Young, Arthur W 1973, 1975

Dr. Arthur W. Young, Professor emeritus of Agronomy at Texas Tech, discusses his slide photographs, the growth and development of Tech’s College of Agricultural Sciences, and various aspects of his work from 1935 to 1969.

General Interview Information

Interviewee Name: Arthur W. Young

Additional Parties Recorded: None

Date: March 6, 1973; April 9 and May 27, 1975

Location: Lubbock, Texas

Interviewer: Beth Schneider, Richard Arnold, Donald E. Green

Length: 4 hours 15 minutes

Abstract

Tape 1, Side 1: Early Texas Tech photographs discussed, Early buildings and landscapes cited, Buildings used for World War II Air Force students, Agriculture faculty named, Changes, expansion of Agriculture School traced, Anecdote on airplane crash, First irrigation wells on campus remembered, Early cotton varieties and mechanical pickers mentioned, Recollections of early work with anhydrous ammonia.

Tape 1, Side 2: Early sugar beet work discussed, Personal history related, Reasons for move to Texas Tech examined, Character of Tech’s Agriculture School reviewed, Reasons for division of departments given, Origin of Tech landscaping cited, Professor Elo Urbanovsky hired, Tree planting activities (1940s), Difficulty in finding Lubbock housing cited, Attitudes on Tech-Lubbock cooperation, Tech water problems discussed, Development of new Tech farm (1947), Growth of program of cooperation between Texas Tech and A & M Experiment station recalled, Discussion of agriculture curriculum, Influence of Tech on area agriculture.

Tape 2, Side 1: Department of Agronomy, Undergraduate program, Graduate program, History, Organization (1925), Arthur H. Leidigh, Crop judging teams, Sponsors, Faculty participation, Purposes, Recognition, Gathering materials, Soil judging teams, Origin, Nathan J. Allen, Intern program, Departmental research, Emphasis, Grants, University policies, Texas A & M Experiment Station, Effect on Texas Tech, Land grant colleges, Experimental stations, Equipment needed.

Tape 2, Side 2: Blank

Tape 3, Side 1: Soil Conservation Service was hiring people (1933-35), Ropesville resettlement project discussed, Shelbyville project described as unsound because of lack of water, Trees died because of lack of moisture, Dr. John Orval Ellsworth left Texas Tech to work for Mormon Church, Helped form Alpha Phi Omega, His idea of forming a farmer’s service organization discussed, Opposition to terraces, Farmers came to College of Agriculture for advice, Early fertilizer, Dependency on irrigation, Development of storm proof cotton, Macha and other cotton types, Reason for not accepting offer of pecan farm in Clyde, Texas.

Tape 3, Side 2: Tech Foundation explained, Work with experiment stations, Employment of Tech students, Early experiments on sugar beets and other plants, Castor bean production, Problems with castor beans, Early hiring was a problem, Story of successful Tech graduate, J. Rex Johnson, Graduates who returned to farming, Ingenuity of Plains farmers, Development of sandfighters, seed-firming wheel, Characterization of Dean Arthur H. Leidigh, Problems encountered as a dean.

Range Dates: 1925-1940s

Bulk Dates: 1925-1940s

Access Information

Original Recording Format:

Recording Format Notes:

Transcript:

---

Thank you for your interest in this oral history interview. Our oral history collection is available to patrons in the Southwest Collection's Reading Room, located on the campus of Texas Tech University. For reading room hours, visit our website. Please contact Reference Staff at least one week prior to your visit to ensure the oral history you are interested in will be available. Due to copyright issues, duplications of our oral histories can only be made for family members. If an oral history transcript has been made available online, the link will be provided on this page. More information on accessing our oral histories is located here. Preferred citation style can be found here.