Grand Old Man of Purdue University and Indiana Agriculture

Andrew G. Martin, Frederick Whitford

Description

William Carol Latta was the 13th member of the Purdue faculty. He became the driving force behind Purdue's world-famous School of Agriculture and initiated extension services that have lasted for more than a century. In 1890, he laid out the first permanent soil fertility field experiments, inaugurating a system of research considered one of the best in the country at that time. He administered Purdue's School of Agriculture until 1907.
Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. The Education of William Carroll Latta: His Early Years

2. Building an Agricultural University: Politics, Vision, and Perseverance

3. The College Professor: Fulfilling a Dream of Teaching (1882–1911)

4. The Field Researcher: Using Science to Answer Agricultural Questions (1882–1901)

5. The Extension Specialist: Taking the University to the People (1889–1923)

6. The Purdue Politician: An Unwavering Belief in the University

7. Moral Obligations and Civic Responsibilities: A Life of Service

8. The Private Life of William Latta: A Time Away from Campus

9. Lasting Tributes: The Man Remembered

10. Epilogue: A Legacy of Caring and Commitment

Appendix 1. Selected Text of “Agricultural Education: Its Practical Value”

Appendix 2. Introductory Dates of Agricultural Practices and Innovations in Indiana

Appendix 3. Purdue University Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletins Written by William Carroll Latta

Appendix 4. Selected Titles of Presentations Delivered at Farmers’ Institutes in Indiana from 1888 to 1907 321

Appendix 5. Yearly Attendance at Farmers’ Institutes in Indiana, 1889 to 1931

Appendix 6. Poems Written by William Carroll Latta

Appendix 7. Short Stories Written by William Carroll Latta

Appendix 8. Armed Guard Sailors Who Served aboard the SS W. C. Latta during World War II

Notes

Sources

Index

Sujets

• Teaching
• Histoire
• Study
• History

Informations

• Publié par: Purdue University Press
• Date de parution: 15 juillet 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781557539243
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

The Grand Old Man
The Grand Old Man
OF PURDUE UNIVERSITY AND INDIANA AGRICULTURE

A Biography of William Carroll Latta
FREDERICK WHITFORD AND ANDREW G. MARTIN
Purdue University Press West Lafayette, Indiana
Copyright © 2005 by Purdue University
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.
Design by Dawn L. Minns
Illustrations by Mary Louise Jones
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Whitford, Fred, 1955–
The grand old man of Purdue University and Indiana agriculture: a biography of William Carroll Latta/Frederick Whitford and Andrew G. Martin.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-55753-395-4 (alk. paper)
1. Latta, W. C. (William Carroll), 1850–1935. 2. Agriculture teachers—Indiana—Biography. 3. Agricultural extension workers—Indiana—Biography. 4. Agriculture—Study and teaching (Higher)—Indiana—History. 5. Agricultural extension work—Indiana—History. 6. Purdue University—Faculty—Biography. I. Martin, Andrew G. II.
Title.
S417.L36W55 2005
630’.92–dc22
2005005896
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to all of Purdue University’s Extension specialists, educators, administrators, and volunteers— past and present—who, after devoting their lives to Extension work, rest knowing that there will be others to carry on the tradition of serving the people.
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1 The Education of William Carroll Latta: His Early Years
2 Building an Agricultural University: Politics, Vision, and Perseverance
3 The College Professor: Fulfilling a Dream of Teaching (1882–1911)
4 The Field Researcher: Using Science to Answer Agricultural Questions (1882–1901)
5 The Extension Specialist: Taking the University to the People (1889–1923)
6 The Purdue Politician: An Unwavering Belief in the University
7 Moral Obligations and Civic Responsibilities: A Life of Service
8 The Private Life of William Latta: A Time Away from Campus
9 Lasting Tributes: The Man Remembered
10 Epilogue: A Legacy of Caring and Commitment
Appendix 1. Selected Text of “Agricultural Education: Its Practical Value”
Appendix 2. Introductory Dates of Agricultural Practices and Innovations in Indiana
Appendix 3. Purdue University Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletins Written by William Carroll Latta
Appendix 4. Selected Titles of Presentations Delivered at Farmers’ Institutes in Indiana from 1888 to 1907
Appendix 5. Yearly Attendance at Farmers’ Institutes in Indiana, 1889 to 1931
Appendix 6. Poems Written by William Carroll Latta
Appendix 7. Short Stories Written by William Carroll Latta
Appendix 8. Armed Guard Sailors Who Served aboard the SS W. C. Latta during World War II
Notes
Sources
Index
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
B IOGRAPHIES ARE NOT WRITTEN IN A VACUUM. The work involved in the compilation of information is more than just what the authors write. It involves many people to make such a book possible about someone who lived so long ago. The authors were indeed fortunate to have had the assistance of so many people who all helped and provided much encouragement on this long journey.
While it is impossible to name everyone, the authors would like to acknowledge a few who helped pave the road to the completed biography of William Carroll Latta.
The authors wish to thank Irwin Weiser, professor and head of the Purdue University Department of English, for his insightful analysis of William Carroll Latta’s poetry and short stories; Katherine M. Markee, the Special Collections librarian for Purdue University, who contributed significantly to the successes in assembling the supporting materials for the book; Roger Wood, a historian from the University of California and a Purdue University alumnus, whose dissertation on Purdue history proved a valuable resource; and Paul Schueler and Kim Wainscott, from the Tippecanoe County Historical Association, who were crucial in the development of this biography. Special thanks to Keith Johnson and Robert Nielsen for reviewing and commenting on the thesis written by William Latta.
We are also grateful to the family of William Carroll Latta. Several individuals contributed family stories, letters, notes, and most of all pictures from an era long ago. They helped to shape the book and, for their efforts, made the book more interesting because of their ties to Professor Latta. Therefore, a special thanks goes to Larry Sullivan and Bettie Gordon, descendents of James Latta; Phyllis and Arthur Webster, descendents of the Wood family; and Kim Sharpe, the great-granddaughter of William Carroll Latta.
We are indebted to our editor, Carolyn A. McGrew, for all of her efforts in improving the readability of the book. Our thanks to Dawn L. Minns for designing the dust jacket and the layout of the book. All the beautiful black-and-white sketches are original drawings by Mary Louise “Lou” Jones.
And finally, thank you to the many others who helped in one way or another: Robert Mitchell, who rescued the book when the computer decided to erase it; Ken Mueller, the editor of the Latta Newsletter; the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States for assistance in helping to connect the authors with the sailors of the SS W. C. Latta; and Bob Gagen, Noble County historian, who helped us find the land that Robert Latta and his son, William Carroll, farmed.
INTRODUCTION
T HIS BOOK TAKES AS ITS SUBJECT the life of William Carroll Latta, a figure instrumental in the development of agricultural Extension, teaching, and research at Purdue University during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. However, he would be the first to admit that he was a part of Purdue’s success, not its cause. Latta would surely point to the many dedicated Purdue men and women who were pioneers in their efforts to improve the lives of rural people.
Professor Latta and his colleagues were trailblazers. Where previously the science and practice of agriculture operated independently of each other, these men forged a connection, bringing into fraternity Indiana’s land-grant institution and the people of the state. Agriculture, in general, and farmers, in particular, took time to accept the ideas and information that Latta and others had to offer, but once Indiana’s agricultural community recognized that research and education could improve their lives, the pattern was set for the future. Farmers would come to want and then expect Purdue University to direct its resources toward developing and disseminating, in print and in person, the latest research information about all aspects of farming, from using the latest mechanical device to increasing efficiency and yields.
Those that followed in the footsteps of Latta and his contemporaries built on the early successes, extending research-based educational opportunities to an ever widening circle of Indiana citizens. Each new generation of Purdue University’s Extension professionals have reached back to the previous generation to use those programs and methods that worked—modified where necessary—or to serve as the inspiration for new ideas about Extension work. Tomorrow’s Extension educators will no doubt continue the tradition of paving over old roads and designing new highways of ideas on which the current generation never imagined traveling.
Why William Carroll Latta? What drew us into an exploration of the life of this remarkable individual? We are Extension specialists with the Purdue University College of Agriculture, where Latta devoted more than five decades of professional service. This biography is an opportunity to reflect on the life of a man who has influenced our careers in ways he could never have imagined. Each article, book, and reference that yielded information on this agricultural visionary inspired a sense of excitement and discovery.
Professor Latta’s name resonates at Purdue University to this day, but his work is largely unknown. It has been seventy years since he strolled across the West Lafayette campus, where he is still known variously as the founder of Extension and the founder of the Experiment Station. Some recall that a World War II Liberty Ship, the SS W. C. Latta , was named in his honor, and it is fitting to remember that Indiana 4-H youth nominated his name to that ship. Others know of his portrait, painted by the Hoosier artist Robert Grafton and presented to Purdue University on Latta’s eightieth birthday, March 9, 1930. A few recognize his book titled Outline History of Indiana Agriculture as the only one ever written on the subject.
But ask those who recognize William Carroll Latta’s name about his specific accomplishments, and it becomes clear that the details of his life are forgotten. How is it that the work of this noted teacher, researcher, Extension worker, editor, administrator, and community leader has been lost in history? Why has his life never been the subject of a comprehensive inquiry by the institution where he figured so prominently?
It is unfortunate that the memory of Professor Latta, the thirteenth faculty member at Purdue University, is fading into obscurity. So it was our desire to know this man, to document the surviving fragments of his life and weave them into a coherent whole.
William Carroll Latta, from his boyhood on a northern Indiana farm to his work as a university professor, was deeply concerned with the rural issues of his day. Information leaped from the pages of