The Quad City Section of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers was established in 1949 in Moline, Illinois. The Quad City Section supports the profession of agricultural and biological engineering by offering scholarships, recognizing outstanding professional achievements, and promoting the profession to college and high school students. This collection contains administrative records, reports, photographs, committee correspondence, committee files related to education and publicity, and historical narratives regarding the section's founding.

The American Society of Agricultural Engineers was established in 1907. According to the constitution, the original goal of the organization was to "promote the art and science of engineering as applied to agriculture." In 2005, the name was changed to the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE).

The Quad City Section of ASABE was established in 1949, due in large part to the efforts of founding members D. O. H. Miller, W. L. Denniston, and R. H. Meier. As a major center for agricultural machinery production, the local population of agricultural engineers in the Quad Cities Region (comprised of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa and Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline in Illinois) provided a strong base of support for the new Section. On February 18, 1949, the founding members met for a dinner meeting at the LeClaire Hotel in Moline, Illinois. A petition to organize the Quad City Section was drafted, signed by supporting members, and sent to the national office. A meeting on April 9, 1949, covered business regarding the size of the new Section and by-laws.

Since 1949, the Quad City Section has actively supported the profession by providing educational opportunities and recognizing the outstanding achievements of its members. The Quad City Section, along with two other technical society sections, initiated the Agricultural Machinery Conference in 1985 to provide a venue for members to network, discuss trends, and listen to regional and national speakers. The Section also sponsored career days and promoted the profession to college and high school students.

This collection (1949-2014) contains administrative records, reports, photographs, committee correspondence, position descriptions, Education Committee files, and Publicity Committee records. The collection also contains files related to the founding and early history of the organization.

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

This collection is organized into three series:

• Series 1, Founding and Early History, 1949-1999
• Series 2, Executive Committee Records, 1949-2014
• Series 3, Committee and Administrative Files, 1949-1999, undated