University of Arkansas Entomology Department Records

Collection

Identifier: MC 2269-UA

Staff Only
Select files to request

Content Description

The contents of this collection largely pertain to the founding and prevailing ideologies of the University of Arkansas' Entomology Department through published works on insect control (now called Integrated Pest Management or IPM) and general entomology concepts from Dwight Isely and W. J. Baerg who were professors in the department in the early 20th century. Additionally, much of the department's research from the 1920s through the 1980s can be found in volumes of compiled materials from the department titled "Publications From Entomology Department". The history of the department from 1900-1985 is also covered by former faculty members Charles Lincoln and Lloyd O. Warren in a book featured in the collection as well as biographical information on Lincoln. Also included in the collection are: Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension materials, entomology graduate students' theses and class work, materials related to the initial stages of the agriculture building remodel in 2001, and photographic slides of ornamental pests.

Dates

1900-2007
Majority of material found within 1925-1972

Conditions Governing Access

Please call (479) 575-8444 or email specoll@uark.edu at least two weeks in advance of your arrival to ensure availability of the materials.

Conditions Governing Use

All rights and title to the materials created by CHS News remain with CHS News. Researchers are responsible for obtaining permissions to publish from the copyright holder. Confirmed by Nathaniel Guttenberg, 2024-01-30.

No Other Restrictions Apply.

No Interlibrary Loan.

Standard Federal Copyright Laws Apply (U.S. Title 17).

Biographical / Historical

As part of the University of Arkansas' land-grant mission, entomology was a discipline taught early in university history. In 1873, one year after the university's establishment, Professor Richard Thurston, M.D. stated in the Catalog of Studies that "to effectively control insects there is required a knowledge of entomology". The Department of Entomology was established in 1905 when The College of Agriculture was created. The first head of the department was Charles F. Adams, who also became dean and director of the department in 1908, until 1914 when George Becker became head. Only third year students in their second term were allowed to enroll in entomology courses until 1908 when the Experiment Station was built, which included a small entomology facility that held classes and labs until about 1935. W. J. Baerg, naturalist and expert on spiders and birds, served as department head from 1918 until 1951 and is credited with creating departmental philosophy based on the writings of former U of A professor Dwight Isely, who many entomologists considered to be a leader in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) or "insect control". In 1942, the department expanded, and Floyd Miner was hired as primary classroom professor and entomology through the extension service was formalized with the hire of Charles Lincoln who became head in 1951. The same year, the department introduced a graduate degree program and began to see an influx of students as World War II veterans returned to complete degrees. In 1972, a Ph.D. program was started, and Gary Herzog was the first to earn the degree in 1976. Several faculty members were added to the department over the coming decades and the department continued to expand its course offerings to students such as: involvement in national IPM programs, soybean and mosquito research, vegetable and livestock entomology, biological control, and a B.S. program in Pest Management and a Pest Management Section of the Cooperative Extension Service were created in the 1990s. In 2001, The University began remodeling the Agriculture Building which was home to entomology Extension Education. From 2005 to 2014, Robert N. Wiedenmann was head of the department and assumed statewide responsibility for all entomology programs of the Division of Agriculture. Dr. Ken Korth was appointed head of the department in 2018 and is still in that role as of 2024. In 2019, The University of Arkansas merged the Department of Entomology and the Department of Plant Pathology (named the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology) after the merger was approved by the Board of Trustees and the Arkansas Department of Higher Education at the November 14-15, 2018 meeting. The Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology's main building is on the Fayetteville campus and has several offices and research locations across Arkansas.

Extent

5 Linear Feet (5 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

This collection's original order was partially maintained. Books were not grouped in any particular order originally and the archivist re-arranged them by author and title, chronologically. The rest of the items were mostly grouped by subject which the archivist maintained. Few items were in folders, but all had original titles which were kept.

The subjects are as follows: Published by Dwight Isely: Box 1 File 1-Box 2 File 7; Published by W. J. Baerg: Box 2 File 8-Box 3 File 5; Publications From Entomology Department: Box 3 File 6-Box 4 File 9; Entomologist Charles Lincoln: Box 4 File 10-Box 5 File 1; U of A Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension: Box 5 Files 2-4; U of A Entomology Student Work: Box 5 Files 5-13; U of A Agriculture Building Remodel: Box 5 Files 14-15; Applied Ecology and Management Proposal: Box 5 File 16; Arkansas Trees: Box 5 File 17; U.S. Department of Agriculture Materials: Box 5 Files 18-19; Ornamental Pest Slides: Box 5 File 20; Mosquito Research: Box 5 File 21-Item 22

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The University of Arkansas Entomology Department Records was donated to the Special Collections Department by the Entomology Department through Terry Kirkpatrick on January, 31, 2018.