Anthony Roy Combs was born May 6, 1886 in Parksburg, Iowa to William Hugh and Jennie Isabelle Combs. He graduated from Highland Park Normal School in Des Moines (1910) and received his B.S. (1915) from Iowa State College (University) in agricultural education. Before attending Iowa State, Combs taught school in rural Winnebago County and was superintendent of schools in Massena, Iowa. In 1912 he entered Iowa State. At Iowa State, Combs was involved in the Acacia fraternity, Epsilon Sigma Phi (national honor society for Extension Service workers), Phileleutheroi Literary Society, and the 1913 sophomore class play (as business manager). Both before and while a student at Iowa State, Combs spent five to six seasons with the Redpath Vawter Chautauqua System (Redpath Lyceum Bureau), including the summer after he graduated.

After graduation, Combs taught at Montezuma and Swea City (Iowa), and then (January 1918) moved to Lewistown, Idaho where he was in charge of the State Normal School's agricultural department. Combs returned to Iowa and was the county farm agent for Clayton County in Elkader, Iowa (April 1, 1920 - December 15, 1938). While the county farm agent, Combs coached the junior judging team (1926) which was awarded the state championship and at the National Dairy Show (Detroit) won the national junior dairy judging team. The following year (1927), Combs took this team on a tour of Europe where they participated in the International Dairy Show of the Royal Live Stock Exhibition (Newport, Wales).

Combs married Bessie Eldora Vass (September 6, 1916). After Bessie passed away, Combs married his second wife (July 10, 1932), Eleanor Baur.

Bessie Eldora Vass was born February 18, 1886 near Eldon, Iowa. Bessie was a school teacher. She and Roy had two children, John Hugh and Mary Jean. Bessie died November 8, 1924. Combs died July 26, 1940 in Ames, Iowa.

[Dates, places and spelling of names occasionally differ between sources used (Combs' submissions to Iowa State's alumni office (found in RS 21/7/1) and A Narrative History of the People of Iowa (call number F621 H226n). When differences were found, information supplied by Combs was used.]

The collection (circa 1911-1913) contains digital images of a circa 1911-1913 scrapbook of photographs. Most of the photographs are of the Redpath Vawter Chautauqua, but also included are photographs of Iowa State College (University) including the Chemical and Physical Laboratory fire (March 25, 1913), Wilson Day, Saint Patrick's Day, May Day, and the push ball contests. The photographs of the Redpath Vawter Chautauqua depict its travels through the Midwest including Iowa and Missouri. Although not always identified, the scrapbook contains photographs of members of the Chautauqua and the towns through which it traveled. Several photographs depict a demonstration for a new school building in Massena, Iowa.

RS 21/7/1 contains a folder of alumni materials related to Anthony Roy Combs, which includes a brief statement by Combs about the Redpath Vawter Chautauqua.

The Redpath Chautauqua Collection (Ms 150) is available in the Special Collections Department at the University of Iowa. The finding aid for the collection is available online: http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/traveling-culture/inventory/MSC150.html