Department of Animal Science

History of Animal Science Department

On March 24, 1996, with over 700 participants, the
Animal Science Department of Iowa State University
celebrated its centennial. The story spans the 20th Century.

Genesis
In 1858, the 7th General Assembly of Iowa provided for "A State Agricultural College, to be connected with the entire agricultural interests of the state." A model farm was begun in 1860. Iowa State College became a land grant institution in 1864, and classes began in 1868.
In 1896, Charles F. Curtiss was named Professor of Animal Husbandry because of his growing reputation as a research and livestock authority. Producer groups were recognized by the establishment of departments within agriculture.
During the formative years, turmoil centered around having an ag tech school or a college solidly grounded in the basic sciences. The seal adopted in 1898, "Science With Practice," succinctly states that science is first and its application is the logical result of acquiring the basics. This focus has made the department a world leader over the past 100 years.

Undergraduate Teaching
Curtiss was appointed Dean of Agriculture and Director of the Experiment Station in 1902. Agricultural colleges at the time were establishing a place of service to the livestock industry. Practical stockmen gave low ratings to college faculty and student judges competing at livestock shows. It was important for the college to have winning judging teams. Curtiss named Willard Kennedy to be head and coach of the livestock judging team. He promptly retired the coveted Spoor Trophy for Iowa in 1903. The bronze bull graced the rotunda of Curtiss Hall for many years. The students came.
Animal Husbandry became a department while housed in Agricultural Hall, now Catt Hall. In 1910, the department moved to the first floor of Curtiss Hall. The second meat laboratory on a land grant campus was completed in 1918. In the mid 1920s, the judging pavilion and the teaching herd barns were built. Curtiss enticed George Edwards of Scotland to be the long time beef herdsman. All herdsmen had lasting influence on students. The herdsman course of the department from 1918 to 1954 gave the livestock industry more than 2,000 graduates.
The Saddle and Sirloin Club for undergraduates was formed in 1913. Iowa State was one of four colleges that united to form the National Block and Bridle Club in 1918. The Dairy Science Club began in 1925. Both clubs are active and particpate in Veishea, the largest annual student-run celebration on college campuses in the USA. From 1904 to 1995, 6,360 B.S. degrees were granted, representing 20 percent of those in agriculture and four percent of those in the university. The one-on-one advising is a hallmark of the department. Past ISU graduates read like a Who's Who in the livestock industry as, in time, will the recent graduates.

Research and Graduate Program
Departmental faculty held positions in the Experiment Station from its inception in 1888. The most innovative early researcher was John Evvard, a nutritionist. In 1930, Jay L. Lush came to Iowa State and built the discipline of animal breeding. The department was home for the first trial for the regional research concept proposed in 1936 by Secretary of Agriculture Henry A. Wallace, a 1910 gradute. The success of the Regional Swine Breeding Laboratory, begun in 1937 under W. A. Craft, another graduate, paved the way for subsequent regional research.
Following WWII, research opportunities expanded. New leaders with vision were L. N. Hazel, Damon Catron, Wise Burroughs, R. M. Melampy, J. P. Kastelic, N. L. Jacobson and R. S. Allen. The department is remembered for important research innovations that include the use of statistics, selection indexes, stilbestrol, life cycle programs, bloat prevention, backfat probe, atherosclerosis study, advances in reproductive physiology, the B blood group in poultry, mitochondria, genetic prediction, parturition control and muscle cell cytoskeleton.
A research revolution involving the faculty is quietly taking place. DNA is recognized as the core of all biological sciences. The National Swine Genome Mapping efforts are centered in the department. Well-appointed laboratories provide for basic research critical to form the basis for the creative use of biotechnology in service to the livestock industry. The publication record of the department is monumental, as is the computerization to solve production systems' problems.
Tied to the research is the graduate program. Graduate degrees were granted early (1896) and provided faculty for emerging departments in other colleges. From 1896-1995, the department granted 862 MS degrees and 471 PhD degrees, totaling 1,333. Sixteen percent of all advanced degrees in the ISU College of Agriculture were granted from the Animal Science Department between 1946-1996.

Extension
Farmer institutes began extension long before the establishment of Cooperative Extension Service of 1914. R. K. Bliss, a 1904 graduate, developed Iowa's extension for 50 years. Dairy extension led in the initiation of the Dairy Herd Improvement Association and in all species, performance programs were developed. Since 1966, area livestock extension specialists serve the state.

Faculty and Heads
The department became Animal Science in 1962 and is housed in Kildee Hall, dedicated in 1966 with Dean Kildee, retired, in attendance at the dedication. The meat laboratory was opened in 1977 and, in 1992, irradiation facilities were completed to research preservation procedures.
Leadership is the key in the development of a synergistic faculty and staff. The department has had nine heads. Each had a unique style of leadership, yet all met the challenges of their age and time. Since 1896, the department has had 307 faculty members and 46 associates. There are 12 Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professors of Agriculture among the faculty, seven of whom are participants today. Over time, the Saddle and Sirloin Club in Chicago developed a portrait collection of livestock greats, including leaders from colleges. Of these, 42 percent were faculty and former students from Iowa State University.
Future
The stage is set for a new addition to Kildee Hall and the Meat Laboratory. The second 100 years of research, teaching and extension rests on a firm heritage of leadership. To share the excitement of discovery with youth in the next anticipated 100 years will be an adventure into the creation of the future that will open dimensions not yet comprehended as possibles.

The historical information found on this page was compiled by Dr. Richard L. Willham, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture, and is taken from his 1996 publication, "A Heritage of Leadership," documenting the first 100 years of the Department of Animal Science.

DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL SCIENCE HEADS

C. F. Curtiss	1898-1902
W. J. Kennedy	1902-1912
W. H. Pew	1912-1918
H. H. Kildee	1918-1935
P. S. Shearer	1935-1954
L. E. Johnson	1954-1967
L. N. Hazel	1968-1973
S. A. Ewing	1973-1992
D. N. Marple	1992-2001
S. J. Lamont	2001-2003
M. G. Hogberg	2003-

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Anyone possessing very old photos (50+ years), please contact answeb@iastate.edu