Special Collections Department
403 Parks Library
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011-2140

RS 9/2/17
John P. Mahlstede (1923-2002)
Papers, 1955-1992


Descriptive summary

creator: Mahlstede, John P. (1923-2002)
title: Papers
dates: 1955-1992
extent: 5.46 linear feet (13 document boxes)
collection number: RS 9/2/17
repository: University Archives, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University.

 

Administrative information

access: Open for research
publication rights: Consult Head, Special Collections Department
preferred citation: John P. Mahlstede Papers, RS 9/2/17, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library.

 

Abstract

John P. Mahlstede was a horticulturist, researcher, and administrator. He joined the faculty at Iowa State University in 1951 as Assistant Professor in the Department of Horticulture. He was promoted to Professor and Head of the Department and eventually was named Associate Dean of the College of Agriculture and Associate Director of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station. He was an expert in the understanding of plant propagation and co-wrote a textbook on the topic with E. S. Haber, appropriately titled Plant Propagation. This collection includes biographical information, correspondence files, meeting minutes, reports, and materials related to research programs coordinated by the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station. Most of the records date to Mahlstede's tenure as Associate Director (1967-1987) of the Experiment Station and include correspondence and reports with various research organizations he and the Experiment Station were affiliated with. These associations include National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges, the North Central Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Iowa Corn Promotion Board, and the Iowa Soybean Promotion Board.

 

Biographical note

John Peter Mahlstede was born to John A. and Gretchen (Boddy) Mahlstede on June 5, 1923, in Cleveland, Ohio. He received his B.S. (1947) in botany from Miami University (Ohio) and both his M.S. (1948) in horticulture and Ph.D. (1951) in ornamental horticulture from Michigan State University. During World War II, Mahlstede served as an Army Air Corps B-26 Squadron bombardier and navigator. For his service he received the air medal with eight oak leaf clusters and the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Mahlstede joined the Iowa State University Department of Horticulture as Assistant Professor (1951-1955) and was quickly promoted to Associate Professor (1955-1957) and Professor (1957-1987). He also served as Head (1961-1965) of the Department of Horticulture. Mahlstede was named Assistant Director (1965-1967) and then Associate Director (1967-1975) of the Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station. He was promoted to Associate Dean and Director (1975-1977) and finally Associate Dean (1977-1987) in the College of Agriculture.

During his tenure in the Department of Horticulture, Mahlstede was in charge of nursery research and teaching courses on plant propagation. This research led to publication of a textbook, co-written with E. S. Haber, titled Plant Propogation. Mahlstede also conducted research leading to the widespread use of polyethylene wraps for packaging dormant plants and using frozen storage for dormant perennials. He is credited with nearly 50 published articles and books.

Mahlstede was elected Fellow (1969) by the American Society for Horticultural Science and also served as President (1971-1972). He served as President (1965) of the International Plant Propagation Society. He served as Chairman of the Experiment Station Section of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (1978-1979). He was also named Fellow (1977) of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He received the Honor Award (1970) from the Iowa State Horticulture Society. At Iowa State he served on the Faculty Council and the Athletic Council for many years and served as Iowa State's Big Eight Conference faculty representative (1971-1987). The Mahlstede Center at Iowa State's Reiman Gardens is named in his honor.

Mahlstede married Alberta Jean Lindquist of Jamestown, New York, in 1947. They had four children: Deborah, Barbara, Cynthia, and John. John P. Mahlstede passed away on June 2, 2002, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

 

Collection description

This collection (1955-1992) includes biographical information, correspondence files, meeting minutes, reports, and materials related to research programs coordinated by the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station. Most of the records date to Mahlstede's tenure as Associate Director (1967-1987) of the Experiment Station and include correspondence and reports with various research organizations he was affiliated with.

Materials labeled National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC) contain minutes, reports, publications, correspondence and budgetary data from the various committees and subcommittees of the organization. The major decision-making committee in this realm is the Experimentation Station Committee on Organization and Policy (ESCOP), with other divisions including the Resident Instruction Committee on Organization and Policy (RICOP), the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching (CARET), and the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee (ARPAC).

The Iowa Agricultural and Home Economics Experiment Station is organized within the jurisdiction of the North Central Region Experiment Stations (NCRES). Materials related to this association includes correspondence to the Station, budgetary data, minutes, projects lists, activities and publications of NCRES and the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development (NCRCRD), which is a unit that encourages and conducts broad research and educational programs for the purpose of improving the social and economic opportunities for people in rural communities.

Documents related to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) contain information about six different divisions under the USDA, and their respective relationships with the Iowa Agricultural and Home Economics Experiment Station: the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the powerful steering committee known as the "Committee of Nine", Forestry, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), the Joint Council on Food, and national and state levels of Soil Conservation. The materials on the "Soil Conservation" subseries contains information on mission statements, correspondence, budgetary concerns, meeting minutes, projects and contracts, publications, and newsletters.

Finally, the collection contains materials from the Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) and Iowa Soybean Promotion Board (ISPB). Records from both contain similar information in the form of correspondence, minutes, and research files.

 

Related materials

Related collections in the Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library include:

  • Collections related to the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station are classified under RS 9/2.
  • North Central Regional Center for Rural Development Records, RS 1/6.
    		•

     

    Organization

    The collection is loosely organized into series comprised of materials related to the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC), the North Central Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Iowa Corn Promotion Board, and the Iowa Soybean Promotion Board.

     

    Container list

    Box

    Folder

    Title

    Dates

    1

    1

    Biographical information

    1955-1992

    1

    2

    NASULGC: Organizational charts, reports, and directory

    1971-1985

    1

    3

    NASULGC: Report for Environmental Quality Committee, Division of Agriculture

    1975

    1

    4

    NASULGC: Report of the Ad Hoc Committee to Examine the Responsibilities of State Agricultural Experiment Station Directors and the Regional Directors' Associations

    1983

    1

    5

    NASULGC: Report of the Joint USDA-NASULGC Extension Study Committee

    1968

    1

    6

    NASULGC: Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy (ESCOP) - Interim subcommittee meeting minutes

    1976-1979

    1

    7

    NASULGC: Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy (ESCOP) - Special initiatives subcommittee

    1984-1988

    1

    8

    NASULGC: Agricultural Research Policy Advisory Committee

    1975-1977

    1

    9

    NASULGC: Division of Agriculture, Experiment Station Section minutes

    1972-1975

    1

    10

    NASULGC: Division of Agriculture, Experiment Station Section minutes

    1977-1978

    1

    11-12

    NASULGC: Division of Agriculture, Experiment Station Section minutes and reports

    1981-1986

    2

    1

    NASULGC: Correspondence and newsletters

    1977-1990

    2

    2

    NASULGC: Division of Agriculture bylaws

    1979

    2

    3

    NASULGC: Division of Agriculture minutes and reports

    1975-1976

    2

    4

    NASULGC: Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy (ESCOP) correspondence

    1982-1987

    2

    5

    NASULGC: Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy (ESCOP) meeting minutes

    1982-1983

    2

    6

    NASULGC: Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy (ESCOP) meeting minutes

    1984

    2

    7

    NASULGC: Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy (ESCOP) membership

    1981-1986

    2

    8-9

    NASULGC: Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy (ESCOP) Pest Control Strategies Committee

    1978-1987

    2

    10

    NASULGC: Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy (ESCOP) budgets

    1978-1987

    3

    1

    North Central Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors membership

    1966-1969

    3

    2

    North Central Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors directory

    1969

    3

    3

    North Central Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors directory

    1979

    3

    4

    North Central Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors membership and resolutions

    1971-1979

    3

    5

    North Central Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors membership

    1980-1981

    3

    6

    National Information for State Agricultural Experiment Station Directors

    1983

    3

    7

    Information for North Central Directors, State Agricultural Experiment Stations

    1987

    3

    8-9

    North Central Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors correspondence

    1969-1989

    3

    10

    North Central Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors budget correspondence and reports

    1973-1977

    4

    1

    North Central Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors minutes

    1962-1965

    4

    2

    North Central Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors minutes

    1966-1968

    4

    3

    North Central Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors minutes

    1969

    4

    4

    North Central Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors minutes

    1983

    4

    5

    North Central Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors minutes

    1984

    4

    6-7

    North Central Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors minutes

    1985

    4

    8

    North Central Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors minutes (1 of 2)

    1986

    5

    1

    North Central Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors minutes (2 of 2)

    1986

    5

    2

    North Central Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors minutes

    1987

    5

    3

    North Central Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors minutes

    1988

    5

    4

    North Central Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors minutes, notes, and reports

    1989

    5

    5

    North Central Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors reports

    1979-1988

    5

    6

    North Central Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors publication policies and listings

    1965-1976

    5

    7

    North Central Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors publication correspondence

    1972-1977

    5

    8

    North Central Regional Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors research project lists

    1975-1982

    5

    9

    USDA-ARS: Correspondence and reports

    1983-1987

    6

    1

    NASULGC: Council for Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching

    1982-1985

    6

    2

    USDA: Committee of Nine minutes

    1960-1965

    6

    3

    USDA: Committee of Nine minutes

    1966-1970

    6

    4

    USDA: Committee of Nine minutes

    1971-1973

    6

    5

    USDA: Committee of Nine minutes

    1974-1975

    6

    6

    USDA: Committee of Nine minutes

    1976-1977

    6

    7

    USDA: Committee of Nine minutes

    1978-1980

    7

    1

    USDA: Committee of Nine minutes

    1981-1982

    7

    2

    USDA: Committee of Nine minutes

    1986-1988

    7

    3

    USDA: Integrated Pest Management, National Agricultural Pesticide Impact Assessment Program

    1983-1987

    7

    4

    USDA: Integrated Pest Management, National Agricultural Pesticide Impact Assessment Program

    1981-1985

    7

    5

    USDA: Integrated Pest Management, National Agricultural Pesticide Impact Assessment Program

    1979-1986

    7

    6

    USDA: North Central Region Pesticide Impact Assessment Program correspondence, proposals, and reports

    1981-1987

    7

    7-8

    USDA: Iowa Pesticide Impact Assessment Program correspondence and reports

    1979-1987

    8

    1-2

    USDA: Integrated Pest Management

    1977-1986

    8

    3-4

    USDA: Joint Council on Food and Agricultural Sciences

    1980-1984

    8

    5

    USDA: Soil Conservation and the Iowa Soil Survey Program

    1967-1979

    8

    6

    USDA: Soil Conservation and the Iowa Soil Survey Program

    1967-1970

    8

    7

    USDA: Soil Conservation and the Iowa Soil Survey Program correspondence

    1967-1985

    9

    1-2

    USDA: Soil Conservation and the Iowa Soil Survey Program budgets and annual reports

    1968-1986

    9

    3

    USDA: Soil Conservation and the Iowa Soil Survey Program meeting minutes

    1968-1984

    9

    4

    USDA: Soil Conservation and the Iowa Soil Survey Program project proposals and reports

    1967-1983

    9

    5

    USDA: Soil Conservation and the Iowa Soil Survey Program soil conservation contracts

    1967-1985

    9

    6

    USDA: Soil conservation state level reports

    1970-1983

    9

    7

    USDA: Soil conservation state level press releases

    1971-1984

    9

    8

    USDA: Users Advisory Board

    1986-1987

    9

    9

    Iowa Corn Promotion Board: Correspondence and reports

    1978

    9

    10

    Iowa Corn Promotion Board: Correspondence and reports

    1979

    10

    1

    Iowa Corn Promotion Board: Correspondence and reports

    1980

    10

    2

    Iowa Corn Promotion Board: Correspondence and reports

    1981

    10

    3

    Iowa Corn Promotion Board: Correspondence and reports

    1982

    10

    4

    Iowa Corn Promotion Board: Correspondence and reports

    1983

    10

    5

    Iowa Corn Promotion Board: Correspondence and reports

    1988-1989

    10

    6

    Iowa Corn Promotion Board: Correspondence and reports

    1989-1990

    10

    7

    Iowa Corn Promotion Board: Meeting Minutes of the Board of Directors

    1978-1980

    10

    8

    Iowa Corn Promotion Board: Meeting Minutes of the Board of Directors

    1981-1989

    11

    1

    Iowa Corn Promotion Board: Research Proposal Listings

    1978-1990

    11

    2

    Iowa Corn Promotion Board: Research Summaries

    1979-1988

    11

    3

    Iowa Corn Promotion Board: Research Proposals

    1979

    11

    4

    Iowa Corn Promotion Board: Research Proposals

    1980

    11

    5-6

    Iowa Corn Promotion Board: Research Proposals

    1981

    11

    7

    Iowa Corn Promotion Board: Research Proposals

    1982

    11

    8

    Iowa Corn Promotion Board: Research Proposals

    1989-1990

    12

    1

    Iowa Corn Promotion Board: Research Proposals

    1983

    12

    2

    Iowa Soybean Promotion Board: Correspondence, minutes, and reports

    1987

    12

    3

    Iowa Soybean Promotion Board: Correspondence and reports

    1988

    12

    4

    Iowa Soybean Promotion Board: Correspondence and reports

    1989

    12

    5

    Iowa Soybean Promotion Board: Correspondence and reports

    1984-1987

    12

    6-7

    Iowa Soybean Promotion Board: Correspondence, minutes, and reports

    1988-1989

    12

    8

    Iowa Soybean Promotion Board: Research proposal listings

    1971-1990

    13

    1

    Iowa Soybean Promotion Board: Research summaries

    1985-1988

    13

    2

    Iowa Soybean Promotion Board: Research proposals

    1984-1986

    13

    3

    Iowa Soybean Promotion Board: Research proposals

    1986-1987

    13

    4

    Iowa Soybean Promotion Board: Research proposals

    1987-1988

    13

    5-6

    Iowa Soybean Promotion Board: Research proposals

    1988-1989