mc00167 Guide to the Monroe Evans Gardner Papers, 1910 - 1975 Processed by: Mick Watts; machine-readable finding aid created by: Mick Watts North Carolina State University Libraries' Special Collections Research Center
Campus Box 7111 Raleigh, NC 27695-7111
2002

NCSU people

NCSU

Agriculture

 Machine-readable finding aid derived from xml authoring program. Date of source: March, 2002 Finding aid written in English 2005Converted to EAD 2002 Guide to the Monroe Evans Gardner Papers, 1910 - 1975 MC 167 North Carolina State University Libraries' Special Collections Research Center Mick Watts March, 2002 Mick Watts Descriptive Summary North Carolina State University Libraries' Special Collections Research Center Gardner, M. E. (Monroe Evans) 1895 - 1975 The Monroe Evans Gardner Papers, 1910 - 1975 MC 167 2 3 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. on-site For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Special Collections Research Center Reference Staff. Information for Users Restrictions to Access

This collection is open for research; access requires at least 24 hours advance notice.

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.

 Acquisitions Information

Gift of Monroe Evans Gardner, Jr., 1983 and Mrs. A. J. Gardner, 2001.

 Preferred Citation

[Identification of Item], Monroe Evans Gardner Papers, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.

 Copyright Notice

North Carolina State University does not own copyright to this collection. Individuals obtaining materials from the NCSU 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.

 Biographical Note

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.

Scope and Content Note

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.

 Organization of Collection

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.

 Online Catalog Headings Agriculture -- Competitions Agricultural exhibitions -- North Carolina Agricultural exhibitions -- North Carolina -- Raleigh -- History American Horticultural Society Fruit -- Diseases and Pests Fruit -- Diseases and pests -- Control Gardening -- North Carolina Gardening -- North Carolina -- Wake County -- Periodicals Gardens Gardner, M.E. (Monroe Evans) 1895-1975 Horticultural products -- North Carolina Horticulture -- North Carolina -- Periodicals Horticulture -- Periodicals Horticulture -- Research -- North Carolina Horticulture -- Study and teaching (Higher) Horticultural products -- North Carolina M.E. Gardner Arboretum Men's Garden Club of Wake County, N.C. Muscadine grape -- Research North Carolina Apple Growers Association North Carolina Association of Nurserymen North Carolina Commercial Flower Growers Association -- History North Carolina State University. Dept. of Horticultural Sciences North Carolina State University -- Faculty North Carolina State University -- History North Carolina State University. Horticulture Club. North Carolina State University. Horticultural Club -- Periodicals Orchards -- Diseases and pests -- Control Orchards -- Management Orchards -- North Carolina Potatoes -- Diseases and pests -- Control Potatoes -- Varieties Pullen Memorial Baptist Church (Raleigh, N.C.) -- History Soldiers -- United States -- Correspondence Victory gardens Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Alumni Association Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University -- Alumni and alumnae -- Biography Viticulture -- Research V-mail Young Men's Christian Association -- North Carolina Related Materials UA 100.22 College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Department of Horticultural Sciences Sub-Group MC 298 John S. Campbell Papers Detailed Description of the Collection Correspondence with former horticulture students who served in the armed forces during World War II, 1940 - 1945 1 archival box0.5 linear feet

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.

11 Andrews, F. S., 1940 12 Baird, Guy, 1943 13 Banadyga, Albert, 1942 - 1944 14 Bannerman, Paul E., 1943 - 1945 15 Brewer, Jimmie E., 1944 16 Bullard, Ervin T., 1943 17 Correll, Franklin E., 1943 - 1945 18 Crew, James, 1944 19 Carver, Irving, 1943 - 1944 110 Davis, George W., 1942 - 1944 111 Frink, J.C., 1942 112 Gibson, Paul, 1943 - 1945 113 Krochmal, Ace, 1942 - 1946 114 Lentz, William, 1942 - 1944 115 Lewis, W.M., 1943 - 1944 116 Maynard, Gerald, 1942 - 1945 117 Niswonger, George B., 1943 118 Patton, James, 1942 119 Perlmutter, Frank, 1942 - 1945 120 Poe, Clarence, 1943 121 Purifoy, Dan, 1942 122 Robbins, Thomas J., 1943 - 1945 123 Robbins, William Dudley, 1942 - 1945 124 Schmidt, Robert, 1943 - 1945 125 Schmidt, F. H., 1942 - 1945 126 Sprinkle, George, 1942 - 1943 127 Thompson, Walton, 1943 - 1944 128 Tilley, Thomas M., 1942 129 Tinga, Jacob, 1942 - 1945 130 Underwood, Von H., 1943 - 1945 131 Vaughn, Jack, 1943 132 Watson, Van, 1944 - 1945 133 Whitfield, J. V., 1943 134 Wilson, John, 1943 - 1944 135 Yancey, William, 1943 136 York, Thomas Lenoir, 1943 - 1945 137 Letters returned to sender, 1943 - 1945 138 Letters and address lists, 1943 - 1944 139 Unidentified photographs, Personal Correspondence, 1926 - 1975 2.5 archival boxes1.25 linear feet

Contains a collection of personal correspondence (handwritten and typed). The correspondence is arranged chronologically.

21 February, 1926 - June,1930 22 September, 1930 - November, 1931 23 January, 1932 - January, 1936 24 April, 1936 - July, 1937 25 August, 1937 - September, 1940 26 October, 1940 - September, 1941 27 January, 1942 - June, 1943 28 June, 1943 - November, 1945 29 August, 1946 - August, 1953 210 October, 1953 - December, 1955 211 June, 1956 - November, 1956 31 March, 1957 - November, 1958 32 December, 1958 - May, 1960 33 June, 1960 - December, 1961 34 February, 1962 - October, 1963 35 December, 1963 - October, 1965 36 May, 1965 - November, 1965 37 December, 1965 - December, 1967 38 February,1968 - December, 1968 39 January, 1969 - December, 1969 310 February, 1979 - November, 1970 311 January, 1971 - December, 1971 312 January, 1972 - October, 1972 41 January, 1973 - January - 1974 42 February, 1974 - March, 1974 43 April, 1974 - August, 1974 44 September, 1974 - December, 1974 45 January, 1975 Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI), 1918 - 1969 0.5 archival boxes0.25 linear feet

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.

46 Alumni Association Correspondence, 1926 - 1956 47 50th Reunion, 1968, (1 of 2) 48 50th Reunion, 1968, (2 of 2) 49 General, 1969 -1975, (1 of 2) 410 General, 1969 - 1975, (2 of 2) 411 Photographs, 1918 - 1970, [no date] 412 Publications, 1972 Writings, 1928 - 1967 1.5 Boxes0.75 linear feet

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.

M.E. Gardner Research Papers 51 1928 - 1961 52 [No date] 53 [No date] 54 [No date] 55 [No date] Newspaper Articles 56 1928 - 1972 N.C. State University Horticulture Department 57 1928 - 1954 58 [No date] 59 [No date] 510 [No date] 511 [No date] Newspaper Clippings Quote or Reference M. E. Gardner 61 1929 - 1938 62 1939 - 1949 63 1950 - 1967 North Carolina Horticultural Industry 64 1937 - 1942 65 1943 - 1964 Personal 66 1945 - 1964 Certificates and Letters of Commendation, 1944 - 1975 0.25 archival boxes0.125 linear feet

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.

 67 General, 1944 - 1975 68 L. M. Ware Award, February, 1961 - July, 1961 69 Fellow - American Horticultural Society September, 1967 - January, 1968 M.E. Gardner Arboretum, 1972 - 1973 0.25 archival boxes0.125 linear feet

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.

610 Program and Articles, February, 1972 - July, 1973 Photographs 611 Dedication and plaque 612 Dedication 613 Dedication 614 Dedication, proofsheets and negatives Publications, 1910 - 1975 1 archival box0.5 linear feet

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

 71 1910 - 1935 72 1939 - 1956 73 1957 - 1964 74 1965 - 1968 75 1969 - 1975