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MC 00026 Guide to the David Stathem Weaver Papers, 1862, 1917 - 1968
The David Stathem Weaver Papers include materials documenting Weaver's career in agriculture, his tenure at North Carolina
State College (later North Carolina State University) in the Department of Agricultural Engineering, his work in the Agricultural
Extension Service, his role in promoting rural electrifcation, and his dedication to the improvement of the farm community.
The collection includes speeches, correspondence, clippings, documents, photographs, and scrapbooks, from 1918 through 1966.
Also included is an 1862 Civil War letter written by Weaver's maternal grandfather, David Stathem.
David Stathem Weaver (1896-1966) was an agricultural engineer, educator, and administrator. Weaver was professor, then department
head of the Agricultural Engineering Department at North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering (later North
Carolina State University), 1923-1948. He was principal engineer, 1936-1937, for the Rural Electrification Administration
in Washington, D.C., where he continued work that he had already begun in North Carolina. Weaver was also specialist in agricultural
extension, 1937-1948, and associate director, 1948-1950, then director, 1950-1961, of the North Carolina Agricultural Extension
Service.
Restrictions to AccessThis collection is open for research; access requires at least 24 hours advance notice. Acquisitions InformationGift of Mrs. David S. Weaver on April 29, 1968 (Accession no. 1968-0004) and June 6, 1968 (Accession no. 1968-0005); transfer from NCSU University Archives, 2003. Preferred Citation[Identification of Item], David Stathem Weaver Papers, MC 26, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina. Copyright NoticeThe nature of the NCSU Libraries' Special Collections means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The NCSU Libraries claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials. The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. ProcessingProcessed by: William L. Svec and Jennifer McElroy; machine-readable finding aid created by: William L. Svec and Jennifer McElroy Biographical NoteDavid Stathem Weaver was born on June 19, 1896, and died on November 12, 1966. Weaver served as an agricultural leader and educator throughout North Carolina from 1923 to 1966. He devoted much of his professional energies to the "relief of human drudgery" and to improve the rural family standard through the employment of mechanization, electricity and chemistry. His concern also extended to the waste of our natural resources and he was active in soil and water conservation and other agricultural programs whose aims were to promote this interest. After serving in World War I, he graduated from Ohio State University in 1920 with a B.S. in Agriculture. From 1920 to 1923, he was an assistant professor of agricultural engineering at Mississippi A&M College. In 1923, Weaver began teaching at the North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering (later North Carolina State University) where, in 1925, he received his master's degree in agricultural engineering. Weaver remained on the faculty and became a professor in 1936. In the early 1930s, Weaver conducted the North Carolina Rural Electrification Survey, which was the forebear of the 1935 North Carolina Rural Electrification Act. The survey played an important role in convincing President Roosevelt and Congress that rural people wanted electricity. This directly led to the establishment of the Rural Electrification Administration (REA). From 1936 to 1937, Weaver was the principal engineer for the REA in Washington, D.C. where he continued work that he had already begun in North Carolina, and completed the first statewide electrification surveys. In an era when electricity's primary use was for illumination, he was interested in expanding its use to farm mechanization with the goal of improving farm productivity and efficiency as well as the farmers' quality of life. Weaver often remarked that electricity was the cheapest labor the farmer could employ. His work in this area led to his being called the "father of rural electrification in North Carolina" because his pioneering work had a major influence on both national and state programs in Rural Electrification. Weaver returned to North Carolina State College in 1937 as head of the Department of Agricultural Engineering where he had considerable influence in bringing light and power to farmers of North Carolina. He maintained his association with the Rural Electrification Administration, serving as secretary and sometime chairman through 1963. During the period of 1937 through 1948, he was also a specialist in charge of agricultural extension work. In 1948, he became the assistant director of the Agricultural Extension Service (AES). Succeeding I. O. Schaub as director in 1950, he served in that position until 1961. His retirement came in 1964 after serving three years as special assistant to the dean of the School of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State College. As head of the AES, Weaver was responsible for one of the largest adult education agencies in the United States. While in this position he helped found the North Carolina Board of Farm Organizations and Agencies in an effort to ensure cooperation among federal and state agencies seeking to service farm people. For his contribution he received the Distinguished Service Awards of the North Carolina Farm Bureau and the North Carolina State Grange. In 1950, he was named by the Progessive Farmer "Man of the Year in Service to Agriculture" and elected a Fellow of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers. In addition to numerous other honors, he was admitted to the North Carolina State University Hall of Fame. Weaver was an active member in the agricultural fraternity Alpha Zeta (serving as its National Chancellor) as well as in the Royal Arch Masons, Knights Templar and Delta Theta Sigma. He wrote numerous publications, articles, bulletins, and circulars. In 1964, North Carolina State College awarded him an honorary doctor of humanities degree, and in 1968 the Biological and Agricultural Engineering Laboratories of North Carolina State University building was named in his honor. Weaver married Gertrude Marie Brickman on October 19, 1919, and he had three sons: David, Jr., Donald, and Samuel Alvin.
Portions of this collection have been digitized and made available online. The entire collection, including materials not
available online, may be viewed in the Special Collections reading room in D.H. Hill Library.
Digital Objects From: Subject Files, 1925-1946 Scope and Content NoteThe David Stathem Weaver Papers includes Weaver's speeches, correspondence, photographs, newspaper and journal clipppings, certificates of recognition, awards, and speeches made by his colleagues. The materials relate to his career in agricultural engineering, his dedication to improve the conditions of the farm community, and his work in the Agricultural Extension Service while a professor at North Carolina State College (later North Carolina State University). The Professional Speeches series contains presentations made by Weaver regarding various agriculture-related topics, including mechanization and profit maximization. Most are typed but handwritten notes and edits are included. The Agricultural Extension Service Statistical Data series contains statistical data regarding the AES staffing, salaries, budgets and accomplishments. The Memorabilia series is a collection of clippings, correspondence, photographs, certificates of recognition and awards, his involvement in professional associations, and files on colleagues in his profession. Included are two oversized scrapbooks. Professional Speeches by Colleagues Series contain various agriculture-related topics, including agricultural education, extension, and economic growth, presented by Weaver's colleagues. The Civil War Letter series contains a letter written by his maternal grandfather in 1862 that describes his experiences as a Union soldier in the Civil War The fifth box of materials in this collection was transferred from the NCSU University Libraries in 2003. These materials are now divided into an additional two series: Subject Files and Academics. The Subject Files series contains information on a variety of agricultural and rural subjects, especially agricultural machinery. The Academics series contains work completed by Weaver for his undergraduate and graduate educations, as well as departmental records, course materials, and student work related to Weaver's career in agricultural engineering at North Carolina State College. IdentificationMC 00026 CreatorWeaver, David Stathem, 1896-1966 Quantity3.5 Linear feet General Physical Description note5 archival storage boxes Location noteon-site LocationFor current information on the location of these materials, please consult the
Special Collections Research Center Reference Staff LanguageEnglish The original order has been largely maintained. The collection is divided into seven series: Professional Speeches, Agricultural
Extension Service Statistical Data, Memorabilia, Professional Speeches by Colleagues, Civil War Letter, Subject Files, and
Academics. The two oversized scrapbooks have been dismantled from their original albums and rehoused in acid-free boxes with
the original page order maintained. Glued items remain in original condition.
This series includes Weaver's speeches regarding agricultural-related topics such as farm mechanization, trends, challenges,
improving conditions of farm life, the role of the AES and conservation from 1952 through 1963. The series is maintained in
the original order as bound and organized by Weaver in particular periods of time. Original letters and memos were kept with
the respective speeches. A letter to Clarence Poe is included. Most letters were to Weaver from the
News & Observer, the
Weekly Gazette and other journals requesting articles. Contains Weaver's handwritten notes when creating and editing his articles. Original
acetates for a 1963 speech were not rehoused because of handwritten markings made on the acetates. Other "cut-and-paste" edits
by Weaver dictated keeping in original form. Of possible interest are the memoranda that were the sources for his talk "What
Will Farming Be Like in 1988--A Peek Into the Future." Also, the same 1963 folder (26.1.24) contains a data punch card entitled,
"Cow Lactation Period."
1952 - 1956
[Box
1,
Folder
1]
"Agricultural Prosperity Depends on the Development of Local Leadership."
[Box
1,
Folder
2]
"The Public Must Understand Agriculture."
[Box
1,
Folder
3]
Untitled article for The Progressive Farmer
[Box
1,
Folder
4]
"The Work of the Agricultural Extension Service."
[Box
1,
Folder
5]
"How North Carolina Farmers Can Improve Their Financial Situation in 1956." Letter from Clarence Poe.
[Box
1,
Folder
6]
"The Challenge--Teamwork Approach to Agricultural Problems in North Carolina."
[Box
1,
Folder
7]
"The Overall Extension Program and Significant Changes & Trends in Agriculture."
1955 - 1959
[Box
1,
Folder
8]
"Community Development A Step in Progress for the Southeast."
[Box
1,
Folder
9]
"General--20/20 Vision."
[Box
1,
Folder
10]
"Changes By 1955."
[Box
1,
Folder
11]
"Farm City Week Talk."
[Box
1,
Folder
12]
"Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread or Underdeveloped Nations Will Always Be Underdeveloped."
1957 - 1959
[Box
1,
Folder
13]
"Where Do We Go From Here?",
1958
[Box
1,
Folder
14]
General agricultural talk, no title
[Box
1,
Folder
15]
"Twenty-Twenty Vision--What Every Rural Development Worker Needs."
[Box
1,
Folder
16]
"The Cooperative Agricultural Extension Service."
1957 - 1960
[Box
1,
Folder
17]
"Farm Mechanization in North Carolina."
[Box
1,
Folder
18]
"After Five Years, What?"
[Box
1,
Folder
19]
"The Challenge--Teamwork Approach to Agricultural Problems in North Carolina."
[Box
1,
Folder
20]
"Opportunities For Increasing Farm Income.",
1957
[Box
1,
Folder
21]
"Advancing Agriculture Promotes National Economy."
[Box
1,
Folder
22]
"Closing Statements--1958 Staff Conference."
Included are charts and graphs that depict salaries, number of county agents and budget information within the Agricultural
Extension Service of North Carolina between 1955 and 1960. Reports about the accomplishments of the AES Program in Stanley
and Duplin Counties are included along with letters pertaining to these topics.
[Box
1,
Folder
26]
Charts and Graphs
[Box
1,
Folder
27]
Reports
Series includes newspaper articles, news releases, certificates of recognition and awards, photographs, a list of scientific
publications, letters, minutes, and programs from 1918 through 1968. Included are clippings, new briefs, Christmas cards and
photographs kept on friends and colleagues that include Dr. D.W. Colvard, Dr. Clarence Poe, Dean I.O. Schaub, Robert W. Schoffner
and Agricultural Extension Service friends.
[Box
1,
Folder
28-32]
Scrapbook 1: originally titled
"David S. Weaver",
1934 - 1957
Items include newspaper articles, photographs, letters, committee programs, and a list of Weaver's scientific publications.
Included are articles about Weaver's 1950 "man of the Year for Service to North Carolina Agriculture" award, a 1952 service
appreciation award by the Fraternity of Alpha Zeta, and a 1942-1943 "Certificate of Recognition by the United States of America
War Production Board. Letters of appreciation from Governor Luther Hodges (1952) and the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture
(1954).
[Box
3,
Folder
]
Scrapbook 2: (Oversized) originally titled
"Personal--Awards & Honors--Family Pictures--Alpha Zeta--A.S.A.E.",
1918 - 1968
Items include newspaper articles, photographs, letters, and 1961 retirement tributes to Weaver. Included are Weaver's 1918-1919
military induction order and army notices, an Honorary Degree bestowed in 1964 and his appointment by the Governor to the
North Carolina Hall of Fame in 1966. Also, there are articles and photos regarding Weaver's 1950 "Man of the Year Award" and
his 1925 North Carolina State College Commencement program. Various letters are from North Carolina Governors, United States
Congressmen, Secretary of the USDA, the War Production Board, and C.W. Burkett. Photographs include the original Alpha Zeta
house "Old Hort Building," various Alpha Zeta conclave meetings and its cofounders, C.W. Burkett and John F. Cunningham (1926-1953).
[Box
4,
Folder
]
Scrapbook 3: (Oversized) originally titled
"Associates, Organizations & Programs, Individual Friends Groups",
1950 - 1961
Items include newspapaer articles, photographs, letters, and a certificate naming Weaver High Priest of the Raleigh Chapter
of Royal Masons. Included are: an article about his promotion to Director of the Agricultural Extension Service (1950-1951);
a photograph and article of hurricane damage in 1955; a letter to Dr. Hugh Bennett, the "father of soil conservation" (1961);
and North Carolina State Fair Arena architectural plans and construction photographs (1960-1961).
[Box
2,
Folder
1]
Colvard, Dean D.W.
[Box
2,
Folder
2]
Poe, Dr. Clarence
[Box
2,
Folder
3]
Schaub, Dean I. O.
[Box
2,
Folder
4]
Schoffner, Robert W.
[Box
2,
Folder
5]
Agricultural Extension Friends [Folder 1 of 2]
[Box
2,
Folder
6]
Agricultural Extension Friends [Folder 2 of 2]
[Box
2,
Folder
7]
North Carolina State College: Non-Extension (Folder 1 of 2),
1943 - 1965
[Box
2,
Folder
8]
North Carolina State College: Non-Extension (Folder 2 of 2),
1943-1965
[Box
2,
Folder
9]
Soil and Water Conservation,
1961 - 1965
[Box
2,
Folder
10]
Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Conference (unidentified photographs)
[Box
2,
Folder
11]
Various Group Pictures,
1952 - 1965
[Box
2,
Folder
12]
Weaver, David, "Electrifying Agriculture," U.C.C. Quarterly,
Spring, 1945
[Box
2,
Folder
13]
Articles from
News & Observer of "Tar Heels of the Week,",
1961 - 1966
[Box
2,
Folder
14]
Articles from
News & Observer of "Tar Heels of the Week,",
1959 - 1966
These are speeches on agricultural-related topics by Weaver's colleagues at particular forums between the years 1953 and 1961.
Of special interest: the 1955 presentation by C. S. Reed, an engineer from Duke Power Company, contains two folded maps; a
1957 talk by the Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture, Ezra Taft Benson, at the Harvest Day Festival;
a 1957 "Salute to North Carolina" presented by NBC announcer Alex Dreier.
[Box
2,
Folder
15]
Nesius, David, "Extension Education for Guiding Adjustments."
[Box
2,
Folder
16]
Black, Wm., "What Is Our Program?"
[Box
2,
Folder
17]
Ratchford, C. B., "Fitting Activities, Methods and Programs into the County Extension Program."
[Box
2,
Folder
18]
Ahlgren, Henry, "An Extension Program in a Changing Agriculture."
[Box
2,
Folder
19]
Corbett, R.B., "The Challenge in the Sixties."
[Box
2,
Folder
20]
Welch, Frank, "Progress in Southern Agriculture Through Research and Education."
[Box
2,
Folder
21]
Franklin, Wayne, "The Future Role of Agriculture."
[Box
2,
Folder
22]
Bannon, L. H., "The Business of Agriculture."
[Box
2,
Folder
23]
Agricultural Policy Committee of the North Carolina State Grange: "A Framework for Agricultural Policy."
[Box
2,
Folder
24]
Taylorsville Agribusiness Discussion
[Box
2,
Folder
25]
Reed, C. S., "Times Are Changing."
[Box
2,
Folder
26]
Reed, C. S., "Income Per Capita."
[Box
2,
Folder
27]
Mackie, Arthur, "Economic Growth and Development of the Southeast."
[Box
2,
Folder
28]
Benson, Ezra, "Harvest Festival--1957."
[Box
2,
Folder
29]
Agricultural Economics Department, "The Income Situation."
[Box
2,
Folder
30]
Dreir, Alex, "Salute to North Carolina."
[Box
2,
Folder
31]
Knight, Eugene, "Using Related Groups and Industries."
This series contains a letter, 1862, from Weaver's maternal grandfather, David T. Stathem, written to Stathem's sister while
he served in the Union Army and was stationed in the South during the Civil War. Stathem writes about how the monotonous food
drove him and fellow soldiers to raid a henhouse for fresh meat and how they were almost court-martialed because their actions
violated the Articles of War. He describes the drinking water as "when boiled casts a green scum to the surface." He references
the cold winter and overall camp life. Stathem comments on the lack of "interesting" conversation and laments, "it is all
vulgar, low or obscene." He also expresses missing home and family. The series also includes a sketch of "Stathemville."
[Box
2,
Folder
32]
Original Letter and Illustration of Stathem Home
[Box
2,
Folder
33]
Photocopies of the original letter.
This series contains reports, papers, letters, press releases, agronomy informational circulars, and other materials that
provide information on a variety of agricultural subjects. Many of the materials were authored by David Weaver or produced
by N.C. State College and/or the Agricultural Extension Service. As much as possible, the series is organized following the
original groupings of documents.
[Box
5,
Folder
1]
Agricultural Machinery
Online Content 
[Box
5,
Folder
2]
Agricultural Machinery and Animals
[Box
5,
Folder
3]
Agricultural Machinery, Relation to Production (1 of 2)
Online Content
[Box
5,
Folder
4]
Agricultural Machinery, Relation to Production (2 of 2)
Online Content
[Box
5,
Folder
5]
Agricultural Machinery, History and Development
Online Content
[Box
5,
Folder
6]
Agricultural Machinery, Care and Repairs
[Box
5,
Folder
7]
Farm Mechanization, paper by Frank D. Barlow, Jr. and H. Brooks James
Online Content
[Box
5,
Folder
8]
"Tedder type" peanut shaker
[Box
5,
Folder
9]
Mowing Machines
[Box
5,
Folder
10]
Sweep Rakes
[Box
5,
Folder
11]
Tillage Machinery
[Box
5,
Folder
12]
Electric Brooder
[Box
5,
Folder
13]
Cold Storage
[Box
5,
Folder
14]
Farm Shop Work
[Box
5,
Folder
15]
Kitchen Equipment
[Box
5,
Folder
16]
Rural Housing (1 of 2)
Online Content
[Box
5,
Folder
17]
Rural Housing (2 of 2)
[Box
5,
Folder
18]
Harvesting Soybeans
[Box
5,
Folder
19]
Tobacco Barns and Curing
[Box
5,
Folder
20]
Cement, Concrete, Gravel, Plaster, Sand
[Box
5,
Folder
21]
Oils, Petroleum, Compounds, Paints, etc.
[Box
5,
Folder
22]
Agricultural Engineering Publication References
[Box
5,
Folder
23]
Bill of Materials for Plan 128
The Academics series contains materials related to David Weaver's undergraduate and graduate education, as well as his education
career at N.C. State College. Weaver's undergraduate laboratory exercises and Master's Thesis are included, as well as records
and reports of the N.C. State College Departments of Agronomy and Agricultural Engineering, course materials, and one student
term paper.
[Box
5,
Folder
24]
"Methods of Obtaining Maximum Direct Sunlight in Hog Houses," Master's Thesis, 1925
[Box
5,
Folder
25]
Agricultural Engineering Laboratory Exercises, 1917-1918 (1 of 3)
[Box
5,
Folder
26]
Agricultural Engineering Laboratory Exercises, 1917-1918 (2 of 3)
[Box
5,
Folder
27]
Agricultural Engineering Laboratory Exercises, 1917-1918 (3 of 3)
[Box
5,
Folder
28]
Department of Agronomy Equipment Records
[Box
5,
Folder
29]
Agricultural Engineering 406 Laboratory Exercises
[Box
5,
Folder
30]
J. Irwin Davis, Jr. Term Paper, Agr. Econ. 404, 1937
[Box
5,
Folder
31]
Dept. of Agricultural Engineering, "Report on Hydrolic Ram Location"
[Box
5,
Folder
32]
Cannery Workshops Handbook, 1944
[Box
5,
Folder
33]
Shop Course for Adults in farm and household construction and repair, Nov. 1945
How to use this collectionThis collection is open for research; access requires at least 24 hours advance notice. For more information contact us via mail, phone, fax, or our web form. Special Collections Research Center Telephone(919) 515-2273 Fax(919) 513-1787 |
