6 cubic feet (9 boxes, including 3 oversize boxes)
Collection Number:
MSS Reed
Summary:
The Reed Papers consist of notes,
publications and speeches, correspondence, photographs, and other materials
pertaining to Edwin T. Reed's work as college editor, to OSU history, and to
William Jasper Kerr.
Repository:
Oregon State University
Libraries University
Archives
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through
a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Biographical Note
Edwin Thomas Reed was born in River Falls, Wisconsin on September 15,
1872. He attended the University of Minnesota, graduating in 1895 with a B.S.
He then studied composition and literature at Harvard, earning a B.A. Reed
spent a number of years at newspaper and teaching jobs in Wisconsin and
Minnesota, followed by ten years as the English Department chair at Moorhead
(Minnesota) State Teachers College. At Moorhead, Reed also supervised the
library, directed the college's publications program, and had published two
volumes of his poetry. He married Katharine May Hartwell, a Moorhead graduate,
in 1909. The Reeds had two daughters and a son.
Reed moved to Corvallis in 1911, drawn by the accounts of the Willamette
Valley read to him as a child by his father. He purchased a 40-acre farm,
"Knollbrook," adjacent to OAC's South Farm. After meeting the College's
president, William Jasper Kerr, Reed was asked by Kerr in the spring of 1912 to
become the College's Editor of Publications. Reed served in this position until
his retirement in 1943, editing hundreds of college bulletins and circulars and
writing some of them himself. He also served as Editor of Publications for the
Oregon State System of Higher Education from 1932-1943.
Reed was credited with writing the OSC creed, was involved with the
founding of OAC's alumni publication, and was a popular speaker at high school
commencements and other gatherings. From 1927-1930, Reed was a contributing
editor to
School Executives Magazine and associate
editor of
Oregon, The State Magazine. He had three
additional volumes of poetry published, one of which,
Into The Promised Land, was published for
the centennial of the Oregon Trail. Many of his poems were also published in
magazines. Reed died at his home in Corvallis on August 25, 1948.
Content Description
Series I consists of Reed's notes and manuscripts drafts, and original
documents pertaining to the history of Oregon State University and, to a lesser
extent, the Oregon State System of Higher Education (OSSHE) and Corvallis.
Noteworthy is the substantial body of materials pertaining to the
reorganization of Oregon's public higher education in the 1930s and the
resulting controversies between Oregon State College and the University of
Oregon. Other materials pertain to Reed's tenure as College Editor at OSC and
Director of Publications for OSSHE, A. D. Taylor's plans for the OAC campus and
Corvallis, and the 1936 student activities fee ballot measure.
Series II includes drafts of a revision of the
Orange & Black, titled
The First Eighty Years, 1868-1948: A History of
Oregon State College; speeches and published articles on higher
education, Oregon State College, and William Jasper Kerr; typescripts and a
published volume of Reed's poetry,
The Bells of Long Ago and Other Memorial
Poems; published and manuscript versions of musical works (many of
which have words by Reed and music by his brother, Neil); and miscellaneous
manuscripts on a variety of subjects.
Series III consists of source materials collected by Reed for his
biography of William Jasper Kerr as well as manuscript drafts of the biography.
Much of the source material was given to Reed by Kerr, and is arranged
according to general subjects determined by Kerr. Materials from other sources
have been interfiled with the materials from Kerr. Source materials include
speeches, publications, newspaper clippings, correspondence, and Reed's
research notes. The biography manuscript consists of drafts of various
chapters, correspondence between Reed and Kerr concerning Kerr's review of
various chapters, and copies of halftone illustrations that Reed intended to be
used in the final publication. Photographic illustrations that Reed intended to
use are found in Series VI. Series III constitutes the largest extant body of
William Jasper Kerr's personal papers.
Series IV consists of general correspondence with OSC and OSSHE staff
and magazine editors. Of note is the correspondence between Reed and William A.
Jensen, executive secretary to the OSC president from 1916-1942. Series V
contains materials pertaining to organizations and events that Reed belonged to
or participated in, such as the Harvard University Tercentenary (1936) and the
Old Oregon Trail Centennial (1943). Series VI consists of photographs,
postcards, a postcard album, and a photograph album. Photos include aerial
views of OSC, and images pertaining to Kerr for use in the biography. Postcards
are of Harvard University. The postcard album includes mounted postcards,
photographs, and halftone illustrations of college and university buildings,
libraries, and courthouses throughout the United States. The photograph album
contains views of the Oregon Agricultural College campus taken between 1918 and
1920.
Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Access :
Collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation :
Edwin T. Reed Papers, Oregon State University Archives, Corvallis,
Oregon.
Administrative Information
Arrangement :
Organized into six series: I. General Historical Reference File - OAC,
OSC, OSSHE, and Other Subjects, 1902-1946; II. Writings and Publications,
1919-1948; III. William Jasper Kerr Reference File and Biographical Manuscript,
1886-1947; IV. General Correspondence, 1916-1943; V. Organizations and Special
Events, 1921-1943; and VI. Photographs, 1900-1939. Most series or subseries are
arranged chronologically.
Custodial History :
The photograph album was transferred to the University Archives from the
former Horner Museum in July 1996.
Related Materials :
Other materials relating to Reed can be found in the University
Publications and OSU Press Records (RG 18), Harriet's Photograph Collection
#381, the Century Club Records, and the Memorabilia Collection.
Detailed Description of the Collection
Series I: General Historical Reference File
- OAC, OSC, OSSHE and Other Subjects, 1902-1946
Container(s)
Description
Box
1
Notes on
" Commission to Select ...
University Land" , compiled by the historical Records Survey from sources
in Benton County Courthouse, ca. 1936
1
Transcripts of 19th century
reports & notes on early college history
1
Notes from journal
(1889-1908) of OAC Board of Regents
1
Notes from newspaper articles
(1881-1894) regarding OAC
1
Notes on Thomas
Gatch
1
Invitations, programs, etc.
of commencements and other college celebrations, 1902-1916
1
Replies to questionnaires and
queries for information about OAC, 1922-1936
1
Corvallis
Gazette-Times,
" OAC Special
section" , October 1, 1923
1
Corvallis school district
annual report, 1923/24
1
Report of gas plant for
campus, 1926
1
Various references by name in
Oregon laws to OSC, compiled by Delmer Goode, 1926
1
Statement of
salaries, December 1926
1
A.D. Taylor Campus Plan
(1926) and Corvallis report (1925), copies made in 1938
Series III: William Jasper Kerr Reference
File and Biographical Manuscript, 1886-1947
Container(s)
Description
Writings (addresses,
articles, editorials, etc.) by Kerr, 1886-1938:
Box
4
Bound volume of writings
on mathematics, newspaper letters to the editor, Brigham Young College
catalogue, 1886-1897
4
" The Relations of the
Land-Grant Colleges to the State Universities" , reprint from the
Deseret Evening News,
Dec. 30, 1905; reprint by the Office of Experiment Stations, U.S. Dept. of
Agriculture from proceedings of the annual convention of the Assn. of American
Agricultural Colleges & Experiment Stations, Washington, D.C., Nov. 14-16, 1905
4
" Agricultural College of
Utah" , in the
Deseret News, Dec. 25, 1905
4
" Modern Demands of
Education" , address delivered at the County Superintendents Convention,
Salt Lake City, Utah, April 1906
4
" Horticultural
Education" , address delivered to the Utah State Horticulture Society,
Salt Lake City, April 1906
4
" The Function of the Common
Schools" , address delivered to the Teachers' Institute, Salt Lake City,
Utah, April 7, 1906
4
" Modern Tendencies in
Education" , address delivered at the State Teachers' Assn.,
Salem, July 3, 1907
4
" The Farmer and
Education" , address delivered at the district fair, Grants Pass,
Oregon, Sept. 1907
4
" Oregon Agricultural
College: Origin & Development--Function & Scope" , notes on
address delivered at the Fair Association, Gresham, OR, Oct. 19, 1907
4
" The New Education" ,
address delivered to the Teachers' Association, Portland, Nov. 25, 1907, and to
the Eastern Division of the Oregon State Teachers' Association, LaGrande, OR,
Nov. 26, 1907
4
" Educational
Agriculture" , notes on address delivered to the Oregon State Teachers'
Assn., Eugene, June 1908
4
" Sources of Income and
Departments of Instruction of Oregon Agricultural College" , in the
Pacific Grange
Bulletin, October 1908
4
" Education" , address
delivered at the Educational Congress Convention, Alaska-Yukon-Pacific
Exposition, Seattle, July 4, 1909
4
" Equality of Educational
Opportunity" , address delivered at the Educational Congress, Seattle,
Washington, July 1909 and at the Teachers' Institute, The Dalles, Oregon,
October 7, 1909
4
" Agricultural
Interests" , address delivered to the Dept. of Manual Training, National
Education Association, Denver, Colorado, July 6, 1909
4
" Education for the
Masses" , address delivered to the Teachers' Institute, Klamath Falls,
OR, Sept. 6, 1909
Also included is a published version printed in the
Klamath Republican);
editorial for
Rural Spirit, Dec. 1909.
4
" Back to the Soil" ,
address delivered at the Oregon State Fair, Salem, Sept. 14, 1909
4
Address delivered to
Oregon Agricultural College faculty, Sept. 23, 1909
4
" The New Ideas in
Education" , address delivered to the Clackamas County Teachers'
Institute, Oregon City, Nov. 5, 1909
4
" Horticulture and the
Agricultural College" , address delivered to the Oregon State
Horticultural Society, Portland, Dec. 8, 1909
4
Brief, Oregon
Agricultural College to Board of Higher Curricula, March 15, 1910
4
Memorial Day, notes and
outline of address, Corvallis, Oregon, May 30, 1910
4
" The Oregon Agricultural
College" , address delivered on September 25, 1910, 1910
4
" Some Land Grant College
Problems" , address presented at the annual convention of the American
Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations, Washington, D.C., November 16, 1910
4
" Attack of the Carnegie
Foundation on Policies of Agricultural Colleges" , in the
Oregonian, December 1910
4
" The Country Life
Problem" , address delivered at the Farmers Banquet celebrating country
life and Good Roads Week, Salem, OR, Feb. 8, 1912; also includes article re:
address from the Salem
Statesman, Feb. 9, 1912
4
" The Relationship of
Eugenics and Sex Education" , address delivered to the Social Hygiene
Society, Portland, OR, March 8, 1912
4
Remarks made at a banquet
given in honor of visitors on the Oregon-Portland Business Men Excursion to
Oregon Agricultural College, Corvallis, April 26, 1912
4
" The Country Life
Problem" , address delivered to the Oregon State Bankers' Assn.,
Gearhart, Oregon, June 22, 1912
4
Address to Oregon
Agricultural College faculty, September 19, 1912
4
" Development of the
Educational Idea" , address delivered at the Grants Pass (OR) High School
commencement exercises, May 21, 1913
4
Address to Oregon
Agricultural College faculty, September 18, 1913
4
Address of welcome from
the Agricultural College to the Women's Christian Temperance Union Convention,
Corvallis, Sept. 23, 1913
4
" The Work of OAC and the
Future Prospects for the Farmer in Oregon" , address delivered at the
Bankers' and Business Men's Conference, Portland, January 30, 1914
4
Address to Oregon
Agricultural College faculty, September 21, 1914
4
" Harmonizing of Vocational
and Cultural Education" , discussion at the National Education
Association convention, St. Paul, Minnesota, Oct. 26, 1914
4
" Agricultural Economics or
the Business of Farming" , address delivered at the Farmers' Union
convention, The Dalles, Oregon, December 2, 1914
4
" Need of Education" ,
excerpts from address delivered at the Cottage Grove (Oregon) High School
commencement exercises, June 2, 1915
4
Material for editorial
prepared for Addison Bennett of the
Oregonian, August 1915
4
" The Ideal Public
School" , notes on address delivered at the Benton & Linn County
Teachers Institute, Albany, Oregon, Sept. 14, 1915
4
Address to Oregon
Agricultural College faculty, September 16, 1915
4
" Marks of Manhood in
America" , address delivered at the Older Boys' Conference,
Salem, Nov. 28, 1915
4
Address on irrigation
practice, delivered at the Oregon Irrigation Congress, Portland, December 29, 1915
4
Brief of statement
submitted at a hearing of the Federal Land Bank Board, Portland, Sept. 7, 1916
4
" The Work of the Dept. of
Bacteriology" , address delivered to the Oregon Medical Society,
Portland, September 15, 1916
4
Address to Oregon
Agricultural College faculty, September 21, 1916
4
Address delivered at the
banquet, legislative visit to OAC, January 20, 1917
4
" Education and the World
War" , delivered to the National Education Assn., Portland, July 13, 1917
4
Articles used by Kerr in
preparation of addresses for the Clatsop Co. Liberty Loan campaign and Eugene
Parent-Teachers Assn., Oct. 1918, and OAC faculty meeting
4
Address delivered at the
anniversary celebration of the signing of the armistice by Germany, November 11, 1919
4
Convocation address,
Oregon Agricultural College, January 21, 1920
4
Excerpts of address to
OAC faculty, Sept. 27, 1923
4
" Value of Specialized
Training" , in
Oregon
Business, April 1924
4
" Education for
Reality" , in
Oregon 'The State
Magazine', December 1927/January 1928
4
" Separate Boards of
Control" , editorial for the
Oregon Grange
Bulletin, undated
4
" Education Adapted to Life
Need" , notes of address, undated
4
" The College Bill and the
Governor's Veto" , undated
4
Untitled manuscript for
Utah Educational
Review, March 31, 1931
4
" The Spirit of the
Land-Grant Institutions" , addresses by Kerr and others delivered at the
annual convention of the Assn. of Land-Grant Colleges and Universities,
Chicago, Nov. 17, 1931
4
" Recent Experiences in
Centralized Control of Higher Education in Oregon" , delivered at the
annual meeting of the National Assn. of State Universities, Chicago, Nov. 17, 1933
Typescript and published copies; also delivered at the
Association of Governing Boards of State Universities and Allied Institutions
meeting, Columbus, Ohio, Nov. 15-17, 1934.
4
" Adaptation of Higher
Education to New Conditions" , in
Proceedings Of The Conference On
Higher Education, University of Oregon, Eugene, July 11-14, 1934
4
Oregon's Problem In Marketing
Agricultural And Industrial Products, March 1938
Articles about Kerr (not by
E.T. Reed)
Box
4
" A Missionary to the
Farmers" , by Frances A. Groff,
Sunset, The Pacific
Monthly, March 1913
4
" Bring on the Wrecking
Crew" ,
" Higher Education, July
18" , &
" The Press on Dr.
Kerr" ,
Oregon State
Monthly, August 1932
4
" The Depression and
Education" , an interview with Dr. W.J. Kerr, Chancellor of
OSSHE, Jan. 18, 1933
4
" The Retiring Chancellor of
the Oregon State System of Higher Education" ,
School &
Society, August 10, 1935
Reference file/background
material
Includes original documents and supplementary notes provided
by Kerr and transcripts made by Reed.
Box
4
Kerr Family (includes
genealogy compiled by Media Research Bureau, 1940)
4
W.J. Kerr personal
information (supplementary materials file #3; includes information compiled for
The National Cyclopedia Of
American Biography and other biographical sketches of Kerr)
4
Brigham Young College
Instructor (supplementary materials file #6)
4
Experiences at Cornell
(supplementary materials file #7)
4
University of Utah
(supplementary materials file #8)
4
President of Brigham
Young College (supplementary materials file #9)
4
Utah State Constitutional
Convention of 1895 (supplementary materials file #10)
4
Utah State Agricultural
College (supplementary materials file #11)
4
Oregon State College
(supplementary materials file #12)
4
Scrapbook of clippings --
personal, Association of American Agricultural Colleges, Extension Service,
National Education Association, 1907-1910
5
Kerr and Kansas State
Agricultural College
5
Chancellorship
(supplementary materials file #13)
5
Resolutions adopted by
the Oregon State Board of Higher Education upon Kerr's retirement as
Chancellor, 1935
5
Chancellor Emeritus &
OSSHE Director of Research in Production & Marketing (supplementary
materials file #14)
Old Order of the Owls,
Moorhead (Minnesota) State Teachers College, 1936
8
Melrose Hall, Linfield
College, ca. 1935
8
Aerial views of Oregon State
College, ca. 1938-1940
4
images
8
OSC President's
residence, 1938
Kerr biography
illustrations
Box
8
Utah State Capitol
building, ca. 1945
8
Ceremony in Utah? State
Capitol Building, ca. 1945
2
images
8
Views of Brigham Young
College, ca. 1900
5 prints & 4
copy negatives
8
Portrait of Kerr when
president of Brigham Young College, ca. 1900
8
Kerr home?, Logan,
Utah?, ca. 1900
8
Mathematical models &
instruments, University of Utah
copy negative
only
8
Portrait of Kerr (photo
by Harris & Ewing, Washington, DC), ca. 1915
8
Postcards, views of Harvard
University; from Harvard Tricentenary materials), 1936
28
postcards
8
Harvard University buildings
(from Harvard Tercentenary), ca. 1936
8
Photographs of Norway trip, 1939
Remain of ships, burial chambers, cart and sled
3
Postcard album, ca. 1909-1910
apx 12x17 in.
Views of campus buildings from colleges and universities:
Cornell University, University of Pennsylvania, Brown University, Purdue,
Washington State College, University of California, University of Idaho, Oregon
Agricultural College, University of Washington, University of Oklahoma,
University of Illinois, University of Wisconsin, Ontario Agricultural College,
Michigan Agricultural College, Ohio State University, Mills College.OAC images include Administration Building (Benton Hall),
Cauthorn (now Fairbanks) Hall, Waldo Hall, Agriculture (now Education) Hall,
Shepard Hall, Lower Campus (with cadets in OAC formation), general campus
views.Views of public libraries, county courthouses, and high
schools in various U.S. cities.Views of buildings at Yukon-Pacific Exposition, Seattle,
1909
9
Photograph album of Oregon
Agricultural College buildings and scenes, 1918-1920
apx 16x20 in.
Many of these images appear in the 1921 Beaver yearbook.
Current building names are in parentheses.
View of Waldo Hall and
Men's Gymnasium (Langton Hall).
Drawing of
campus.
Commerce Building (Bexell
Hall).
A shady nook among the
firs near the Women's Gym. Includes stone bench, a gift of the class of
1907.
Students in the Library
Quad. Dairy Building (Gilkey Hall) and Agriculture Hall in the background.
(Photo by Ball Studio, Corvallis)
Drive in front of
Apperson Hall.
Agriculture
Hall.
Old Administration
Building in summer. (Photo by Ball Studio, Corvallis)
Campus grounds and the
Old Administration Building (Benton Hall).
Drive and walkway by
Apperson Hall with light snow. (Photo by Ball Studio, Corvallis)
Library (Kidder Hall) and
Agriculture Hall in the fog. (Photo by Ball Studio, Corvallis)
Library and Ida Kidder's
wickermobile. (Photo by Ball Studio, Corvallis)
Apperson Hall and Campus
Way (unpaved).
Library Quad showing the
Bandstand, Agriculture Hall, and the Dairy Building (Gilkey Hall).
Procession from
Agriculture Hall.
Waldo Hall and Men's
Gymnasium (Langton Hall) with automobiles on Jefferson Avenue.
Walkway with trees near Apperson Hall. (Photo by
Ball Studio, Corvallis)
Marys River.
Campus drive near Old
Administration Building (Benton Hall); Library Quad and buildings in
background.
Campus Way and campus
grounds near Old Administration Building (Benton Hall).
Agriculture Hall and the
end of the Library (Kidder Hall); looking through a tree.
Campus Way and campus
grounds; taken near Apperson Hall.
Campus grounds with
Science Hall (Education Hall) in the distance.
Campus grounds with Old Administration Building
(Benton Hall) in the background.
Campus Way and campus
grounds, looking southwest.
Campus grounds with the
Women's Gymnasium (Valley Gymnastics Center) in the background.
Waldo Hall and
drive.
Heating plant. (Photo by
Ball Studio, Corvallis)
Four men on sidewalk
between Agriculture Hall and the Home Economics Building (Milam Hall). (Photo
by Ball Studio, Corvallis)
Flower bed in middle of
circular driveway by Waldo Hall.
Line of people outside of
the Library (Kidder Hall).
Sidewalk between
Agriculture Hall and the Dairy Building (Gilkey Hall). Also shows the Library
(Kidder Hall) and the Old Administration Building (Benton Hall).
Campus grounds near Apperson Hall covered with
ice.
Science Hall (Education Hall) and walkways,
looking south.
Campus trees covered with
ice. (photo by Ball Studio, Corvallis)
Campus grounds with
Science Hall (Education Hall) in the background.
Driveway near Waldo
Hall.
Man drinking from water
fountain; campus grounds covered with snow and ice. Waldo Hall in the
background.
Campus grounds and
Women's Gymnasium (Valley Gymnastics Center).
Campus Way with Shepard
Hall and the Mines Building (Batcheller Hall).
Campus grounds and the
Old Administration Building (Benton Hall).
Campus Way with the Library (now Kidder Hall)
and the Dairy Building (Gilkey Hall).
Shepard Hall and the
Mines Building (Batcheller Hall).
Old Administration
Building (Benton Hall) and automobiles.
Jefferson Street with the
Forestry Building (Moreland Hall) and the Men's Gymnasium (Langton Hall).
(Photo by Ball Studio, Corvallis)
Cadets marching from the
Armory (McAlexander Fieldhouse).
The Armory (McAlexander
Fieldhouse).
Original (east) section
of the Home Economics Building (Milam Hall), with home economics faculty and
students out front.
Science Hall (Education
Hall).
Men's Gymnasium (Langton
Hall).
Forestry Building
(Moreland Hall).
Dairy Building (Gilkey
Hall). (Photo by Ball Studio, Corvallis)
Campus Way and the
covered loading dock of the Dairy Building.
Science Hall (Education
Hall).
Withycombe House (home
management or practice house).
Science Hall (Education
Hall) and front walkway.
Students using the
Library Culture Collection in the Library Reading Room. (Photo by Ball Studio,
Corvallis)
Woodworking shop and
furniture.
Tractor lined up on
Campus Way.
Cauthorn Hall (Fairbanks
Hall).
Faculty (?) procession
into Agriculture Hall.
YMCA "Hut" on Jefferson
Street. (Photo by Ball Studio, Corvallis)
Campus walk between
Agriculture Hall and the Dairy Building (Gilkey Hall). Also shows the Library
(Kidder Hall) and the Administration Building (Benton Hall).
Assembly (commencement?)
in the Men's Gymnasium (Langton Hall).
Male students eating
inside the Armory (McAlexander Fieldhouse).
Conference group in the
Men's Gymnasium (Langton Hall)
Football team in
practice.
Male students in lobby
area of Men's Gymnasium (Langton Hall).
Football
game.
Oregon Agricultural
College cadets and cadet band on library quad; Agriculture Hall in the
background.
Football fans sitting in
the stands.
Football game; Waldo Hall
in background
Fans in the stands at a
football game.
William Jasper Kerr and
other dignitaries and faculty in the covered portion of football
stadium.
Administration Building
(Benton Hall) and the Trysting Tree.
Cadets and others
gathered around the Bandstand.
Waldo Hall, Men's
Gymnasium (Langton Hall), Forestry Building (Moreland Hall), and the Poultry
Incubator House along Jefferson Street.
Crowd gathered around the
Bandstand. Administration Building (Benton Hall) in the background.
Commencement exercises in
the Men's Gymnasium (Langton Hall).
Crowd in the quad near
the Library (Kidder Hall). Shepard Hall in the background.
Front entrance to Waldo
Hall.
Crowd in covered (west)
grandstand of the football stadium. (Photo by Ball Studio,
Corvallis)
The college library
(Kidder Hall) in summer. (Photo by Ball Studio, Corvallis)
Front (north) entrance to
the Armory (McAlexander Fieldhouse).
Apperson Hall after the
addition of the third floor. (Photo by Ball Studio, Corvallis)
West and southwest
grandstands of the football stadium filled with fans watching a game. (Photo by
Ball Studio, Corvallis)
Walkway and Apperson
Hall.
The Trysting Tree. (Photo
by Gardner Studio, Corvallis)
Serpentine crowd on the
field during the OAC-University of Oregon football game. (Photo by Ball Studio,
Corvallis), 1920
