Guide to the Arnold Krochmal Papers, 1939

Descriptive Summary

Repository: North Carolina State University Libraries, Special Collections Research Center
Creator: Krochmal, Arnold, 1919-
Title: Arnold Krochmal Papers, 1939 - 1978
Call Number: MC 64
Extent: 2.5 linear feet, 5 Archival Boxes
Location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Special Collections Research Center Reference Staff.
Language of Material: English

Information for Users

Restrictions to Access: This collection is open for research; access requires at least 24 hours advance notice.
Acquisitions Information: Gift of Arnold Krochmal, 1972-1986, and the National College of Natural Medicine, 2008 (Accession no. 2008-0076)
Preferred Citation: [Identification of item], Arnold Krochmal Papers, MC 64, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
Copyright Notice: The 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.
Proccessing Information: Michael Watts, March 2005

Michael Watts, March 2005

Finding aid updated by Todd Kosmerick, 2008 May

Biographical Note

Arnold Krochmal was born January 30, 1919, in New York to Morris and Leah Krochmal. The son of immigrant parents, he was raised in the Bronx. He earned a B.S. in Pomology from North Carolina State College in 1942, and served in the Army from 1942 to 1946. He then earned the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Cornell University.

Krochmal served as an instructor in horticulture at the New Mexico Agriculture Experiment Station from 1947 to 1949, was a Fulbright professor in Greece from 1952 to 1953, and then worked as the chief research advisor of the Wyoming Team, in Kabul, Afghanistan from 1957 to 1959. He was the head of the department of horticulture, Escuela Agricola Panamericana, El Zamorano, Honduras from 1960 to 1961, and then worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a research botanist in the Virgin Islands from 1961 to 1966. Other professional experience included working for the United States Forest Service as an economic botanist, and project leader for timber-related crops in Berea, Kentucky, from 1961 to 1966, and as an economic geographer, College of the Virgin Islands, 1964 to 1966. He was the summer visiting professor at Wisconsin State University in 1966, and the fall visiting professor at Berea College in 1967.

In 1970 he married Connie Brite, a writer from Appalachian Kentucky. The Krochmals came from different backgrounds, but they shared a deep concern that science and research should do more than serve as a source of esoteric subject matter for rarely read scholarly publications. They felt that the citizen had a right to know what was going on in the world of science. Dr. Krochmal said of himself and his wife, "We work as a team." Together, through collaborative writing and teaching, they mastered the skill of communicating to a broad audience. The couple had three children, Stephen Glen, Maurice Manfred, and Walter Lyle.

Arnold Krochmal was the principal economic botanist at the Southeastern Forest Experiment Station in Asheville, North Carolina, from 1971 to 1982. From 1971 until 1977 Krochmal also served as an adjunct professor of botany at North Carolina State University. During that time he was a guest of Jardin Botanico Uribe, Medellin, Columbia, and a senior research fellow at the Agricultural University of Wageningen, Holland. In 1980. Krochmal was a guest lecturer at the Academy of the U.S.S.R., Main Botanical Garden, and that year he also served as the chairperson of the Structure of Tropical Rain Forests Working Party, for the International Union of Forest Research Organizations. He was affiliated with the Institute of Tropical Forestry, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, from 1982 to 1983, and chairman of the Division of Natural Sciences, World University, Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, 1982 to 1983. Additionally he was an adjunct professor at Atlanta University, and worked as a consultant to the Agency for International Development, the International Executive Corps, Volunteers for International Technical Assistance, and the governments of Surinam, Jamaica, Montserrat, Thailand, the Dominican Republic, and the British Virgin Islands.

Arnold Krochmal wrote prolifically. Among his books are Guide to Medicinal Plants (written with his wife), Tropical Horticulture, and Horticultura Practica. He and his wife donated a sizable collection of books to the D. H. Hill Library for the commemoration and study of Russian and Soviet Jews. Arnold Krochmal died September 2, 1993, in Asheville, North Carolina.

*ADDITIONAL WRITINGS BY THE AUTHOR:

Horticultura Practica, Panamerican Agricultural School, 1960. (With Russ Walters and Richard Doughty)
Guide to Medicinal Plants of Appalachia, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1971.
Uncultivated Nuts of the United States, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1983. Editor, Caribbean Agriculture and Science and Ceiba.

With wife, Connie Krochmal:

Guide to Medicinal Plants of the United States, Quadrangle, 1973, revised as A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants, Times Books, 1984

The Complete Illustrated Book of Dyes from Natural Sources, Doubleday, 1974.

Indoor Gardening: Green Thumb Guide, Drake, 1974.

Making It: The Encyclopedia of How to Do It for Less, Drake, 1975.

Caribbean Cooking, Quadrangle, 1975.

A Naturalist's Guide to Cooking with Wild Plants, Quadrangle, 1975.

*Contemporary Authors Online, Thomson Gale, 2004.

Scope and Content Note

The papers of Arnold Krochmal document Krochmal's lengthy and prolific career as an author, botanist, and expert in the field of medicinal plants. The collection contains a lab book and working manuscripts with page proofs for Krochmal's books on botany. Additionally there are detailed notes on medicinal plants, material related specifically to gardening in the Carolinas, and photographs of Dr. Krochmal and his wife Connie Krochmal.

Organization of the Collection

This collection contains four series; Writings, Notes, Photographs, and Newsletters.

Online Catalog Terms

Krochmal, Arnold, 1919-
Krochmal, Connie.
North Carolina State University
United States. Dept. of Agriculture.
United States. Forest Service.
Southeastern Forest Experiment Station (Asheville, N.C.)
North Carolina State University. Dept. of Botany
Botany -- Research -- North Carolina.
Cassava -- Research -- Virgin Islands.
Herbs--Therapeutic use.
Herbs--Therapeutic use.
Medicinal plants -- Research.

Detailed Description of the Collection

Writings, 1965 - 1969

1 linear foot,

This series contains manuscripts and book proofs for botanical publications that were produced by Arnold Krochmal and his wife Connie Krochmal. Additionally there is a lab note book from a field study on the cassava plant that Dr. Krochmal conducted in the Virgin Islands in type="inclusive">1965, and several print versions of "A Guide to Medicinal Plants of Appalachia", a USDA Forest Service research paper that Krochmal created with Russell S. Walters and Richard M. Doughty in 1969. The series also contains the author's manuscript, and photocopied versions of Gardening in the Carolinas, and Medicinal Plants of the United States written by Krochmal with his wife Connie Krochmal.

Cassava Studies / Arnold Krochmal,1965
Field notebook documenting a study on the cassava plant that was conducted by Dr. Krochmal in the Virgin Islands.
[MC 64 Box 1, Folder 1]

Guide to Medicinal Plants of Appalachia - USDA Forest Service Research Paper, 1969 Author's Copy. Research paper written by Dr. Krochmal with Russell S. Walters and Richard M. Doughty. Typewritten manuscript with notations.	[MC 64 Box 1, Folder 2]

Guide to Medicinal Plants of Appalachia - USDA Forest Service Research Paper, 1969 Research paper written by Dr. Krochmal with Russell S. Walters and Richard M. Doughty. Typewritten manuscript with notations.	[MC 64 Box 1, Folder 3]

Guide to Medicinal Plants of Appalachia - USDA Forest Service Research Paper, 1969 Research paper written by Dr. Krochmal with Russell S. Walters and Richard M. Doughty. Xerox Copy.	[MC 64 Box 1, Folder 4]

Guide to Medicinal Plants of Appalachia - USDA Forest Service Research Paper, 1969 Research paper written by Dr. Krochmal with Russell S. Walters and Richard M. Doughty. Rough Draft pgs. 4-50.	[MC 64 Box 1, Folder 5]

Guide to Medicinal Plants of Appalachia - USDA Forest Service Research Paper, 1969 Research paper written by Dr. Krochmal with Russell S. Walters and Richard M. Doughty. Rough Draft pgs. 51-100.	[MC 64 Box 1, Folder 6]

Guide to Medicinal Plants of Appalachia - USDA Forest Service Research Paper, 1969 Research paper written by Dr. Krochmal with Russell S. Walters and Richard M. Doughty. Rough Draft pgs. 101-150.	[MC 64 Box 1, Folder 7]

Guide to Medicinal Plants of Appalachia - USDA Forest Service Research Paper, 1969 Research paper written by Dr. Krochmal with Russell S. Walters and Richard M. Doughty. Rough Draft pgs. 151-176.	[MC 64 Box 1, Folder 8]

Guide to Medicinal Plants of Appalachia - USDA Forest Service Research Paper, 1969 Research paper written by Dr. Krochmal with Russell S. Walters and Richard M. Doughty. Rough Draft - corrections and glossary.	[MC 64 Box 1, Folder 9]

Guide to Medicinal Plants of Appalachia - USDA Forest Service Research Paper, 1969
Folder contains biographical information for Krochmal, Walters, and Doughty.
[MC 64 Box 1, Folder 10]
Gardening in the Carolinas (part 1)
Written by Arnold and Connie Krochmal.
[MC 64 Box 2, Folder 1]
Gardening in the Carolinas (part 2)
Written by Arnold and Connie Krochmal.
[MC 64 Box 2, Folder 2]
Medicinal Plants of the United States
Written by Arnold and Connie Krochmal. Author's copy
[MC 64 Box 2, Folder 3]
Medicinal Plants of the United States
Written by Arnold and Connie Krochmal. Photostatic copy.
[MC 64 Box 2, Folder 4]
Medicinal Plants of the United States
Written by Arnold and Connie Krochmal. Bibliography
[MC 64 Box 2, Folder 5]

Guide to Medicinal Plants of Appalachia - USDA Forest Service Research Paper, 1969 Research paper written by Dr. Krochmal with Russell S. Walters and Richard M. Doughty. Oversized Xerox Copy.	[MC 64 Box 3, Folder 1]

Guide to Medicinal Plants of Appalachia - USDA Forest Service Research Paper, 1969 Research paper written by Dr. Krochmal with Russell S. Walters and Richard M. Doughty. Larger Oversized Xerox Copy.	[MC 64 Box 5, Folder 1]

Gardening in the Carolinas
Written by Arnold and Connie Krochmal. Oversized Xerox Copy.
[MC 64 Box 5, Folder 2]
Medicinal Plants of Romania undated
Accession no. 2008-0076
Written by Arnold and Connie Krochmal. Typescript.
[MC 64 Box 2, Folder 8]

[Return to Descriptive Summary]

Notes

1.25 linear feet,

This series contains detailed notes and descriptions of medicinal plants used in publications created by the Krochmals. Additionally there are notes and recipes related to a book written by Connie Krochmal titled, Guide to Natural Cosmetics.
- Guide to Medicinal Plants of Appalachia
  Page Proofs with Notes. (1 of 2) [MC 64 Box 3, Folder 2]
- Guide to Medicinal Plants of Appalachia
  Page Proofs with Notes. (2 of 2) [MC 64 Box 3, Folder 3]
- Medicinal Plants
  Master Lists and Bibliography [MC 64 Box 3, Folder 4]
- Medicinal Plants
  A - American Bugbane - Atlantic Yam [MC 64 Box 3, Folder 5]
- Medicinal Plants
  B - Balsam Fir - Burdock [MC 64 Box 3, Folder 6]
- Medicinal Plants
  C - California Laurel - Cypress [MC 64 Box 3, Folder 7]
- Medicinal Plants
  D - Dandelion - Dodder [MC 64 Box 3, Folder 8]
- Medicinal Plants
  E - Eastern Hemlock - European Barberry [MC 64 Box 3, Folder 9]
- Medicinal Plants
  F - False Hellebore - Fringetree [MC 64 Box 3, Folder 10]
- Medicinal Plants
  G - Gambel Oak - Great Lobelia [MC 64 Box 3, Folder 11]
- Medicinal Plants
  H - Hazel Alder - Horse Nettle [MC 64 Box 3, Folder 12]
- Medicinal Plants
  I - Indian Jack in the Pulpit - Indian Tobacco [MC 64 Box 3, Folder 13]
- Medicinal Plants
  J - Jimson Weed - Juniper [MC 64 Box 3, Folder 14]
- Medicinal Plants
  L - Lambs Quarter - Long Leaf Pine [MC 64 Box 3, Folder 15]
- Medicinal Plants
  M - Marshpepper Smartweed - Mullien [MC 64 Box 3, Folder 16]
- Medicinal Plants
  N - New Jersy Tea - Northern White Cedar [MC 64 Box 3, Folder 17]
- Medicinal Plants
  O - Osage Orange - Oswego Tea [MC 64 Box 3, Folder 18]
- Medicinal Plants
  P - Pacific Yew - Purple Trillium [MC 64 Box 3, Folder 19]
- Medicinal Plants
  Q - Queensdelight [MC 64 Box 3, Folder 20]
- Medicinal Plants
  R - Ragweed - Russian Thistle [MC 64 Box 3, Folder 21]
- Medicinal Plants
  S - Safflower - Sweetbay Magnolia [MC 64 Box 3, Folder 22]
- Medicinal Plants
  T- Tansy - Tree of Heaven [MC 64 Box 3, Folder 23]
- Medicinal Plants
  V - Vanilla Trilisa - Viginia Tephrosia [MC 64 Box 3, Folder 24]
- Medicinal Plants
  W - Water Avens - Witch Hazel [MC 64 Box 3, Folder 25]
- Medicinal Plants
  Y - Yarrow - Yellowroot [MC 64 Box 3, Folder 26]
- Guide to Natural Cosmetics
  Notes for a book written by Connie Krochmal [MC 64 Box 4, Folder 1]
- Cosmetics
  Worksheets and Recipes [MC 64 Box 4, Folder 2]
[Return to Descriptive Summary]
Photographs, 1939 - 1973

.125 linear feet,

This series contains a photograph of Arnold Krochmal in 1939, during his student days at North Carolina State College, and a photo of Krochmal with his wife Connie donating books to the North Carolina State University Library in 1973.
- Photographs, 1939 - 1973.
  Folder contains photos of Arnold and Connie Krochmal.
  [MC 64 Box 2, Folder 6]
[Return to Descriptive Summary]
Newsletters, 1972

.125 linear feet,

This series contains a copy of "The Tarheel Economist," a North Carolina Agricultural Extension newsletter.
- Tarheel Economist, 1972
  Agricultural Extension Service Newsletter
  [MC 64 Box 2, Folder 7]
[Return to Descriptive Summary]

Guide to the Arnold Krochmal Papers, 1939 - 1978

Collection Number MC 64

Collection Information