Paul Elliker, ca. 1960.   Dr. Paul R. Elliker became Microbiology Department chair in 1952 and soon became popular for his cheese presentations.  Photograph by the Corvallis Gazette-Times. [OSU Archives P117, Accession 2001:098, Dept. Faculty]

Scope and Content Note

The Microbiology Department Records document the teaching, research, and service functions of the department. The records are organized into nine series: I. Correspondence; II. Staff and Faculty; III. Teaching and Curriculum; IV. Departmental Research (non Experiment Station); V. Experiment Station; VI. Reports; VII. Tests and Inspections; VIII. Microbiology Club; and IX. 100th Anniversary.

Series I consists primarily of correspondence of department chair Paul Elliker with prospective students, colleagues at other universities, governmental agencies, professional and industry organizations, and companies such as Kraft, Borden, and Klenzade Products, a manufacturer of sanitizing chemicals, during the 1950s-1960s. The correspondence also documents budgets and activities within the Schools of Science and Agriculture in the 1950s-1970s and construction of the Bioscience Building (Nash Hall). Series II includes biographical information pertaining to department faculty and staff; the retirement scrapbook for K. Stephen Pilcher includes letters of appreciation written to him by colleagues and students. Series III pertains to undergraduate and graduate courses and includes a list of graduate thesis titles for 1913-1996. Series IV and V document departmental research pertaining to dairy processing and sanitation, soil microbiology, irradiation, and fish diseases. Series VI includes selected annual and biennial reports as well as a departmental self-study, graduate program review, and long-range planning documents. The Reports of Service to the Institution and Grade Distribution Reports document courses taught, by whom, number of students enrolled, and faculty activities in addition to teaching.

Series VII consists primarily of requests for and reports of testing done in the mid-1930s by the department of dairy products, water, and other materials for homeowners, schools, farmers, and dairy producers throughout Oregon. The correspondence and reports document water quality and dairy production and sanitation issues and concerns. This series also includes records of free water testing done in conjunction with the Oregon State Board of Health and county health officials following the December 1964 floods. Series VIII includes a Microbiology Club constitution and meeting announcements. Series IX consists of materials assembled in preparation for the department's 100th anniversary celebration in 1998, which included publication of a departmental history written by Jim Fisher. The scrapbook in this series consists primarily of clippings and includes b/w snapshot photographs of a 1963 departmental event (perhaps a staff member's retirement), and holiday letters to department alumni and friends.

New Accession, 2005

Historical Note

Bacteriology was first offered as a separate course at OSU during the 1899-1900 academic year under Emil Pernot. Bacteriological research was conducted in the Experiment Station's bacteriology lab. Beginning in 1909, the department was housed for many years in Agriculture Hall. In 1970 the department moved to new facilities in Nash Hall designed specifically for microbiology. The department has had several names: Bacteriology;Bacteriology and Hygiene (1946-1961), Microbiology and Hygiene (1961-1968) and Microbiology (1968-).

Department chairs have included Pernot (1899-1911), Theodore D. Beckwith (1912-1918), Godfrey V. Copson (1921-1949), Joseph E. Simmons (1949-1951), Paul R. Elliker (1953-1976), John Fryer (1976-1996), Jo-Ann Leong (1996-2001), and Dennis E. Hruby (2001-). The Microbiology Department is jointly administered by the College of Science and the College of Agricultural Sciences.

Related Materials

The Archives' holdings include the papers of several Microbiology Department faculty: Arthur W. Anderson; Paul R. Elliker; John L. Fryer; Richard Y. Morita; and William E. Sandine. The Microbiology Department Photographs (P 117) include images of department faculty, staff, and students, laboratory research, and facilities used in the 100th anniversary publication. Motion picture films of the construction of the Bioscience Building (Nash Hall) and the department's move from Strand Agriculture Hall are available in the Microbiology Department Motion Picture Films (P 117).

The Emile Pernot Photographs (P 230) include images of campus buildings, classrooms, faculty, and students as well as photomicrographs of bacteriological subjects. Other photographs by Pernot are available in the Pernot Family Photographs (P 220).

Oral histories of Walter B. Bollen and Mabel Pernot, daughter of Emile Pernot, are also available in the Archives.

Shelf Locations

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