Biographical Note
Horticulturist Melvin Westwood was a faculty member in the Oregon State
University Horticulture Department and Agricultural Experiment Station from
1960 until his retirement in 1983. Westwood published extensively and received
numerous awards for his research in rootstock physiology and fruit germplasm.
He helped establish the National Clonal Germplasm Repository in Corvallis,
Oregon; served as its Research Director in 1980-1982; and was the National
Technical Advisor for Clonal Germplasm from 1982 to 1986. Westwood earned his
B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in pomology from Utah State University (1952) and
Washington State University (1956).
Content Description
The Melvin N. Westwood Papers consist of materials generated and
collected by Westwood and include article reprints, correspondence, course
handouts, newspaper clippings, a list of publications, notes, reference
materials, reports, and a self-published monograph on the foods gathered and
eaten during the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The papers primarily document
Westwood's research on tree fruits (primarily pears, apples, prunes, and
peaches) and include summary reports compiled by Westwood of fruit research
done in Oregon. The reference materials collected by Westwood pertain to plant
phenology and the history of horticulture in Oregon.