Ernest J. Nesius Papers

Access and use

Location of collection:
West Virginia and Regional History Center
West Virginia & Regional History Center
West Virginia University
P.O. Box 6069
1549 University Avenue
Morgantown, WV 26506
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Lori Hostuttler
Phone: (304) 293-3536
Restrictions:

No special access restriction applies.

Terms of access:

Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.

Preferred citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Ernest J. Nesius Papers, A&M 3822, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Summary

Extent:
11.6 Linear Feet 11 ft. 6 1/2 in. (8 record cartons, 15 in.); (2 document cases, 5 in. each); (2 document cases, 2 1/2 in. each); (1 flat storage box, 4 in.); (2 flat storage boxes, 2 in. each)
Creator:
Nesius, Ernest J. (Ernest Joseph), 1912-2004
Abstract:
Papers of Ernest J. Nesius, former faculty and administrator of West Virginia University (WVU), documenting his professional activities involving agriculture and economics, his membership on a variety of committees, and his interest in 4-H and extension services.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Ernest J. Nesius Papers, A&M 3822, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

Papers of Ernest J. Nesius, former faculty and administrator of West Virginia University (WVU), documenting his professional activities involving agriculture and economics, his membership on a variety of committees, and his interest in 4-H and extension services.

Series 1. Events; 1926-1986; boxes 1, 10, 13, and 15. This series contains clippings, correspondence, and ephemera related to special events, which include: the Morgantown Bicentennial, 1985; Zackquill Morgan Day, 1985; the American Bicentennial, 1976; the Morgantown Sesquicentennial, 1926; the dedication of a monument to Zackquill Morgan, 1927; and Heritage Week 1982. Also includes Morgantown Bicentennial Commission and Monongalia County Bicentennial Commission materials. All materials are in box 1 except for three folders of Bicentennial committee materials in box 10; keys to the Monongalia County Heritage Mural and the Bicentennial files numbering system in box 13; and two guest books for Heritage Week events in box 15.

Series 2. Agricultural Hall of Fame; 1976-1988; box 1. Includes nominations, committee materials, etc. of the Agricultural Hall of Fame, also referred to as the Agricultural and Forestry Hall of Fame.

Series 3. Research Materials; 1959-1988; boxes 2 and 11. Includes research materials for Nesius' book The First 100 Years: A History of the West Virginia Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, as well as additional materials regarding Vietnam, A. H. VanLandingham, the Easton Roller Mill Feasibility Study, etc. The bulk of this series is in box 2; three folders, including materials on Africa, are in box 11. Collections with related material include A&M 398 and 5147.

Series 4. Speeches and Writings; 1955-1988; boxes 2, 3, and 4. Includes draft chapters of The First 100 Years: A History of the West Virginia Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, writings about Vietnam, transcripts of speeches, notecards, etc.

Series 5. Cranberry Wilderness Files; 1975-1983; boxes 5 and 10. This series includes correspondence, clippings, newsletters, notes, etc. related to the Cranberry Wilderness and the various legal actions and public awareness campaigns undertaken by The Wilderness Society, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, National Audubon Society, and others. Nesius participated in these efforts to increase the wilderness area and stop mining, which involved West Virginia H.B. 950, U.S. H.R. 5161, and the court case West Virginia Highlands Conservancy Inc., et al. v. Powellton Coal Company. The bulk of the collection is in box 5. Box 10 includes a petition, contacts, and court case materials. Additional Cranberry Wilderness materials can be found in the Clippings series.

Series 6. 4-H and Extension Service Materials; 1913-1963; boxes 6, 7, 8, and 13. This series contains correspondence, pamphlets, forms, and publications related to 4-H and the Extension Service. Topics include the work of C. H. Hartley (additional correspondence can be found in A&M No. 2189) and W.H. Kendrick, WWII food rationing material, Extension Service and 4-H reports, 4-H camp records, Jackson's Mill, and youth services. The bulk of the series is in boxes 6-8; one folder is in box 13. Additional 4-H materials can be found in the Clippings series.

Series 7. Correspondence; 1957-1971; boxes 8 and 9. Includes letters, pamphlets, forms, etc. regarding Nesius' biographical information, job applications, benefits, and personal life. Letters from Nesius' work in Vietnam are in box 9.

Series 8. Publications; 1952-1965; box 9. Includes reports, brochures, and a magazine. Topics include resource development, extension services, and rural poverty.

Series 9. Appalachian Center Materials; 1963-1968; box 11. Includes a case study, pamphlets, notes, and notecards related to the West Virginia Center for Appalachian Studies and Development.

Series 10. Photographs and Slides; 1890-1986, bulk 1965-1986; boxes 12, 13, and 15. Subjects include Morgantown, WV; Morgantown Bicentennial Parade; Zackquill Morgan memorial; Zackquill Morgan Award plates; Cranberry Wilderness legislation; Vietnamese agriculture; Nesius' Kitchen Cabinet (likely the National Advisory Commission on Food and Fiber); 4-H Reporters; and an air show. All items are in box 12 except for two large photographs in box 13, and one album of photographs and postcards in box 15.

Series 11. Cassette Tape; undated; box 12. West Virginia Radio Corporation recording of a radio show discussing Morgantown history.

Series 12. Clippings; 1936-1985; box 13. Includes newspaper clippings, many related to Morgantown's Bicentennial on October 17, 1985. Also includes the Sunday Gazette-Mail "Threshold" issue celebrating the centennial of WVU in 1967, West Virginia Farm News (1959), West Virginia 4-H Suggestions (1936-1945), and Cranberry Wilderness-related issues of The Highlands Voice (1976-1977).

Series 13. Notebooks and Day Planners; 1960-1972; box 14. Includes four of Nesius' day planners from 1965 and 1967-1969. Also includes 38 stenographic notebooks from April 1960 to August 1972. 37 belonged to Nesius, and contain notes on his work at WVU and his trips to Africa and Vietnam. One notebook belonged to Florence Deane, and contains shorthand.

Series 14. Artifacts; 1960s-1985; box 15. Includes two "Cranberry? Wilderness!" pins, Nesius' Bicentennial Parade nametag, his nameplate from the Appalachian Center, and a Morgantown Bicentennial banner.

Biographical / historical:

Ernest J. Nesius was born near Remington, Indiana on January 3, 1912, and was active in 4-H in his youth. He earned his B.S. at Purdue University and his M.S. at the University of Kentucky. After serving in the Navy from 1944-1946, he earned his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Iowa State College in 1950. Following that, he was the Associate Director for the Cooperative Extension Service of the University of Kentucky from 1954-1960. Nesius then began working at West Virginia University (WVU). From 1960 through his retirement in 1977, he was the Dean of the College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Home Economics; the Director of the Cooperative Extension Service; the Vice President of the West Virginia Center for Appalachian Studies and Development; Vice President of Off-Campus Education; and Director of International Programs. He died on November 19, 2004 in Morgantown, West Virginia.

Nesius also traveled extensively for his work. In 1951, he worked as a Food and Agriculture Officer in Austria and Yugoslavia for what is now known as the Agency for International Development. In 1961, he was invited to lead in developing a plan for a College of Agriculture in Tanzania in 1961. From 1971-1972, he served as the Assistant Director for the Agricultural Economics and Support Divisions, Office of Food and Agriculture, USAID/Vietnam.

Other notable honors include his appointment by President Johnson to the National Advisory Commission on Food and Fiber in 1966, his induction into WVU's Order of Vandalia in 1997, and being selected as a member of the first class of the West Virginia 4-H Hall of Fame in 2003.

Physical location:
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard