Bertram Rodney ("Rod") Bertramson was born on a livestock and grain farm near Potter, Nebraska on January 25, 1914, to James W. and Gladys Nelson Bertramson. He received his B.S. in agronomy and M.S. in soils from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 1933 and 1937 respectively. In 1938 he married Eleanor Maloney of Omaha, Nebraska. Bertramson went on to further graduate study at Oregon State University where he earned his doctorate in soils in 1941.
After working with the Soil Conservation Service in Rapid City, South Dakota and teaching at Colorado State University (then Colorado A & M) for a short time Bertramson was drafted in 1942 as a first lieutenant in the Army. He served with the Tank Destroyer Officer Candidate School in Fort Hood, Texas. Later Bertramson was promoted to Food and Agriculture Officer for the Rhineland and Gross Hessen regions in Germany. His job was to set up an administrative organization for food and general agriculture.
At the end of World War II, Bertramson reestablished his teaching career. Initially after his discharge in 1946 he was employed by the University of Wisconsin as an assistant soils' scientist, but later that year moved to Purdue University as an associate soil chemist and assistant soils scientist.
In 1949 Bertramson became the Chairman of the Agronomy Department at the State College of Washington (later Washington State Univeristy) and served in this capacity for eighteen years. He was appointed Director of Resident Instruction of the College of Agriculture in 1967. He served in this capacity until his retirement in 1979. During his thirty years at Washington State University Bertramson worked closely with a number of agriculture associations within the state and region. His administration was also identified with several historically significant events, including the release of high yielding Gaines wheat developed by Dr. Orville A. Vogel.
Bertramson authored or co-authored numerous articles published in various trade magazines such as Soil Scientist and Agronomy Journal. He was an active member of many professional and honorary agricultural organizations: Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America, Soil Conservation Society of America and others. In 1960 he was elected Vice-President of the American Society of Agronomy and in 1961 served as President of the Society. Later, Bertramson was elected a Fellow of the ASA. He also served as the President of the Agronomic Science Foundation and editor of the Journal of Agronomic Education. In 1978, Bertramson was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.
Not all of Bertramson's activities centered around agronomy. He was active in civic affairs and the Pullman beautification projects of the mid-1960's. He also served as President of the Pullman Chamber of Commerce, President of the Pullman Community Hospital Corporation, and a member of the Pullman City Council. For more information see "Biographical Sketch, 1967-1979," box 4, folder 107; and "Correspondence, 1946-1967," box 4, folder 110.
The Bertram Rodney Bertramson Papers consist of materials documenting three specific endeavors in which Bertramson was an active member: the development of the Pioneer Heights addition to Pullman, Washington, post-World War II food production and distribution in Germany, and a U.S. Aid project in Morocco to improve dryland farming techniques. Bertramson was a professor of agronomy at Washington State University and an involved member of his community in Pullman.
The contents of this collection pertain to the life and work of former Washington State University Professor of Agronomy, Bertram Rodney (B. R.) Bertramson. Materials, which include letters, diaries, pictures, correspondences, and legal and military documents fall under four categories: documents relating to Bertramson role in the construction and maintenance of the Pioneer Heights neighborhood in Pullman, Washington from the 1950s-1980s, documents relating to Bertramson’s time in the Second World War and the Military Government in Allied Occupied Germany after the war, documents relating to Bertramson’s academic research, and documents relating to Bertramson’s time in the U.S. Aid Morocco Dryland Farming Project in 1981-1982. Included are both personal materials, many of which are handwritten, and published documents.
Series 1: Pioneer Heights History, 1955-1993. This series contains materials on the creation of the Pioneer Heights addition to the city of Pullman. This series includes architectural blueprints, legal documents, purchasing contracts, pictures, and financing materials. Many of the blueprints and drawings have been separated from their original folder and placed in the oversized folder.
Series 2: Research Files, 1933-1991. This series contains a variety of materials from Bertramson’s academic career, and includes published works and articles, public speeches, and recorded oral histories by himself, his mother, and several colleagues at Washington State University.
Series 3: World War II and Postwar, 1942-1948. This series consists of materials relating to Bertramson’s officer training, service in Europe during World War II, and time in the military government in Germany following the war. It consists of 3 subseries: Officer Training and Tank Destroyer Camp and Food, Agricultural Studies Administration for Germany, and Scrapbooks and Diaries.
Subseries 1: Officer Training and Tank Destroyer School, Camp Hood, Texas, 1942-1943. This subseries consists of materials from Bertramson’s training as an officer in the United States Army, specifically with the Tank Destroyers, in preparation for deployment in the European Theater of the Second World War. Included are military documents, training materials, and personal documents and correspondences.
Subseries 2: Food and Agricultural Studies and Administration for Germany, 1944-1948. This subseries consists of materials from Bertramson’s time in the Food and Agriculture Administration of the military government of Allied Occupied Germany during and following the conclusion of the Second World War. Bertramson specifically worked with food distribution and food rationing in the Rhineland and Gross Hessen. Included are military documents and orders, personal correspondences with family members and German civilians, collected ephemera, and images. Within these materials is also information on denazification (capitalization?) and postwar American policy in Europe.
Subseries 3: Scrapbooks and Diaries, 1942-1946. This subseries consists of a variety of personal documents from Bertramson’s time in the United States Army, including officer training, combat experiences, and his time in the military government. Included are scrapbooks with annotated pictures and collected ephemera, diaries, joke books, collections of personal correspondences and personal reflections.
Series 4: University of Nebraska – U.S. Aid Morocco Dryland Farming Project, 1981-1983. This series consists of materials from Bertramson’s participation in the U.S. Aid Morocco Dryland Farming Project through the University of Nebraska. Much of this collection is currently restricted, though Bertramson's reflections on his experiences in Morocco and general notes and correspondences are available.
The documents in this collection are arranged in four series
Some materials restricted until 2034. The remainder of the collection is open and available for research use.
Copyright restrictions may apply.
[Item description]
Bertram Rodney Bertramson Papers, 1933-1993 (Cage 847)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
The Bertram Rodney Bertram Papers were donated to Washington State University by Bertramson to the Washington State University Libraries in 1992 and 1993 (MS 1992.71, MS 1993.01, MS 1993.05).
This collection was processed by Colin Rau and Steven Bingo in 2016.
Bertram Rodney Bertramson Papers, 1933-1979
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.