Lloyd L. Anderson is an internationally recognized animal scientist. He received his B.S. (1957) in Animal Science and his Ph.D. (1961) in Animal Reproduction from Iowa State University. As a graduate student, Anderson accepted a research position in the Department of Animal Science at Iowa State, a career path that ultimately led to him being named Distinguished Professor. During his career he served jointly in the Department of Animal Science and the Department of Biomedical Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Anderson conducted research on farm animals through investigations into the biological mechanisms for regulating relaxin and progesterone secretion, studying the effects of antiprogesterone, and exploring the neuroendocrine mechanisms that regulate growth and reproduction. He is also noted for his development of neurosurgical techniques for use on cattle and pigs. This collection includes biographical information, research articles, teaching notes, progress reports, and grant proposals. Much of these materials document Anderson’s research into the neuroendocrine regulation of reproduction and growth in livestock.

Lloyd Lee Anderson was born on November 18, 1933, in Nevada, Iowa. Anderson attended Simpson College (1952) in Indianola, Iowa, for one year before serving in the United States Army (1953-1955). Once his service was complete, Anderson returned to Iowa State College (University) where he received a B.S. (1957) in Animal Science and a Ph.D. (1961) in Animal Reproduction with minors in both Biochemistry and Nutrition. Later in his career, he was given an Honorary D.Sc. (2003) in Physiology from the Georgian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Physiology, in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Anderson’s entire professional career has been at Iowa State University. He began his career as a Graduate Research Assistant (1957) and then Research Associate (1958). Anderson was promoted to Assistant Professor (1961-1965), Associate Professor (1965-1971), and Professor (1971-2011), all in the Department of Animal Science. Starting in 2002, he held a joint appointment as Professor (2002-2011) in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University. Anderson received the honor of Professor Emeritus (2011) upon his retirement.

Anderson’s areas of research were mechanisms regulating relaxin and progesterone secretion and their effects, effects of antiprogesterone, and neuroendocrine mechanisms regulating growth and reproduction in farm animals. He is internationally recognized for his research in these areas and for the development of neurosurgical techniques for use on cattle and pigs. He is the author or co-author of more than 200 published research articles and numerous abstracts, reports, and papers.

During his career, Anderson received many awards and honors, including Distinguished Iowa Scientist (2011) from the Iowa Academy of Sciences, Distinguished Achievement Award (2005) and Faculty Citation (2003) from the Iowa State University Alumni Association, and Fellow (1995) from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Further awards and honors can be found in the biographical files of Box 1 in this collection.

Lloyd Anderson married JaNelle Hall in 1970. He has two sons, Marc and James, with his first wife, Janice Peterson, who passed away in 1966.

The collection (1959-2013, undated) contains biographical information about Anderson’s personal and professional history, including copies of many of his publications related to his research on the neuroendocrine regulation of reproduction and growth in cattle and pigs. A listing of published articles can be found in Anderson's curriculum vitae and additional information relating to his publications is available in the award nomination packets. Class materials for select courses on animal reproduction taught by Anderson contain exams, projects, and lab experiments. Progress reports written by Anderson for regional conference groups highlight Iowa State University endeavors in animal sciences. Raw research data, research grant request packages, and patent information can also be found in the collection.

The collection is organized alphabetically with biographical information at the beginning. Anderson’s articles are organized chronologically, with each year in a separate file.