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Wilford R. Gardner papers, 1904-2002

Overview of the Collection

Title
Wilford R. Gardner papers
Dates
1904-2002 (inclusive)
Quantity
69 boxes, (18 linear feet)
Collection Number
UUS_COLL MSS 269
Summary
This collection contains papers concerning Wilford R. Gardner's service during World War II and his professional career as a teacher, administrator, and researcher for several universities.
Repository
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives Division
Special Collections & Archives
Merrill-Cazier Library
Utah State University
Logan, UT
84322-3000
Telephone: 4357978248
Fax: 4357972880
scweb@usu.edu
Access Restrictions

Open to public research.

Languages
English.
Sponsor
Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant, 2007-2008
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Biographical Note

Wilford Robert Gardner was born in 1925 in Logan, Utah to Robert and Nellie Barker Gardner. When Gardner graduated from high school in 1943, he enlisted in the US Army in response to the events that led to the US's involvement in World War II. Once enlisted, he took a military placement test, and was sent to the ROTC program at Stanford University, California for a short time. Thereafter, Gardner was assigned to the 1281st Combat Engineer Battalion and received army training at Fort Benning, Camp Livingston, Camp McCain, and Camp Polk before sailing for England. After a short time in England (December 1944-March 1945), Gardner entered Germany where he remained until July 1945, whereafter he was shipped to the Pacific Front. Gardner remained in the Pacific for eight months (August 1945 to March 1946), stationed in the Philippines, until his honorary discharge in March of 1946.

After the war, Gardner returned to Utah and studied physics and mathematics at Utah State Agricultural College (now Utah State University) and graduated with a BS in 1949. Gardner married Marjorie Louise Cole in June 1949, and he later had three children. He continued his studies at Iowa State University and received a MS in soil physics in 1951 and a Phd in physics and soil physics mathematics in 1953. Gardner found work as a physicist at the U.S. Salinity Labs in Riverside, California from 1953-1966. He was granted the National Science Foundation Senior Fellowship at Cambridge University, England and University of Wageningen, Netherlands 1959-1960. Later, Wilford found employment as a professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison from 1966-1980. While at the U of W, he was a Fulbright Fellow (1971-1972), and published Soil Physics in 1972. From 1980-1994, Gardner taught at the University of Arizona, Tucson as a professor of physics and head of the department of Soil and Water Science. Between 1987 and 1994, he served as dean of the College of Natural Resources at the University of California, Berkeley. Gardner gained the status of dean emeritus in 1994. In 1995, he became an adjunct professor at Utah State in the Department of Plants, Soils, and Biometeorology. Throughout his career, Gardner published over 140 books, chapters, and scholarly articles.

Wilford R. Gardner has participated in many scientific societies and committees on the local, national and international level. Some of these include the following organizations: American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Society of Agronomy, International Soil Science Society, Soil Science Society of America, Water Science and Technology Board of the NRC and the National Academy of Sciences. He was the president of physics committee (1968-1974) for the International Soil Science Society, head of the delegation to International Union of Soil Science, chairman of the United States National Committee for Soil Science, and he served as president of the Soil Science Society of America. Gardner currently resides in Utah.

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Content Description

This collection contains papers concerning Wilford R. Gardner's service during World War II, his professional career as a teacher, administrator, and researcher for several universities. Series I, Box 1 contains the pre-war and wartime outgoing correspondence of Gardner spanning from 1943 to 1946. It also contains "My Life" by Gardner, a volume which is a compilation of Gardner's wartime correspondence, photographs, military papers, and personal recollections about the war. In the University of California, Berkeley series, there is a great deal of documentation about the reorganization of the College of Natural Resource that took place while Wilford was serving as dean. Gardner served on many committees for national and international organizations. Much of the collection consists of correspondence, research, and reports for these various organizations. In addition to his own files, Wilford has donated some files on Robert Gardner, his father, and Willard Gardner, his uncle, who both made major contributions to the field of soil science. Also included in the collection are drafts and reprints of many of Wilford's publications and writings. The collection was separated into sections by Wilford Gardner before it came to Special Collections and Archives. Those sections were the basis for most of the series that appear in the collection. Overall, the files within each series are arranged chronologically by date. The series are often divided up into different committee efforts, each with their own chronological order. The original order of the Gardner papers was maintained wherever possible. The University of Arizona files are grouped alphabetically by subject and arranged by date within the folder. On the left of the colon is the folder's original title or subject letter. To the right of the colon is further explanation on the title or a description of contents. The inclusive dates are given in brackets. The contents are mostly correspondence. With the correspondence, there are a few drafts, graphs, programs, etc. that relate to the letters.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.

Permission to publish material from the Wilford R. Gardner papers must be obtained from the Special Collections and Archives manuscript curator and/or the Special Collections and Archives department head.

Preferred Citation

Wilford R. Gardner papers, 1904-2002. (COLL MSS 269). Utah State University. Special Collections and Archives Department.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Collection organized into 15 series:

  • I. Personal Files.
  • II. Photographs.
  • III. University of Wisconsin.
  • IV. University of Arizona.
  • V. University of California, Berkeley.
  • VI. Soil Science Society of America.
  • VII. Water Science and Technology Board.
  • VIII. United States Army Corp of Engineers.
  • IX. Iowa State University.
  • X. International Society of Soil Science.
  • XI. International Union of Soil Scientists, United States National Committee of Soil Scientists (USNCSS), and International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU).
  • XII. Miscellaneous International and Professional Activities.
  • XIII. Wilford Gardner, Publications.
  • XIV. Willard Gardner 1883-1964.
  • XV. Robert Gardner, Walter Gardner, H.R. Gardner.

Acquisition Information

This collection was donated to Special Collections and Archives by Wilford R. Gardner in three parts. The first part (the bulk of the material) in March 2000. The second part (consisting of several boxes) in June 2002. The third part (consisting of Gardner's World War II papers) in 2004. Funding to process this collection was also provided by Wilford R. Gardner.

Related Materials

Western Society of Soil Science records (COLL MSS 267).

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Finding aid created by Special Collections and Archives.
2008

CC Attribution
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