University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives
Miles Jamison Willard collection
Willard, Miles Jamison, 1924-2004
MG 533
4 linear feet
1920-2000
Family photographs, photographs from food science work including of potato flakes, scrapbooks, professional notes, awards, and correspondence.
English
.
Miles J. Willard was a prominent engineer and scientist in Idaho notable for being involved with the invention of potato flakes. Materials in the collection include family photographs, photographs from food science work including of potato flakes, scrapbooks, professional notes, and correspondence. The correspondence primarily involves Willard's time in the military during World War II where he was involved in the Manhattan Project. He received many awards from the state of Idaho and from the University of Idaho which are also reflected in the collection. Other materials document Willard's interest in genealogy, photography, and music.
Miles Jamison Willard was born on June 10, 1924 to Miles Jamison and Ethel Stevens Willard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Early on it was evident that Willard had two great passions in life: music and chemistry.
His enthusiasm for chemistry led to a path of higher education at Drexel Institute (now Drexel University). Willard studied chemical engineering until the United State's involvement in World War II. He was drafted into the U.S. Army, and saw much of the fighting overseas, including the Battle of the Bulge. The Army eventually assigned Willard to study engineering at Rutgers University. Afterwards he was transferred Los Alamos, New Mexico where his duties included working on valves and pressure gauges for a military project. Later he learned the work he had done in New Mexico was for the atomic bomb. After World War II, Willard returned to Drexel and completed his chemical engineering degree in 1949.
Willard's career in food technology began at his employment at the Eastern Regional Research Laboratory of the USDA in Philadelphia. Here, he and a colleague developed a new drying process for the manufacture of instant mashed potato flakes. In 1955 his career path took him to Idaho, where he designed and operated the world's first commercial potato flake plant for the Rogers Brothers Company. He worked as the Director of Research for about nine years.
In 1973, Willard established the Miles Willard Company, which later became Miles Willard Technologies and is currently located in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He ran the company until his retirement in 1998. Miles Jamison Willard passed away on November 26, 2004 at 80 years old.
Collection is open for research.
This collection is made up of two accessions: MA 2003-11 and MA 2018-20. The first accession, donated in 2003, doesn't contain any donor information. The second accession, donated in 2018, was donated by Janice Willard, the step-daughter of Miles Jamison Willard.
Author, Description or "Title" of item, date. Collection name, collection number, box, folder. University of Idaho Library Special Collections and Archives, Moscow, ID.
Correspondence
Potato flakes
Inventions
Scrapbooks
Photographs
Series I. Papers
Correspondence
1956-1958
Topic: Personal
1956-1958
1
1
Topic: Potato Flakes Research
1957; 1970
1
2
Disston School, District No. 10 - Grade Reports
1933-1936
1
3
Drexel Institute of Technology (Drexel University) - Grade Reports
1942-1944
1
4
European Potato Chip Association Convention
12 Steps from Research to Production of a New Snack
undated
1
5
Fabricated Potato Snacks And Their Structures by Miles J. Willard
1974
1
6
Federal Employment
1948
1
7
Frankford High School - Grade Reports
1940-1942
1
8
Governor's Awards in the Arts
1994-1996
1
9
Grand Teton Music Festival
Correspondence
1
10
Festival Information
1
11
Newspaper Clippings
1
12
Harding Junior High, District No. 8 - Grade Reports
1939
1
13
Idaho Potato Hall of Fame programs
1998-2000
1
14
Materials on Julian Jaynes
Miles J. Willard met with Julian Jaynes (1920-1997), an American researcher in psychology at Yale and Princeton for nearly 25 years and best known for his 1976 book The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mindfamed American.
1
15
Personal Notebook
1
16
Project Summaries
circa. 1960s-1970s
1
17
Ridgemont House Recitals
1
18
Rotary Club
Fabricated Foods
August 1973
1
19
Introduction for Virginia and Miles Willard
6 October 1971
1
20
The Idaho Russet - Baked, Processed, and Overlooked by The Idaho Centennial
16 March 1988
1
21
The Alumni Digest of Drexel University, vol. 4, no. 1
1992
1
22
University of Idaho
College of Agriculture Commencement
1996
1
23
Correspondence
1
24
Series II. Military
Correspondence
1944-1956
Personal correspondence between Miles Jamison Willard and family.
1
25
Miscellaneous
1
26
Photographs
1
27
Service Pins and Tags
circa 1940s
Includes Miles Jamison Willard's Army issued dog tag.
1
28
Special Engineer Detachment 55th Year Reunion
1998
1
29
USS Long Beach (CGN 9) guided missile cruise schedule
1980
1
30
Series III. Printed Photographs and Slides
Aisla (?) Hoop
Microscopic analysis photograph.
1
31
Bibby Straws from Flakes
Microscopic analysis photograph.
1
32
Bibby Straws from Potatoes
Microscopic analysis photograph.
1
33
Chipnic
Microscopic analysis photograph.
1
34
Chipos
Microscopic analysis photograph.
1
35
Chipsters
Microscopic analysis photograph.
1
36
Frito
Microscopic analysis photograph.
1
37
Grand Teton Music Festival
1
38
Honorary Degree ceremony at the University of Idaho, College of Agriculture
1
39
Joey Chips
Microscopic analysis photograph.
1
40
Miles Jamison Willard at Drexel University graduation
1
41
Miscellaneous
1
42
Munchos
Microscopic analysis photograph.
1
43
Nalley's Plant - Tacoma, WA
Slides.
1
44
Nibbit
Microscopic analysis photograph.
1
45
Nibbit Pizza Spinner (?)
Microscopic analysis photograph.
1
46
Pizza Puff
Microscopic analysis photograph.
1
47
Potato Chip Blanching
Slides.
1
48
Potato Chip - 'N'
Microscopic analysis photograph.
1
49
Potato Flakes Demonstration
1
50
Potato Puff
Microscopic analysis photograph.
1
51
Potato Shoestring
Microscopic analysis photograph.
1
52
Pringles
Microscopic analysis photograph.
1
53
Quaver
Microscopic analysis photograph.
1
54
Ruscott Potato Chip Machine
13 February 1957
Installed in Foods Chip Plant in Detroit, Michigan.
1
55
Snack Products
Slides.
1
56
Tom's French Fries
Microscopic analysis photograph.
1
57
Unknown Food Processing Plants
Photographs and slides.
1
58
Viro (?) Chip
Microscopic analysis photograph.
1
59
W6-426 G (unknown snack)
Microscopic analysis photograph.
1
60
W6-451 A1 (unknown snack)
Microscopic analysis photograph.
1
61
Series IV. Awards and Certificates
1993-1996
Doctor of Science degree - Drexel Univresity
19 June 1994
1
62
Idaho Potato Hall of Fame
21 January 1998
Idaho Potato Hall of Fame induction award presented to Miles Willard for his outstanding contributions to the Idaho Potato Industry. Presented by the Idaho Potato Expo.
2
001
University of Idaho Foundation
1996
Membership election award presented to Miles J. Willard from the University of Idaho Foundation.
2
002
University of Idaho Honorary Degree
18 May 1996
Honorary degree of Doctor of Administrative Science presented to Miles Willard from the University of Idaho.
2
63
University of Idaho Honorary Degree plaque
1996
Miles Willard's Honorary Degree Recipient award from the University of Idaho College of Agriculture.
2
003
University of Idaho Leadership Circle
1993
Leadership Circle kaleidoscope award given to Miles and Virginia W. Willard from the University of Idaho.
2
004
Series V. Textiles
Doctorial Graduation Honor Robes
2 robes.
3
Series VI. Scrapbooks
Family Scrapbook
4
005
Family Scrapbook
4
006
Military Scrapbook
4
007
Military Scrapbook
4
008
Scrapbook
Loose-leaf pages of unknown scrapbook.
4
64