Marion Baumgardner Papers

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: MSF 562

Staff Only

Content Description

Personal and professional papers that include family history, photographs, awards, and correspondence from Marion Baumgardner.

Dates

1872-04-13 - 2024

Creator

Baumgardner, Marion F., 1926-2020 (Person)

Access Information

The collection is open for research.

Copyright and Use Information

Copyright claims on all materials in this collection are undetermined. Consult with Purdue University Archives and Special Collections prior to reproduction of materials.

Biographical Information

Marion Fisher Baumgardner was born on February 7th, 1926, as the fifth son of Eva and Joe Baumgardner of Wellington, Texas. Baumgardner earned his Bachelor of Sciences in agriculture (with a major in agronomy) from Texas Tech University. After graduating from Texas Tech in 1950, Baumgardner accepted a three-year appointment from the Methodist Board of Global Ministries to teach soil and crop science at the Allahabal Agricultural Institute in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India. Baumgardner would later claim that those three years in India were “a life changing experience,” and would be commissioned to return in 1957 before being rejected, as India refused to grant visas to him and his wife. At Purdue University, Baumgardner would go on to earn his Master’s degree in soil science, and his Ph.D degree in soil mineralogy and chemistry.

Baumgardner worked, lectured, and/or traveled to more than 100 countries over the course of his life, and consulted with organizations such as the Ford Foundation, U.S. Agency for National Development, Africare, and the Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. His professional life was marked by a desire to teach “global awareness,” and would contribute to his work as a professor in Purdue’s Agronomy Department from 1966-1993. In his personal life, however, Baumgardner’s biggest passion was in genealogy, with extensive research being done on his family history, as well as having an important role in reunions in the U.S. and Europe for the descendants of a common ancestor, Jacob Baumgartner of Sweden. Additionally, Baumgardner was an influential figure to the conception of University Place, a retirement community close to Purdue's West Lafayette campus. He would live there with his wife, Maralee Baumgardner, until the end of his life. Baumgardner passed away on August 24th, 2020, at 94 years old.

Extent

1.042 Cubic Feet

8.9 Gigabytes

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

Four series are included within this collection. Two sub-series are located within India Trip, and two sub-series are located within Personal Materials.

India Trip (1950's)
University Place Materials
Personal Materials

Acquisition Information

Donated by Maralee Baumgardner on January 28th, 2022.

Condition Description

Items are in good condition.

Processing Information

All materials have been rehoused in acid-free folders and acid-free boxes. Pages and papers removed from plastic sleeves and placed inside folders in original order. The original order of the materials have been retained whenever possible. Pages and sleeves removed from original binders, placed into folders and labeled according to the names on said binder. "Letters From India" and "Baumgardner Patio Dediction, Texas Tech Alumni Center" have both been separated into two folders each. Two Texas Tech medallions have been moved to an acid-free, lignin-free 16 mm box. Paper clips (non-rusted) have been removed from one packet of papers and replaced with a plasti-clip, and various single pages.