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College of Agriculture, Agricultural Fraternities, Societies, and Associations records

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: UA 25

Scope and Contents

The College of Agriculture, Agricultural Fraternities, Societies, and Associations, records (1880s-2000; 3.3 cubic feet) contains a number of booklets, constitutions, correspondence, meeting minutes, pamphlets, programs, and reports pertaining to the history, administration, and activities of various associations, fraternities, societies, associated with Purdue University’s College of Agriculture.  A large portion of the collection consists of materials related to the Delta Chapter of the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity (1920s-1960s, 1980s).  The collection also contains materials pertaining to the Purdue Agricultural Society (1890s-1910s); National Institute of Animal Agriculture (Annual Meeting - 1956); Purdue Farm Club (1900s-1920s), and Winter Course Society (1900s-1920s).

Dates

  • circa 1880s - 2000

Language of Materials

Collection materials are in English.

Access Information

Collection is open for research.

Copyright and Use Information

Some material in this collection are in the public domain, while other material copyrights are held by Purdue University. Consult with Purdue University Archives and Special Collections prior to reproduction of materials.

Historical Information

The College of Agricultural, Fraternities, Societies, and Associations, records is a collection of materials from a number of agricultural organizations associated with Purdue University’s College of Agricultural, including the Delta Chapter of the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity and the Purdue Agricultural Society. The Delta Chapter of the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity was founded in 1911 and is the fourth oldest Alpha Gamma Rho chapter in the United States.  Early Butz, former Purdue College of Agriculture Dean and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, was a member of the Delta Chapter as an undergraduate.  Alpha Gamma Rho is a social fraternity centered on young men pursuing careers in agriculture or the food or fiber industries. The Purdue Agricultural Society originated with the Purdue Farm Club, which was organized sometime prior to the Fall 1889 semester.  The club was briefly discontinued in the early 1890s and reorganized in December 1893.  Four years later, the name of the organization was changed to the Purdue Agricultural Society.  The Purdue Debris yearbook provided the following description of the society in 1924: “The Purdue Agricultural Society is an organization whose membership is open to undergraduates, graduates, and faculty of the School of Agriculture.  Its purpose is to create a democratic spirit in the school, a closer relationship between the students and faculty, and to maintain a median for the dissemination of agricultural knowledge.” That year, the society was involved in the Annual Freshman reception, the Purdue Agriculturist subscription drive, an exchange program with the Illinois Agricultural Club, the Horticultural Show, the Egg Show, and the Agriculturalist essay contest.  There is no mention of the Purdue Agricultural Society in the Debris after 1942.

Note written by John Michael Foster

Extent

3.228 Cubic Feet (Three letter-size full-length manuscript boxes, three letter-size half-width manuscript boxes, one cubic foot box, and one legal-size full-length manuscript box)

Additional Description

Arrangement

Materials in this collection are organized into a single series largely arranged chronologically and by document type.

Custodial History

Chris Sigurdson, Agricultural Communication, to ASC; Purdue University Libraries to ASC; College of Agriculture to ASC.

Acquisition Information

Records transfer by Chris Sigurdson, Agricultural Communication; Purdue University Libraries; College of Agriculture.

Existence and Location of Copies

Digital reproductions of materials are available for research use. See our digital collections database e-Archives: College of Agriculture, Agricultural Fraternities, Societies, and Associations records

Related Materials

UA 44, College of Agriculture, Administration of the College of Agriculture, Records, Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries.

Processing Information

All materials are housed in acid-free manuscript boxes.  Many materials have been removed from their original folders and placed in acid-free folders.  Collection identifier updated from UA 14.21 to UA 25 as of November 3, 2015. Addition 01 was processed into the collection in October 2023.

Subjects

Collecting Areas

Related Names

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
College of Agriculture, Agricultural Fraternities, Societies, and Associations, records
Status
In Progress
Author
John Michael Foster, Adelle Rogers, Sara Pettinger, and William Niner.
Date
2023-10-18
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English
Edition statement
Fourth edition. Collection description was first completed 2015-01-07.

Revision Statements

  • 2020-05-05: Collection description updated by Adelle Rogers.
  • 2023-10-18: Addition 01 added to the resource record and collection description updated by Sara Pettinger.
  • 2023-11-29: Material from the Collection of Purdue Agricultural records accession related to the State Poultry Association of Indiana and an Agricultural Conference added to the resource record and the collection description updated by William Niner.

Physical Storage Information

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Purdue University Archives and Special Collections Repository

http://www.lib.purdue.edu/spcol
Contact:
504 Mitch Daniels Boulevard
West Lafayette Indiana 47907 United States
765-494-2839