The Charles J. Nusbaum Papers relate to Nusbaum's plant pathology research as well as interactions with his students at North Carolina State University. This collection contains Nusbaum's essays, publications, and reports, research correspondence, and materials from his classes. Materials related to the Tobacco Workers Conference are also included. In addition, there are photographs and slides, some pertaining to Nusbaum's research and others to his personal life. The photographs generally date from the 1930s and 1940s. The slides generally date from the 1930s to the 1960s. Items in the collection date from 1928 to 1992, with the bulk dating from the 1930s to the 1970s.
Charles Joseph Nusbaum (1906-1987) was a leading plant pathologist who saved farmers millions of dollars in losses by fighting crop diseases. Born in Salem, Oregon, 24 August 1906, he received his B.S. degree from Oregon State College in 1929. He received his M.S. in 1931 and his Ph.D. in 1934, both from the University of Wisconsin. During his years at Oregon State, he was a field research assistant for the Division of Forest Pathology of the United States Department of Agriculture.
After completing his post-doctoral work in Wisconsin, Nusbaum accepted a position at Clemson University, where he worked at the Edisto Experiment Station in Blackville, South Carolina. During this time, he discovered internal cork disease of sweet potato, which led to extensive research on virus diseases and breeding for disease resistance. In 1948, Nusbaum moved to North Carolina State College to work on tobacco diseases such as Granville Wilt, black shank, and nematode root knot.
Based on research he did with his students, Nusbaum encouraged farmers to use soil fumigation practices in order to control nematodes, a major cause of plant disease. Nusbaum then created a nematode assay program in order to continue research of this crop hazard. A pilot program was established in 1957. In 1974, the program became part of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture. By this time, the program was one of the most successful in the country.
Nusbaum was an active member of the Plant Pathology Department at North Carolina State, serving as Interim Head from 1949 to 1950. He taught several classes throughout his tenure, and worked very closely with his students. In 1956, he earned the Reynolds Distinguished Professorship, the highest honor awarded to faculty members in North Carolina State's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Other awards include the Sigma Delta Award of Merit in 1967, Man of the Year by tobacco scientists in the United States in 1971, and Man of the Year by Tobacco International in 1981. His research has been published in more than 80 scientific publications.
In Raleigh, Nusbaum and his wife, Virginia, established close ties to the Plant Pathology Department, the students, and the university as a whole. In 1976, they established the Charles J. and Virginia Lee Nusbaum Endowment for the Department of Plant Pathology. The endowment funds the Nusbaum Symposium, a biennial event founded in 1983. The symposium addresses important issues in the plant pathology field, provides supplements and assistantships to outstanding applicants, and recognizes an outstanding Ph.D. candidate.
Nusbaum died in 1987.
The Charles J. Nusbaum Papers relate to Nusbaum's plant pathology research as well as interactions with his students at North Carolina State University. This collection contains Nusbaum's essays, publications, and reports, research correspondence, and materials from his classes. Materials related to the Tobacco Workers Conference are also included. In addition, there are photographs and slides, some pertaining to Nusbaum's research and others to his personal life. The photographs generally date from the 1930s and 1940s. The slides generally date from the 1930s to the 1960s.
This collection is organized into six series:
North Carolina State University does not own copyright to this collection. Individuals obtaining materials from the NC State University Libraries' Special Collections Research Center are responsible for using the works in conformance with United States copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials.
This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which North Carolina State University assumes no responsibility.
[Identification of item], Charles J. Nusbaum Papers, MC 00345, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
Received from Paul Peterson, NC State University Plant Pathology Department, December 2003. Papers accumulated by Charles J. Nusbaum in the NC State University Plant Pathology Department.
Processed by: Dawne E. Howard; machine-readable finding aid created by: Dawne E. Howard.
The collection is organized into six principal series:
This series consists of essays, publications, and reports written by Nusbaum, North Carolina State faculty, and other members of the plant pathology field worldwide. The series consists of four subseries: Nusbaum, Faculty, Others, and News Stories.
All items in this series have been arranged chronologically unless stated otherwise.
Nusbaum's papers span from 1928 to 1978. The first item consists of Nusbaum's plant histology notes at Oregon State College. Later items include article reprints from Phytopathology and other publications, a presentation delivered at a 1965 legislative hearing on the nematode assay program, and a Sigma Xi lecture. Also included is a booklet of selected Nusbaum essays published in 1992, five years after his death. This booklet includes The Nematology Research Program at North Carolina State University (1971), The Strategy of Plant Disease Control (1968), Introduction to Epidemiology (1972), Military Parallels in Plant Disease Control (1972), Monitoring Pathogen Populations (1974), The Role of Agricultural Chemicals in Controlling Pests (1970), and The Strategies and Tactics of Nematode Control (1972).
32 folders
Faculty papers span from 1945 to 1969. These papers were written by other members of the plant pathology department at North Carolina State, as well as members of other departments. The authors of these papers include D. E. Ellis, E. E. Clayton, E. L. Moore, P. N. Drolsom, Furney A. Todd, and R. L. Rabb.
6 folders
Other papers span from 1948 to 1975. Many of the papers consist of publications from the Department of Plant Ecology and Forest Soils of the Royal College of Forestry located in Sweden. Many of the articles are written by Torsten Ingestad.
5 folders
This subseries spans from 1945 to 1964. It consists of essays, reports, and press releases written by Nusbaum and his colleagues that were used in news stories. These stories aided farmers in deciding what type of crops to grow and avoiding crop diseases. In addition to Nusbaum, other contributors to these reports include Furney A. Todd, T. E. Smith, and Howard R. Garriss.
6 folders
This series consists of correspondence and research materials related to various crop diseases. The largest portion of this series contains correspondence regarding internal cork disease of sweet potato. The sweet potato correspondence spans from 1944 to 1950. Other materials in this series relate to black shank, Granville wilt, Wirewood stem rot, and nematode diseases. The series consists of two subseries: Internal Cork of Sweet Potato and Other Diseases.
The Internal Cork of Sweet Potato subseries is arranged chronologically. Other Dieases is divided into folders by disease.
This subseries spans from 1944 to 1960. It consists of reports and correspondence concerning the internal cork disease of sweet potato, a disease Nusbaum discovered during his time at the Edisto Experiment Station in South Carolina. Individuals named in the letters include Howard P. Barss, Principal Experiment Station Administrator at the United States Department of Agriculture; J. A. Martin, Jr., horticulturalist at Clemson Agricultural College; Otis Woodard, horticulturalist at the Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station; and Julian H. Miller, professor at the University of Georgia. Nusbaum's A Preliminary Report on Internal Cork, A Probable Virus Disease of Sweetpotato and Internal Cork of Sweet Potato memorandums are also included.
5 folders
This subseries consists of materials relating to black shank, Granville wilt, Wirewood stem rot, and nematode diseases. Included are correspondence and reports relating to the diseases, including a 1950 memo from Howard R. Garriss warning North Carolinians not to import Burley tobacco plants from Tennessee or Kentucky. Other items include a nematode chart, which gives the scientific name, common name, and principal hosts of various nematode types.
3 folders
This series contains correspondence, programs, and attendee lists related to the Tobacco Workers Conference and the various councils that met during the conference, such as the Tobacco Disease Council.
The first folder contains information related to the early history of the Tobacco Disease Council, as well as a program from their June meeting in Tifton, Georgia. Other folders contain information from later conferences, including the Tobacco Disease Work Conference held in Florence, South Carolina, in 1947. Conference venues include Danville, Virginia, Gainesville, Florida, and London, Ontario. Correspondence mainly relates to scheduling the conference, its various sessions, and its speakers.
All items in this series have been arranged chronologically.
This series contains materials related to Nusbaum's career at North Carolina State College (the school's name changed to North Carolina State University in 1965). The series is divided into four subseries, Courses Taught,Plant Pathology Department,Faculty Correspondence, and Awards and Recognitions.
Sub-series Courses Taught is further broken down into Plant Disease Control,Phytopathology I,Phytopathology II,Plant Pathology Seminar,Plant Pathology Colloquium, and Unidentified.
The items in this series show Nusbaum's high level of involvement with his students, the Plant Pathology Department and the university. Included in the series are student reports, staff notes, a photographic guide to the department's method of nematode extraction, and a program from the 1987 Nusbaum Symposium.
All items in this series have been arranged chronologically unless stated otherwise.
Materials relating to classes taught by or consulted on by Nusbaum, 1947-1982. Items in this subseries include materials used for class, student reports, syllabi, and correspondence.
82 folders
Items relating to PP 500, Plant Disease Control, 1974-1976.
The course is described in the 1975-1977 course catalog as follows: Disease control strategies and tactics. Consideration of control economics and practices in relation to principles and current research, disease resistance and regulatory methods.
Items for this class consist of syllabi and an outline for a lecture given by Ellis Cowling in 1974.
This class was taught by Dr. Harvey W. Spurr, Jr. and Dr. Sam F. Jenkins, Jr., not Nusbaum, who retired from the university in 1973.
1 folder
Items relating to Phytopathology I, 1969-1973. Through 1969, the course was known as PP 601, Phytopathology I. In 1970, the course became PP 501, Phytopathological Methods.
The course is described in the 1970-1972 course catalog as follows: A study of the principles of phytopathological research. The course is designed to apply the classical scientific method to the investigation of plant diseases. Consideration will be given to appraising disease problems, reviewing the literature, isolating pathogens, inoculating with pathogens, measuring and controlling environment, histopathological studies, collecting and evaluating data, and manuscript preparation.
Items included for this class consist of an epidemiology outline by R. T. Robbins, quizzes, exams, and a 1973 syllabus.
Information in the North Carolina State course catalogs indicates that Nusbaum did not teach PP 501 during these years. The class was taught by Ellis B. Cowling, Charles E. Main, and Robert T. Sherwood.
1
Items relating to Phytopathology II, 1957-1971. This course was known as PP 602 through 1969. The course is described in the 1957-1958 course catalog as follows: The basic concepts of the etiology, pathology, epiphytology and control of plant diseases.
In 1970, the course became PP 502, Phytopathological Principles. The course is described in the 1970-1972 course catalog as follows: A study of general principles of plant pathology including in-depth study of selected diseases. The basic concepts of etiology, pathology, epidemiology, and control will be considered.
Items from this course consist mainly of syllabi and student reports. Materials relating to the course's structure consist of a course outline and a list of review topics.
13 folders
Items relating to the Plant Pathology Seminar, 1947-1979. The course was numbered PP 625 until Fall 1964, when it became PP 690.
The seminar had three basic objectives: to review current pathological literature and developments, to study areas phytopathology not studied in other classes, and training students to present and discuss information based on their readings. Students participating in the seminar program were required to give a 40 minute presentation on the topic of their choice. Professors also delivered presentations when there were not enough students to cover all of the topics.
Materials relating to this course mainly consist of syllabi and student lecture outlines. The folders are arranged by semester, with the lecture schedule, if available, on top. Some of the lecture schedules include both the Fall and Spring semesters, so researchers should look in the preceeding Fall folder if there is not a schedule in the Spring folder.
57 folders
Materials relating to the Plant Pathology Colloquium, PP 650. This class became a part of the Plant Pathology cirriculum in 1969. This course encouraged open discussion about topics pertaining to the field. Nusbaum led the first few discussions during the semester, then divided the class into panels to lead following discussions.
Common panel discussion topics for this class include Parasitism, Pathogenism and Related Topics; Disease Physiology: The Role of Enzymes in Pathogenesis; Host Defense Mechanisms; Phytoalexins; Host Predisposition; Inoculum Potential; Ecosystem Analysis; Genetic Vulnerability; Concepts of Pest Management; Disease Forecasting and Advisory Services; and Assessment of Diseases, Losses and Control Benefits.
Items for this class mainly include syllabi, topic lists, and panel discussion outlines.
11 folders
Consists of class materials in which the course number is not known or whose relationship to the Plant Pathology Department is unclear. Included is a schedule for a 1969 Air Pollution Seminar Series sponsored by the Department of Botany, a report about the economic aspects of pest control, three papers from discussion sessions taking place in 1976 and 1977, and a list of definitions relating to variation in pathogen populations.
1 folder
Materials relating to North Carolina State's Plant Pathology Department, including information about the 1954 Nematology Workshop, staff meeting notes, the Department's Method of Nematode Extraction, a program from the 1987 Nusbaum Symposium, and information about soil fumigation radio broadcasts.
5 folders
Contains correspondence from North Carolina State faculty in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, as well as faculty from other universities. Letters span from 1948 to 1979. Letter contents include a range of topics, including discussion about Reynolds Award nominees and departmental budget cuts. Also included is a 1973 statement written by Nusbaum entitled The Research Program on the Control of Root Diseases of Tobacco. This statement convinced faculty members that they needed a young professor to fill the position being vacated by the 67-year-old Nusbaum.
1 folder
Contains letters relating to awards and recognitions received by Nusbaum. Consists of a letter to Dr. D. B. Anderson from D. E. Ellis recommending Nusbaum for a Reynolds Professorship (1956), a letter to Vice-Chancellor Rudolph Pate from Robert Aycock recommending Nusbaum for the Watauga Medal (1980), and a brochure from the Twenty-Second Annual Meeting of the Society of Nematologists, where Nusbaum was made an honorary member (1983).
1 folder
Contains photographs, negatives and slides taken of Nusbaum, his family and friends, and his research. This series is divided into two subseries. The first subseries contains negatives of most of the photographs. The second subseries consists of the photographs, as well as slides from several vacation destinations.
Although most of the included photographs have accompanying negatives, many of the negatives do not have accompanying positive prints. Several of the slides portraying Nusbaum's research are glass, and therefore should be handled with extra care.
The negatives and photographs have been arranged in numerical order based on the numbering system imposed by Nusbaum. Nusbaum's index cards, used to describe each negative, is located in the box with the negatives. An Excel spreadsheet is also located in this box, which allows the researcher to obtain information about each item without having to look through the index cards.
Contains negatives of photographs taken of Nusbaum, his family and friends, and his research. The negatives are arranged in numerical order based on the numbering system imposed by Nusbaum. Nusbaum's descriptive index cards are included in this box as well. These 46 cards break the negatives into subject groups, which are arranged alphabetically. The subject headings on listed on the cards are as follows:
1) Blackville; 2) Clemson; 3) Cooper, H.P.; 4) Creech; 5) Cucumber; 6) Edisto Station; 7) Edisto Station (A); 8) Fairfax; 9) Fishers; 10) Fleniken; 11) Folk; 12) Harris; 13) Holmes H. N.; 14) Honey Dew Melons; 15) [Hinnint?]; 16) Keitts; 17) Lightsey; 18) Long Island; 19) Lott.; 20) Lunn; 21)Madison Wis.; 22) McGinty, R. A.; 23) Merchant; 24) Mielke, J. L.; 25) Misc.; 26) Nusbaum, C. J.; 27) Nusbaum Family; 28) Nusbaum, V & J.; 29) Nusbaum, V. L.; 30) Nusbaum, V. L. (A); 31) Persian Melon; 32) Pinckard, J. A.; 33) Poole; 34) Rogers; 35) Ryker, T. C.; 36) Sweet Potato; 37) Sweet Potato (A); 38) Troutman, J. F. Mrs.; 39) Watermelon; 40) Watts; 41) Welland Canal, Canada; 42) Williston; 43) Williston (A); 44) Wolf, F. A.; 45) Young, E. L. Mr. & Mrs.; and 46) Young, Marion.
An Excel spreadsheet is also located in this box, enabling the researcher to obtain information about each negative without having to look through the cards. Items marked with an asterisk (*) are not included in the collection.
Several of the negatives pertaining to Nusbaum's research are made of glass, and a few are coated with an orange powder that will rub off. Researchers should handle these items with extra care.
Contains photographs and slides taken of Nusbaum, his family and friends, his research, and several travel destinations.
The photographs consist mainly of positive copies of Nusbaum's negatives, although there are more negatives than positives. There are also eight photographs not included in the negative collection. These items consist of a photograph of the Plant Pathology Department from 1958, as well as seven photographs of M. incognita.
All of the photographs are black and white. They are arranged in numerical order based on the numbering system imposed by Nusbaum.
The slides include scenes from Rome, the Vatican, Amsterdam, Greece, Puerto Rico, and South Carolina. The slides are arranged in the order they were placed in the carousel.
This series contains items that do not fit in the other series. Included are materials relating to Nusbaum's 50-year high school class reunion, Christmas cards, and memorial items. The memorial items consist of the program from Nusbaum's memorial service 3 September 1987, as well as a 1995 manuscript entitled Remembering C. J. Nusbaum, written by Robert Aycock.
This collection is open for research; access requires at least 48 hours advance notice. Because of the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access to digital files may require additional advanced notice.
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[Identification of item], Charles J. Nusbaum Papers, MC 00345, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
North Carolina State University does not own copyright to this collection. Individuals obtaining materials from the NC State University Libraries' Special Collections Research Center are responsible for using the works in conformance with United States copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials.
This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which North Carolina State University assumes no responsibility.