Includes correspondence, newspaper articles, typewritten manuscripts, printed publications, photographs and ephemera that belonged to North Carolina State University Professor Emeritus M. E. Gardner. The collection spans Gardner's academic, professional and retirement years. The material dates from 1910 to 1975.
North Carolina State University Professor Emeritus of Horticultural Science, Monroe Evans Gardner was born on October 3, 1895, in Blacksburg, Virginia. He was educated at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and served in the Army Air Corps during WW I. He held positions with the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station and Clemson College before joining the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station in 1927. In 1933, he was appointed head of the Department of Horticultural Science at North Carolina State University where he remained until 1956 when he stepped down to pursue teaching and research. Gardner retired in 1965 but remained deeply involved in agricultural activities.
M. E. Gardner was active in North Carolina's agricultural industry for nearly 50 years. He initiated the movement that resulted in the first appropriation for agricultural research ever made by the North Carolina State Assembly. He was responsible for the organization of the N.C. Association of Nurserymen, the N.C. Commercial Flower Growers and the N.C. Apple Growers' Association. In addition, he had notable achievements in the development of modern disease and pest resistant plants, and wrote a garden column, Garden Time that was published in over 150 North Carolina newspapers. Gardner was named a Fellow by the American Horticultural Society in 1967 and the M. E. Gardner Arboretum was dedicated on the N.C. State campus in his honor in 1973. The arboretum was designed as a place of beauty and as a functional teaching and research facility. In addition, Gardner was active in civic affairs, taking part in the administration of the Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh and serving as chairman of the YMCA board of directors for fifteen years.
Extolled as a horticultural pioneer and accomplished as an educator, scientist and administrator, students remained Gardner's absorbing interest. He once said, "There is nothing glamorous about teaching as far as professional recognition is concerned, but there are deep and lasting satisfactions." M. E. Gardner died in January of 1975 at the age of seventy-nine.
The collection of papers belonging to Monroe Evans Gardner is made up of an initial donation given to North Carolina State University in 1983 that consists of correspondence with former horticulture students who served in WW II. Additional material belonging to M. E. Gardner was donated in 2001. That donation consists of personal correspondence, biographical material, newspaper clippings, photographs, photographic proof sheets and photographic negatives, certificates of commendation and emblems of achievement, and also horticultural industry and academic print publications. The collection consists of seven series.
The collection is organized into seven series. The first series, Correspondence With Former Horticulture Students Who Served In WWII, consists of correspondence maintained by Gardner with North Carolina State College students serving in the armed forces during the Second World War. Series contains letters, newsletters, holiday cards and photographs. The next series, Personal Correspondence, is a collection of personal correspondence arranged chronologically covering a time span from 1926-1975. The remaining series are: Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Writings, Certificates and Letters of Commendation, M. E. Gardner Arboretum Dedication and, Magazines and Publications Collected by M.E. Gardner.
North Carolina State University does not own copyright to this collection. Individuals obtaining materials from the NC State University Libraries' Special Collections Research Center are responsible for using the works in conformance with United States copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials.
This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which North Carolina State University assumes no responsibility.
[Identification of item], Monroe Evans Gardner Papers, MC 00167, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
Have not received the deed of gift for second acquisition. Collection is open pending receipt. Gift of Monroe Evans Gardner, Jr., 1983 and Mrs. A. J. Gardner, 2001.
Gift of Monroe Evans Gardner, Jr., 1983 and Mrs. A. J. Gardner, 2001.
The collection is organized into seven principal series:
Series contains correspondence, including some snapshots from former horticultural students. Additionally there are newsletters with information about activities at the North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering and information on the activities of fellow students. The correspondence includes holiday cards, V-Mail, and forms notifying Gardner of current addresses organized by students' last name.
1 archival box
Contains a collection of personal correspondence (handwritten and typed). The correspondence is arranged chronologically.
2.5 archival boxes
Contains VPI Alumni Association correspondence, fifty-year reunion correspondence and photos of VPI 1918 class. Throughout his life, M. E. Gardner remained in touch with his alma mater through the VPI Alumni Association, and through personal correspondence with classmates. Gardner took responsibility in 1968 for coordinating the fifty-year reunion of VPI's Class of 1918.
0.5 archival boxes
Gardner wrote prodigiously. His work appeared regularly in horticultural publications and in over 150 newspapers in North Carolina. As the head of North Carolina State University's horticultural department, Gardner collected material relevant to horticultural research and to the promotion of the State of North Carolina's production of horticultural products. Series contains typewritten copies of articles by Gardner that were used in university and horticultural publications with technical papers on the development of pest and disease resistant plant cultivars (Sequoia Potato) and an article on "The Origin of the Scuppernong Grape." Series contains newspaper articles written by Gardner. There are also copies of papers collected by Gardner that were written by members of the North Carolina State University Department of Horticulture and papers and articles written by members of North Carolina's Cooperative Extension Service. In addition, there are papers by other members of the region's horticultural industry. Contains material written to promote North Carolina's horticultural industry (fruit growers, vegetable/truck farming business, seed articles) and copies of news articles that reference M. E. Gardner as a source of information pertinent to the state's horticultural industry. Series also contains copies of news articles collected by Gardner with general information on North Carolina's horticultural industry, and copies of articles saved by Gardner that were of personal importance.
1.5 Boxes
Contains certificates of membership and appreciation and letters of commendation. Gardner's life and career were marked repeatedly with recognition for his accomplishments and his contributions to the horticultural industry, the world of academia and to the community at large. Series contains numerous certificates of achievement and appreciation.
0.25 archival boxes
A place that had once been a weed lot on the North Carolina State University campus was transformed in 1973 into the M. E. Gardner Arboretum. Series contains photographs of the M. E. Gardner Arboretum dedication ceremony, news articles, dedication ceremony program, personal correspondence and memorabilia relating to the arboretum's opening.
0.25 archival boxes
Series contains magazines and newsletters collected by Gardner over his career. The publications have a horticultural and academic focus. Material is dated from 1910-1975
1 archival box
This collection is open for research; access requires at least 48 hours advance notice. Because of the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access to digital files may require additional advanced notice.
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Mailing address:
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Box 7111
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[Identification of item], Monroe Evans Gardner Papers, MC 00167, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
North Carolina State University does not own copyright to this collection. Individuals obtaining materials from the NC State University Libraries' Special Collections Research Center are responsible for using the works in conformance with United States copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials.
This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which North Carolina State University assumes no responsibility.
