Professional and personal papers created or collected by Roy E. Huffman were donated to Montana State University on August 19, 1996 by his wife Menga Huffman. Any papers related to Huffman's work on the Montana Board of Natural Resources and Conservation were removed and integrated into Collection 2094, Montana Board of Natural Resources and Conservation Records, 1976-1981.
Roy E. Huffman was born April 12, 1916 and raised on a wheat farm in Chouteau County, Montana. He attended rural schools and graduated from Highwood High School in 1932. He married Menga Herzog in 1939 and had three children. He received his B.S. in Agricultural Economics from Montana State College in 1938, his M.S. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Maryland in 1939 and his PhD in Agricultural Economics from the University of Wisconsin in 1952. He began his career as an Agricultural Economist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture during 1939-1942. In 1942 he started his work at Montana State College as an Instructor in Agricultural Economics. After serving in the U.S. Navy in World War II from 1943-1946 he returned to Montana State College as an Assistant Professor of Agricultural Economics and Economics,1946-1950; Associate Professor from 1950-1953; and from 1953 to 1958 he was Professor and Head of the Department of Agricultural Economic and Rural Sociology: Economics and Sociology. In 1958 he became the Dean of Agriculture and Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station. In 1965 he was appointed as the first Vice President for Research. He served in that capacity until his retirement in 1976. Concurrent with the Vice Presidency he was Executive Director, Endowment and Research Foundation (1965-1976); Director, Montana University Joint Water Resources Research Center (1965-1969, 1973-1974); and Acting Dean of Graduate Studies (1975-1976). Roy Huffman was a prolific writer with over 100 titles to his credit including the book Irrigation Development and Public Water Policy (Ronald Press, 1953) and research bulletins, journal papers, magazine articles, conference papers and monographs. He promoted the modernization of agriculture through wise land use, water conservation, irrigation and farm management techniques. He was a member of the American Agricultural Economics Assn., Western Agricultural Economics Assn., Agricultural History Society, American Association of University Professors, Soil Conservation Society of America, and several honor societies. Among many awards, he received the Montana State University Blue and Gold Award for Distinguished Service in 1975. Outside the university he has served as a consultant to federal, state and private agencies, notably the Missouri River Basin Planning and Columbia Basin Consulting Boards of the U.S. Dept. of Interior; he was a member of numerous governmental and professional councils and committees including the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges; and participated as a speaker or presenter of papers at many conferences and proceedings in both academic and commercial arenas. After his retirement in 1976, he was appointed a member of the Montana Board of Natural Resources and Conservation by Governor Thomas L. Judge and served from 1977-1981. An active member of the greater community, he promoted tours of Russia and China for People to People, was active with the Museum of the Rockies and local civic projects. Dr. Roy E. Huffman died at age 78 on November 10, 1994.
This collection was processed 2009 May 18
Roy Huffman's collected and created papers were organized by him in alphabetical files by subject. Except for a few duplicated files, the papers are arranged as Roy Huffman kept them with loose papers and untitled files placed within the alphabetic sequence. The materials are mostly typewritten with some handwritten notes and letters, and include photocopies or reprints of previously published materials, reports, speeches and presentations; plans, programs, schedules, studies, and numerous papers related to his professional positions at MSU; numerous research notes and unfinished manuscript pages with bibliographical materials and citations; personal and professional correspondence; and clippings from newspapers and journals. Subjects are wide ranging but can be characterized into several categories: a) files on topics of general interest or research interest; b) files related to specific organizations, conferences, symposia or programs both professional and governmental (these may have correspondence and attachments included); c) files related to the research and publication of Roy Huffman's writings; d) files related to Montana State University (Montana State College before 1962) which may be by subject; by department; by specific positions Huffman held during his career; by committee, program, institutional or branch names; by faculty, students or individuals; or as miscellaneous items. e) correspondence: alphabetical files of a professional or personal nature maintained by Huffman plus individually named correspondence files of colleagues intimately involved with his research and writing as well as politicians and selected projects or organizations. Representation of government agencies including the Federal Farm Security Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Energy Research and Development Administration, National Science Foundation, and regional entities such as the Missouri River Basin Commission and Columbia River Basin Inter-Agency Committee, Great Plains Agricultural Council, Montana Experiment Stations and Extension Service, and the Water Resources Research Center. Publications and publishers include Big Sky Books of the Endowment and Research Foundation of MSU, the Ronald Press and various journal publications. Representative files for professional and academic interests include the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges, American Agricultural Economics Assn., Western Agricultural Economics Assn., Agricultural History Society, American Association of University Professors, Soil Conservation Society of America, Sigma Xi and others. China (People to People), Russia, Saudi Arabia (agricultural projects), and other countries have individual files. Several untitled files containing research notes, citations and a large rough draft manuscript were combined with research note files with the name Omnibus.
In 1970, both Merrill G. Burlingame and Elmer Starch wrote Roy Huffman about a proposed manuscript Huffman had been working on. The work began in the mid-60s as a book on Fairway Farms and the influence of that program. Margarita "Rita" McDonald assisted with the research and rough draft materials. It apparently evolved into a larger project to produce a book about the influence on farming by the Montana State College Agriculture Department and the Montana experience which resulted in changes in land use, farm techniques, irrigation, family farms and government assistance across the nation. Individuals of note present in files are Governor Tim Babcock, Hugo G. Eck, Nicholas Helburn, Governor Thomas L. Judge, Maurice M. Kelso, Carl F. Kraenzel, Senator Mike Mansfield, Margarita "Rita" McDonald; MSU Presidents: Leon Johnson, Carl W. McIntosh, Roland R. Renne, William J. Tietz, Jr.; Mont H. Saunderson, Elmer A. Starch, Carl F. Taeusch and M. L. Wilson. Roy Huffman's diverse interests are also reflected in files for the Museum of the Rockies, conservation and reclamation issues, arts and humanities, political and legislative issues, energy and water policies, and some personal memento and joke files.
This collection is open for research without restrictions.