Robert M. Melampy (1909-1984) was born April 1, 1909 on a farm near Lebanon, Ohio. He received a B.S. in Chemistry (1930) from Wilmington College, Wilmington, Ohio; an M.A. in Chemistry (1931) from Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania; and a Ph.D. in Physiology and Biochemistry (1935) from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.

Melampy worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture as an Assistant Physiologist (1936 -1941); the Louisiana State University as an Assistant Professor (1941-1942) and as an Associate Professor (1948-1949); the United States Army (1942-1946); and the University of Illinois as an Associate Professor (1946-48). He joined the Iowa State faculty as an Associate Professor in the Department of Animal Science (1949-1950) and became soon became a Professor in that department (1950-1976). Melampy was named Emeritus Professor in 1976 and retired in 1978. Robert M. Melampy passed away May 27, 1984 in Ames, Iowa.

Melampy's main area of study was the physiology of reproduction, especially as it applied to farm animals. He authored and co-authored over 150 publications and was a member of numerous professional associations. These organizations include the Society of Experimental Biology and Medicine, American Physiological Society, Endocrine Society, American Association of Anatomists, Society for the Study of Reproduction, Society of the Study of Fertility, and American Society of Animal Science. He was responsible for the first Animal Reproduction Symposium, which was held at Iowa State in 1953. In 1987, Robert Melampy was posthumously honored at the 18th biennial Symposium for his contributions to the American Society for Animal Science and his dedication to the study of the physiology of reproduction.

This collection (1924-1987) contains biographical information, correspondence, publications, newsclippings, photographs, fraternal pins, and awards. Although the papers include a few of his articles, most of his research and publications are not within this collection. Approximately half of the papers are those of Carolyn Tiebout Melampy, his wife. These consist of materials relating her sorority, community, and university activities and her education. The collection also includes the high school, undergraduate, and graduate diplomas of Melampy's daughter, Kathleen H. Melampy.

The collection is organized into three series according to creator then alphabetically. The first series consists of Robert M. Melampy's papers, the second series contains Carolyn Tiebout Melampy's files, and the third series is comprised of Kathleen H. Melampy's documents.