s as a response to a heightened interest of the campus community after a series of campus lectures took place on creationism and evolution. Donations were accepted from a variety of donors in order to collect a broad range of resources covering the debate. The collection contains copies of articles, correspondence, speeches, debates, court cases, presentations, and publications relating to the evolution/creation debate and its role in public education. The bulk of the collection consists of articles, news clippings and other publications. Also included are a variety of recorded debates, both on audio and video cassettes. Publications are both from organizations and associations as well as individuals. The collection contains materials from a variety people and organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union, Isaac Asimov, William Bennetta, Franklin Parker, Harry Bert Wagoner, Phil Gerrish, and Ian Plimer. Also included are materials from related trials. Most of the collection covers the evolution/creation debate here in the United States, but some publications also document the debate outside of the United States, such as in Australia.
FRAIR, WAYNE (1926- ). Papers, 1951-2008, n.d.
Extent: 1.68 linear feet.
Number: MS-299.
Description: Biologist, university professor. He received his A.B. (1950) in zoology from Houghton College, New York, his B.S. (1951) in zoology from Wheaton College, Illinois, an M.A. (1955) in embryology from the University of Massachusetts, and a Ph.D. (1962) in biochemical taxonomy from Rutgers University, New Jersey. He joined the faculty of The King's College, New York, as instructor of biology in 1955. As of 2007, he is professor emeritus of biology at The King's College. Frair's research focuses on the biology of turtles particularly on systematics and serology. Frair is a fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Scientific Affiliation. Frair is an ardent supporter of creationism and intelligent design and to this cause has contributed both time and talent. Frair served as president (1986-1993) of the Creation Research Society, and he has been a member of the society's board of directors since 1970. He also is a member of the Bible-Science Association, National Association of Evangelicals, and National Association of Christian Educators. Collection contains manuscripts by Frair and printed materials supporting scientific creation. The papers contain writings by Frair including published articles, two unpublished manuscripts on creation, and bibliographies of his works. The remaining materials include articles, book reviews, correspondence, commentary, and news clippings published by various authors that argue in favor of creation and against evolution.
PATTERSON, JOHN W. (1936- ). Papers, 1947-[ongoing]
Extent: 6.67 linear feet.
Number: RS 11/12/51.
Description: Professor of Materials Science and Engineering. John W. (Jack) Patterson Jr. was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on March 14, 1936. Patterson received a combined Bachelors and Masters degree (1962) in mining engineering and a Ph.D. (1966) in metallurgical engineering from The Ohio State University. Dr. Patterson joined the faculty at Iowa State University as Assistant Professor (1966-1971) of materials science and engineering. He was promoted to Associate Professor (1971-1976) and Professor (1976-1995). Dr. Patterson's early research interests were in electrical transport properties of solid electrolytes at elevated temperatures. During the second half of his career, his research focus shifted towards the application of statistics to industrial manufacturing and processing. Dr. Patterson is perhaps most widely known for his criticism of creationism and supernatural phenomena. His debate with Dr. David A. Weltha (Ph.D. (1969) Iowa State University), then an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Environment at Iowa State University, received wide local coverage and even generated some national headlines. Dr. Weltha promoted and gave lectures on a variety of topics such as astrology, hypnosis, life after death, and other unexplained phenomena, but it was the seminar that he taught at ISU on reincarnation that elicited the most vocal criticism from Dr. Patterson. The collection contains biographical information on Dr. Patterson and clippings and correspondence accumulated by Dr. Patterson in his efforts to dispute supernatural phenomena, creationism, religion, and even claims of perpetual motion. Included in the papers are correspondence and news clippings related to the controversy between himself and Dr. David A. Weltha. His correspondences with Henry P. Zuidema and Frank Trumpy document his efforts in opposition to creationism. He became a regular correspondent with Erica Heftmann, author of Dark Side of the Moonies, about religious cults and even contemplated co-authoring a book together. Also included in the collection are letters between Dr. Patterson and William "Bill" Brouwers, a pastor from Indiana. Brouwers and Patterson developed a friendship despite their opposing views. Correspondence and course materials for this class can also be found in the collection.
WEINBERG, STANLEY L. (1911-2001). Papers, 1927-2001, n.d.
Extent:5.63 linear feet.
Number: MS-640.
Description: Biologist, educator, writer. Weinberg graduated from City College of New York with a B.S. (1933) in biology and an M.S. (1971) from Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State University). He taught science courses in New York City from 1935-1957. After moving to his wife's home town of Ottumwa, Iowa in 1967, he taught at Ottumwa High School, Iowa (1970-1971). Weinberg authored several textbooks and lab manuals on biology, including Biology: An Inquiry Into the Nature of Life and also co-edited Reviews of Thirty-One Creationist Books (1984).
In 1981, Weinberg founded the Committees of Correspondence in response to the creation science movement, which encouraged public schools to give a balanced view of both evolution and scientific creationism and promoted the introduction of state bills and resolutions to put this practice into law. The goals of the Committees of Correspondence were continued by the National Center for Science Education in 1983. The National Center for Science Education promotes the teaching of the scientific theory of evolution in public schools. The collection includes correspondence, financial records, subject files, and research material, which document Weinberg's relationship with the Committees of Correspondence and the creationist/evolution debate. Subject files of states often contain material concerning court cases and legislation related to the teaching creationism and evolution in public schools.
Political and Legislative Issues:
CITIZENS ACTION COMMITTEE FOR FAIR REPRESENTATION. Records, 1960-1979, n.d.
Extent: 0.21 linear feet.
Number: MS-131.
Description: The Citizens Action Committee for Fair Representation was organized in November 1960 as an outgrowth of the Citizens Committee for a Constitutional Convention. Its basic tenets were: 1) the Iowa House of Representatives should be apportioned on a population basis; 2) the Iowa Senate should be established on an area or geographic basis; and 3) there should be an automatic reapportionment every ten years after each Federal census. The collection contains correspondence, news clippings, and reapportionment plans.
CITIZENS COMMITTEE TO ELIMINATE LITTER IN IOWA. Records, 1956-1978, n.d.
Extent: 0.63 linear feet.
Number: MS-088
Description: The Citizens Committee to Eliminate Litter in Iowa (CCELI) was formed in the early 1970s to oppose proposed legislation establishing deposits on bottles and cans in Iowa. The collection (1956-1978, n.d.) contains correspondence, advertising materials, newspaper clippings, background materials, and drafts of proposed Iowa legislation
DARRINGTON, WILLIAM E . (1904-1988). Papers, 1950-1970, n.d.
Extent: 2.4 linear feet.
Number: MS-063.
Description: William E. Darrington was born on a farm in Persia, Iowa in Pottawattamie County on May 31, 1904. Darrington served as a State Representative as a Republican for Harrison County for nine terms (1951-1970), except for one term in 1965. In 1959, he was appointed Speaker Pro Tempore of the Iowa House of Representatives. The collection contains Darrington's state representative materials and includes subject files, printed materials on legislative concerns, speeches, drafts and proposals for bills and statutes, correspondence (mainly from constituents), and reports written by Darrington for his constituents (Highlights by Bill). The constituent correspondence includes topics such as bills and statutes, taxes, liquor control, water, roads, drainage, adoption, abortion, and population. The reports written by Darrington to his constituents, Highlights by Bill, appeared in local newspapers and discussed current bills, visitors to the legislature, and other observances or activities. Darrington described the bills that might be of interest to his constituents of Harrison County and what the bill was intended to accomplish.
DEWEL, DUANE E. (1901-1984). Papers, 1951-1974
Extent: 0.42 linear feet.
Number: MS-046.
Description: Duane E. Dewel was born in Burt, Iowa in 1901. He attended the University of Iowa (1919-1921) and graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism (1924). Dewel was active both as a journalist and state legislator. Dewel served as State Senator in the Iowa General Assembly for two terms (1948-1960) and was leader of the Senate Republican Majority in 1955. In addition to serving as a State Senator, Dewel was state chair (1962-1963) of Iowans Against the Shaff Plan and in 1968 was chair of Iowans Opposed to Annual Unlimited [Legislative] Sessions. The collection contains correspondence, articles, newspaper clippings, and promotional materials relating to proposals for the reapportionment of the Iowa General Assembly and with the group opposed to annual sessions of the State Legislature. The collection does not contain much material related to his work in the Iowa General Assembly, other than the records related to reapportionment.
ERSKINE, ALDEN J. (1901-1991). Papers, 1923-1977, n.d
Extent: 11.76 linear feet.
Number: MS-085.
Description: Conservationist and state legislator, Alden J. Erskine was born May 2, 1901 in Ticonic, Iowa. He attended the Nebraska School of Agriculture (1920-1921), and then went into the automotive business in Sioux City, Iowa where he owned and operated the United Motors Automobile Maintenance Company for thirty-nine years. Erskine, a Republican, served as an Iowa State Senator (1966-1972). He was Chair of the Senate's Conservation and Recreation Committee during the 64th General Assembly and Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Natural Resources (circa 1970). Erskine served on the following committees as state senator: Conservation and Recreation, Government Subdivisions, Safety and Law Enforcement, Appropriations, Cities and Towns, Constitutional and Reapportionment, Iowa Development, Ways and Means, and Assistance Grant Programs Study. The collection contains correspondence, reports, financial records, minutes, newspaper clippings, photographs, subject files, copies of bills, and printed materials. The bulk of the collection documents Erskine's involvement with the Izaak Walton League of America and his legislative career. Legislative materials include correspondence, subject files, committee files, conservation materials, reports, bills, news releases, and testimonies.
GAUDINEER, LEE H. (1932- ). Papers, 1967-1972, n.d.
Extent: 1.05 linear feet.
Number: MS-017.
Description: Lee H. Gaudineer, Jr., was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on 10 March 1932. He received his B.A. (1957) from Grinnell College, J.D. (1958) from Drake University, and LL.M. (1967) from Missouri University. Before serving in Iowa government, Gaudineer was an attorney and served as a staff member of the legislative research bureau. After serving one term in the Iowa House, Gaudineer was elected to the Iowa State Senate on November 8, 1966. Two years later he won reelection. After this period, Gaudineer did not seek reelection and returned to private law practice. The collection consists of minutes of the committees or sub-committees Gaudineer served on in the Iowa House and Senate. Also included are notes, minutes, correspondence, resolutions, and other papers dealing with a challenge to the Iowa delegation to the 1972 Democratic National Convention. This challenge was brought before the Credentials Committee of the Democratic National Committee (1972).
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM WAR POLITICAL DEMONSTRATIONS COLLECTION, 1950-1998, n.d.
Extent: 1.47 linear feet.
Number: RS 0/12/1.
Description: The collection (1950-1998, n.d.) contains news clippings, resolutions, statements, reports, and other information regarding the protests against the Vietnam War on the Iowa State University campus. The materials also include transcripts and reel-to-reel tapes of oral history interviews done by the Special Collections Department with key individuals from the protests including students, administrators, and citizens of Ames, Iowa. In addition, the collection contains Michael Swan's thesis (From Vietnam to Don Smith and Beyond: The Iowa State Daily and its Portrayal of a Radical Decade, 1965-1975) and six interviews.
IOWANS FOR RETURNABLE BEVERAGE CONTAINERS. Records, 1971-1978, n.d.
Extent: 0.21 linear feet.
Number: MS-138.
Description: Iowans for Returnable Beverage Containers began in 1977 with the goal of gaining support for the passage of a bill for a returnable beverage container program in Iowa. In 1962, ninety-five percent of pop containers sold in the United States had been in returnable containers, but by 1977 that figure was down to thirty percent. Iowans for Returnable Beverage Containers wished to increase that number of available returnable beverage containers. The collection contains meeting minutes, newsletters, news clippings, correspondence, legislation materials, and materials related to legislation and similar efforts in other states (including bills, reports, and newsletters). Most of the collection concerns efforts to gain support for the legislation in Iowa, but files relating to efforts in other states and national legislation are also included.
LAVERTY, CHARLES. Papers (1916-1995), 1965-1974, n.d.
Extent: 2.6 linear feet.
Number: RS 21/7/69.
Description: Charles Owen Laverty was born in Indianola, Iowa, on April 16, 1916. He attended Indianola schools and Simpson College prior to earning a B.S. (1940) in dairy husbandry from Iowa State College (University). He represented Marion, Monroe, and Warren counties in the Iowa State Senate (1969-1972). During his two terms as state senator, he headed two environmental preservation study committees that produced several innovations that were later enacted into state law, including the establishment of the Chemical Technology Review Board, the Department of Environmental Quality, and a soil conservancy measure. Laverty was also a member of the Land Use Policies Study Committee. This collection contains files relating to Charles Laverty's work on environmental issues and land use during his service in the Iowa state legislature. The materials include correspondence, minutes, reports, and background information.
MESSERLY, FRANCIS (1915-1994). Papers, 1967-1984, n.d.
Extent: 1.05 linear feet.
Number: MS-143.
Description: Francis L. Messerly was born on April 21, 1915 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. He attended public school in Cedar Falls and graduated from high school in Finchford, Iowa. Messerly was a member of both the Iowa General Assembly's House (1961-1964) and Senate (1965-1972), serving as chairman of the Appropriations Committee and vice chairman of the Budget and Financial Control Committee. Messerly was a leader in the reform of Iowa's criminal justice system by introducing legislation that allowed work release for county jail prisoners and a reformed meal system. Messerly also became involved with the Iowa universities during the campus unrest years of the Vietnam War era (circa 1967-1971), the Edward Hoffmans affair at the University of Northern Iowa (Hoffmans was against the student draft), and the reorganization of the School of Journalism at the University of Iowa. Messerly was critical of the student riots, campus "radicals," university employees sympathetic to the student unrest, and the universities' use of public funds. The collection contains correspondence, publications, reports, articles, news clippings, speeches, and biographical information. The majority of the collection contains records related to Iowa universities.
PEOPLE UNITED FOR RURAL EDUCATION. Records, 1967-1993, n.d.
Extent: 2.15 linear feet.
Number: MS-300.
Description: People United for Rural Education (PURE) was a grassroots organization formed in April 1977 by Judy Greiner, Janet Kinney and Joyce Losure, to champion small schools. It was founded in reaction to the growing number of consolidations among rural school districts. The organization participated in lobbying, mostly to the Iowa State Legislature about educational issues, especially regarding consolidation of small schools and rural school systems. They also produced a regular newsletter developed to inform the public of the activities of not only their organization but also the activities of the Iowa government. This collection contains announcements, appointment books, audio cassettes, booklets, brochures, convention programs, correspondence, directories, meeting minutes, membership lists, news releases, newsletters, newspaper clippings, programs, proposals, and surveys.
WALLACE, HENRY A. (1888-1965). Collection, 1910-2007.
Extent: 2.15 linear feet.
Number: RS 21/07/05.
Description: Farm editor, corn breeder, businessman, and public official. Henry A. Wallace was born on a farm near Orient, Iowa, and graduated from Iowa State University in 1910. His grandfather Henry Wallace founded and edited Wallaces' Farmer, a prestigious Iowa farming journal; his father Henry C. Wallace was U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1921-1924. Henry A. Wallace edited Wallaces' Farmer from 1921 to 1933. He founded the Hi-Bred Corn Company (today Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.) in 1926. Wallace was U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (1933-1940), Vice President (1941-1945), and Secretary of Commerce (1945-1946). He was the 1948 presidential candidate on the Progressive Party ticket. Collection includes biographical material, newspaper clippings, correspondence, addresses, photographs, interviews, reminiscences, bibliography, and publications. Of special interest is a Federal Bureau of Investigation file on Wallace from the late 1940s to the early 1950s. Copies of transcripts of interviews with Wallace in 1950-1951 by the Oral History Research Office of Columbia University give his reminiscences of the period 1888-1934. A June 1960 interview was done at the 50th anniversary reunion of the class of 1910. The collection also includes discussion papers from a workshop, "Henry A. Wallace, Hybrid Corn and the Great American Agricultural Revolution," held in 1987 at Iowa State. Related materials in the Iowa State University Library include Henry A. Wallace Papers at the University of Iowa Libraries (E748.W23 A2x 1977, microfilm) and The Wallace Papers: An Index to the Microfilm Editions of the Henry A. Wallace Papers (Iowa City: University of Iowa Libraries, 1975), Z6616.W239 R63, Microforms and General Collection.
WILSON, JAMES "TAMA JIM" (1835-1920). Papers, 1887-1986.
Extent: 5.8 linear feet.
Number: RS 09/01/11.
Description: Legislator, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, and professor of agriculture. James Wilson was born in Ayrshire, Scotland. His family emigrated to the United States in 1851, settling in Connecticut, but they moved to a farm near Traer in Tama County, Iowa, in 1855. During his early years in Iowa, Wilson attended Grinnell College, began farming, married Esther Wilbur in 1863, and edited the Traer Star-Clipper. He was elected to the Iowa legislature, then to three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. In Congress, he served on the Committee on Agriculture and the Rules Committee. He acquired the nickname "Tama Jim" to distinguish him from Senator James Falconer Wilson ("Jefferson Jim"), also from Iowa. After his Congressional career, Tama Jim returned to farming and wrote for the Iowa Homestead and other farm journals. In 1891, he was appointed professor of agriculture and director of the Experiment Station at Iowa State University, where he placed agricultural instruction on a scientific and practical basis. During his six years at Iowa State, he established a very close relationship with George Washington Carver, often discussing the possibility of applying the principles of plant genetics to improving livestock. From 1897 to 1913, he served as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture under Presidents McKinley, Roosevelt, and Taft. During his tenure, the department extended its activities, established experiment stations in all parts of the United States, inaugurated farm demonstration work in the South, began cooperative extension work in agriculture and home economics, and sent experts and scientists all over the world to gather information for the promotion of agriculture. After retirement, he returned to Tama County and was appointed to report on agricultural conditions in Great Britain, together with his longtime friend "Uncle" Henry Wallace. Collection contains biographical material, news clippings, letter press books, correspondence, addresses, articles, reports, transcripts of interviews, scrapbooks, photographs, a typescript copy of the 1913 report "Agricultural Conditions in Great Britain and Ireland," and genealogical material.
Reapportionment of the Iowa Legislature:
CITIZENS ACTION COMMITTEE FOR FAIR REPRESENTATION. Records, 1960-1979, n.d.
Extent: 0.21 linear feet.
Number: MS-131.
Description: The Citizens Action Committee for Fair Representation was organized in November 1960 as an outgrowth of the Citizens Committee for a Constitutional Convention. Its basic tenets were: 1) the Iowa House of Representatives should be apportioned on a population basis; 2) the Iowa Senate should be established on an area or geographic basis; and 3) there should be an automatic reapportionment every ten years after each Federal census. The collection contains records of the Citizens Action Committee for Fair Representation including correspondence, news clippings, and reapportionment plans.
CITIZENS' COMMITTEE FOR A CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION (IOWA). Records, 1955-1960.
Extent: 2.5 linear ft. (6 document boxes)
Number: MS-16
Description: The Citizens' Committee for a Constitutional Convention (CCCC) formed in 1959. The group lobbied for a constitutional convention for Iowa as a means to obtain reapportionment of the state's General Assembly. The CCCC did not support a particular plan for reapportionment, but believed that it was up to the delegates of a constitutional convention to decide. Plans for reapportionment ranged from favoring both houses based on population, to one house based on land area and the other on population. The collection contains records of the Citizens' Committee for a Constitutional Convention (CCCC) including minutes, correspondence, promotional material, administrative and legal information, and news clippings. Of note is a survey by counties of newspaper reactions to the proposed constitutional convention.
LAWRENCE A. (PAT) TOUCHAE. Papers. 1955-1960, n.d.
Extent: 16.87 linear feet.
Number: MS-129.
Description: Lawrence A. "Pat" Touchae served as mayor of Waterloo, Iowa from 1950-1956. In 1952, while Touchae was mayor, Waterloo became the first Midwestern city to declare a Civil Rights Week. He served as Executive Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce and was a leader in the Urban Street and Highway Research Association. Touchae was politically active again in 1963 in a movement to defeat the Shaff Plan, which called for Iowa legislative reapportionment, with the House elected on an area basis and the Senate on a population basis.
Women's Suffrage:
Woman Suffrage Collection. 1916-1919, n.d.
Extent: 0.21 linear feet.
Number: MS-471.
Description: This collection (1916-1919, n.d.) contains materials related to the woman suffrage movement in Iowa and the United States. It includes printed material supporting the equal suffrage amendment on the ballot in the June 1916 Iowa primary election, blank enrollment cards for the Iowa Equal Suffrage Association and the Boone County (Iowa) Suffrage Association, a 1919 newspaper article from the New York Sun, and postcards of Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
Adams Family. Papers. 1618-1976, n.d.
Extent: 2.94 linear feet.
Number: MS-010.
Description: The Adams Family Papers contain papers from numerous members of the Adams family, including materials from the women in the family. One member in particular, Mary Newbury Adams (1837-1901), was involved in the suffrage movement and encouraging women's education. She and her husband, Austin Adams, a young lawyer and teacher, lived in Dubuque, Iowa. Their home became a meeting place for intellectuals of the period (1860's through 1880's). In 1866, Mrs. Adams became interested in women's suffrage and did much to promote it through writing and speaking. She was a member of the Association for Advancement of Women, the American Historical Association, vice chairperson of Women's Branch of the World's Congress Auxiliary of the Colombian Exposition, and numerous literary societies. The Adams Family Papers (1618-1976, n.d.) contains correspondence, writings, diaries, newspaper clippings, the family bible and biographical materials. The biographical materials include newspaper clippings, journals, and diaries of the family members. [Please note: many of the materials in this collection are in fragile condition. Please consult with an archivist before using this collection.]
Catt, Carrie Chapman (1859-1947 ). Papers, 1878-[ongoing].
Extent: 1.68 linear feet.
Number: RS 21/7/3.
Description: Suffragist, early feminist, political activist, and Iowa State alumna (1880). Carrie Lane Chapman Catt was born on January 9, 1859 in Ripon, Wisconsin to Maria Clinton and Lucius Lane. At the close of the Civil War, the Lanes moved to a farm near Charles City, Iowa. After graduating from the Iowa Agricultural College (Iowa State University) in1880, she became the high school principal in Mason City and then in 1883 the superintendent of Mason City Schools. In this capacity, she met Leo Chapman, editor of the Mason City Republican, and they married in February 1885. She spent some time in California as a newspaper reporter and then returned to Iowa to begin her crusade for women's suffrage. She was president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association from 1900-1904 and from 1915 until its goal was reached. She also formed and was president of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance for many years. When the women's vote was attained in 1920, Mrs. Catt looked ahead and encouraged the formation of a non-partisan group, the League of Women Voters. Collection contains biographical data, correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, bibliographies, publications, reviews, addresses, awards, scrapbook of tributes, material relating to the Woman's Centennial Congress, artifacts, and her will.
U.S. - Soviet Relations:
BENTLY, RONALD C. (1899- ). Papers, 1926-1933, 1937-1963.
Extent: 5.25 linear feet.
Number: RS 13/09/53.
Description: Farm broadcaster and extension marketing specialist. Ronald Bentley was on the Iowa State University staff from 1927 to 1965. Collection includes correspondence, printed materials, news broadcasts, market research data, surveys, writings relating to market news broadcasting on WOI radio and television, market news analysis, and audience response. It also includes materials dealing with a trip taken by Iowans to Western Europe and the Soviet Union in 1958.
CATRON, DAMON VON (1915-1967). Papers, 1915-2004, n.d.
Extent: 17.64 linear feet.
Number: RS 9/11/55.
Description: Animal scientist, university professor, consultant. Catron received B.S. (1938) in agriculture and agriculture education from Purdue University, an M.S. (1945) in animal husbandry and animal nutrition from the University of Illinois, and a Ph.D. (1948) in animal nutrition and physiological chemistry from Iowa State College (University). His main areas of research included animal nutrition in the fields of antibiotics, vitamin B12, trace minerals, protein and amino acids requirements, digestive enzyme systems, effects of nutrients, and additive factors influencing feed intake. Catron joined the faculty at Iowa State College (University) as an Assistant Professor (1945-1947) in the Animal Science Department; he was soon promoted to Associate Professor (1958-1952) and Professor (1953-1960). He left Iowa State to become Vice President of Research and Development (1960-1964) for Walnut Grove Products Co. in Atlantic, Iowa. He then accepted a position as Director of Life Sciences Research (1964-1966) at W. R. Grace and Co. in Clarksville, Maryland. He joined the faculty of the University of Missouri as Chair (1966-1967) of the Food Science and Nutrition Department. The papers include biographical information, correspondence, course and lecture materials, as well as his publications. The collection also contains photographs (box 1, folders 14 -15) and an agenda (box 15, folders 5 - 6) concerning the visit from Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev to Iowa State's Swine Nutrition Research Center. Premier Khrushchev toured the animal research facilities including the modern farrowing/lactation nursery building, and examine the mill room where mixing of experimental rations were done. He also saw the piglets nursery for early weaning, the disease control laboratory and was shown various displays concerning feed and nutrition research.
CHRYSTAL, JOHN (1925- ). Papers, n.d., 1893-1998.
Extent: 9.37 linear feet.
Number: MS-422.
Description: Banker, farmer, and agricultural leader. John Chrystal studied economics at the University of Iowa and farmed with his brother in Coon Rapids, Iowa, after World War II. Chrystal then became a banker in Coon Rapids and served as state superintendent of banking under Governor Harold E. Hughes (1963-1969). He was president of the Iowa Savings Bank, then president and chief executive officer of Bankers Trust in Des Moines, Iowa (1984-1989). The nephew of Roswell Garst, Chrystal was also a partner in the Garst Seed Company. Chrystal traveled extensively in the Soviet Union, meeting with Soviet officials. He ran for governor of Iowa in the 1990 Democratic primary but lost. Collection includes manuscripts of speeches, correspondence, awards, photographs, and news clippings. Correspondents include John Culver, Lowell L. Junkins, Victor F. Lischenko, and Lydia V. Ospinnikova.
GARST, ROSWELL (1898-1977). Papers, 1919-2005.
Extent: 43.26 linear feet.
Number: RS 21/07/12.
Description: Iowa agriculturist, innovator, and founder of Garst and Thomas Hybrid Corn Company. Roswell Garst was born in 1898 and grew up in Coon Rapids, Iowa. He attended Iowa State University and Northwestern University, but did not earn a degree. In 1926, Garst was living in Des Moines, Iowa, where he became acquainted with Henry A. Wallace, then editor of Wallaces' Farmer. Wallace interested him in the hybrid seed corn business, and Garst returned to Coon Rapids in 1930 to plant fifteen acres of hybrid corn in cooperation with Wallace. A year later Garst founded the Garst and Thomas Hybrid Corn Company in partnership with another Coon Rapids farmer, Charles W. Thomas. Garst aggressively promoted hybridization, mechanization, fertilization, and utilization of cellulose as fodder for cattle. He also advocated the use of herbicides, pesticides, and irrigation in the United States and abroad to achieve dramatic increases in agricultural productivity. Garst contributed toward improving East-West relations through agricultural exchanges and the transfer of American agricultural technology to the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Collection contains biographical materials, correspondence, news clippings, articles, and documents related to Garst's company and farms. Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev's 1959 visit to the Garst home in Coon Rapids is documented through correspondence, photographs, gifts, news clippings, and publications. There are also materials concerning trade transactions with the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, and reports on grain production in South America and other regions of the world. Correspondents include John F. Kennedy, Henry A. Wallace, Walter Mondale, and members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
OLSEN, RALPH A. (1901-1982). Papers, 1918-2006, n.d.
Extent: 0.84 linear feet.
Number: RS 21/7/55.
Description: Farmer, agribusinessman, cooperative organizer. Ralph A. Olsen was born June 13, 1901, in Ellsworth, Iowa and received a B.S. (1923) in animal science from Iowa State College (University). He farmed near Ellsworth, Iowa and became active in agribusiness, organizing cooperatives, and a variety of farm organizations. Olsen served as secretary of the Ellsworth and Williams Co-op, president of the Boone Valley Co-op, president of SoyCot Sales Inc., and a board member of Farmland Foods. He also traveled extensively to study and promote agriculture, and including visits to India and the USSR. Collection includes correspondence, notes, and news clippings related to Olsen's activities with farm cooperatives and his travels. His trips to India, as well as his participation with the American Delegation to the Soviet Union in 1955, are particularly well documented. Also included in the collection are correspondence and other documents related to Olsen's family, his donation to the Iowa State Foundation for the completion of the football stadium, and his time as a student at Iowa State College (University).
PIKE, HERBERT W. (1912-1989). Papers, 1918-1989.
Extent: 6.84 linear feet.
Number: RS 16/03/53.
Description: Farmer and businessman. Herbert W. Pike was born in Monona County, Iowa, and received a B.S. from Iowa State University in agriculture in 1933 and an M.S. in economics in 1939. Pike worked as a land assessor for Bankers' Life, served a brief tenure as an extension assistant, served in World War II, and farmed near Whiting, in Monona County. He took part in the agricultural tour of the U.S.S.R. in July 1955. Active in the Iowa Republican Party, Pike served on various committees. Governor Robert D. Ray appointed Pike to the Governor's Educational Advisory Council and the Iowa 2000 Committee. He served on the Citizen's Advisory Council of the Iowa Cooperative Study of Post High School Education. Collection contains biographical information, correspondence, personal business records, clippings, government documents, and photographs. Most of the collection documents Pike's 1955 trip to the U.S.S.R., including souvenir books, periodicals, scrapbooks, clippings, and photographs. Notebooks and binders contain material on Pike's undergraduate work, military training, and professional career. Sporadic information on Pike's land assessment work around the Midwest and Texas is included. Correspondents include Gerald Ford and Robert Ray. There is also correspondence with Iowa State president James Hilton on the local activities of the National Farmers Organization. The collection includes documents concerning lobbying activities of the Iowa Farm Bureau and legislation affecting conservation, roads, and taxation from 1967-1985. Also in the collection are transcripts of Pike's testimony before a Senate sub-committee and the U.S. House of Representatives on the 1971 Farm Bill.
SOTH, LAUREN K. (1910- ). Papers, 1945-1975.
Extent: 17.82 linear feet.
Number: RS 16/03/54.
Description: Agricultural economist and editor at the Des Moines Register and Tribune. Lauren Soth was born in Sibley, Iowa, in 1910. He received B.S. (1932) and M.S. (1938) degrees from Iowa State University. Soth was in charge of economic information at Iowa State from 1934-1947 and was an editorial writer for the Des Moines Register and Tribune from 1947-1954. He was editor of the newspaper's editorial pages from 1954 until his retirement in 1975. Soth received a Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing in 1956 for encouraging U.S.-Soviet agricultural exchange. He is the author of Farm Trouble (1957), Farm Policy for the Sixties (1961), An Embarrassment of Plenty (1965), Agriculture in an Industrial Society (1966), and The Farm Policy Game Play by Play (1989). Collection includes correspondence, manuscripts of publications, photographs, publications, and speeches. There is material documenting the U.S.-Russian agricultural exchange of 1955 and Soth's U.S.S.R. trip the same year, including 750 photographs. Collection also contains speeches and talks on the Wolf Ladejinsky affair, the oleomargarine controversy at Iowa State University during World War II, agricultural economics, and the National Planning Association. There is correspondence about farm policy in the 1970s and 1980s, and material on agricultural issues such as animal rights, food and export policy, and land usage. Correspondents include Harold F. Breimyer, Robert K. Buck, Erwin D. Canham, Marion Clawson, Willard W. Cochrane, Joseph Dunner, Paul Engle, Orville Freeman, John Kenneth Galbraith, Roswell Garst, Charles M. Hardin, Earl O. Heady, A. C. Hoffman, Dale Hoover, Raymond M. Hughes, Gale D. Johnson, Allan B. Kline, Alfred A. Knopf, L. G. Ligutti, James G. Maddox, George McGovern, Donald R. Murphy, Harrison E. Salisbury, Theodore W. Schultz, H. Christian Sonne, Carroll P. Streeter, George S. Talley, Frederick V. Waugh, and Walter W. Wilcox.
STEDDOM, J. MARION (1901-1981). Papers, 1954-1981, n.d.
Extent: 0.63 linear feet.
Number: RS 21/7/65.
Description: Farmer and agricultural leader. John Marion Steddom received a certificate (1922) for the completion of the two-year collegiate course in agriculture from Iowa State College (University). He farmed land near Granger, Iowa and specialized in swine production. Steddom was recognized for his accomplishments with numerous awards and honors, including Master Swine Producer (1943) and Wallaces Farmer magazine named him Master Farmer (1957). He was also regularly asked to speak on agricultural related issues. He assisted in establishing the Iowa Marketing Board and the National Swine Council. In 1955, he was among the delegation of United States farmers, educators and press representatives to go to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) to study farming in the USSR. Collection contains consists mostly of correspondence, photographs, notes, news clippings, and other materials related to J. Marion Steddom's participation with the American Delegation to the USSR to study Soviet agriculture in 1955. Also included in the collection are records and correspondence related to the National Swine Producer's Council, as well as addresses made by Steddom to various civic and professional groups.
Previous Year's Topics
"Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History" (2011-2012)
"Innovation in History: Impact and Change" (2009-2010)
"The Individual in History: Actions and Legacies" (2008-2009)
"Conflict & Compromise in History" (2007-2008)
"Triumph and Tragedy in History" (2006-2007)
"Taking a Stand in History: People, Ideas, Events" (2005-2006)