Virginia Cooperative Extension Service
Historical Note
A University-wide Extension Division was established on 1 July 1966 by the General Assembly. It combined the activities of the Cooperative Extension Service, General Extension Division, State Technical Services, and Continuing Education Center. However, extension work at VPI&SU can trace its roots to 1906 when an extension program was established in Virginia as a result of the farm demonstration work began by Dr. Seaman A. Knapp in Texas in 1903. Dr. John D. Eggleston, the superintendent of public instruction in Virginia at the time and later VPI president, invited Knapp to speak at a meeting in Richmond and that talk resulted in the beginning of the program in Virginia. When the Smith-Lever Act of 1914 was passed, authority for extension, or demonstration, work was transferred to Virginia Tech and it became known as the Agricultural Extension until 1966 when it became the Cooperative Extension Service before being absorbed into the overall Extension Division. In 1995, the Extension Division became the Virginia Cooperative Extension and Agricultural Experiment Station Division, often shortened to the Virginia Cooperative Extension.
Found in 15 Collections and/or Records:
Janet L. Cameron Collection,
The collection includes biographical information about the life and career of Janet L. Cameron, a food and nutrition specialist with the Virginia Cooperative Extension from 1931-1964. Most of the collection consists of publications written by Cameron and others.
Ann A. Hertzler Collection
The Ann A. Hertzler Collection contains biographical information, publications, project and subject files, and artifacts relating to Hertzler's professional career at the University of Missouri-Columbia (1974-1980) and Virginia Tech (1980-2001). Particular areas of emphasis are children's health and nutrition, food and food programs, and Extension publications from both colleges.
John R. Hutcheson Family Collection
James F. Johnson Papers
Thisc collection includes speeches and outlines of speeches given by James F. Johnson while with the Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE). Most were made while he was director of VCE (1989-1992).
Records of the Virginia Cooperative Extension, Master Gardener Program
This collection contains four boxes of slide sets, some with related scripts, for the Virginia Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener Program. Most materials are undated, but likely date from between the 1970s and early 2000s. Topics include flowers, fruits, vegetables, trees, landscaping, gardening, composting, and careers in horticulture.
Sarah Pitt Collection
The collection contains papers relating to the Sarah Pitt and includes newsletters, newspaper articles, radio broadcasts, pageant script, and notebooks.
Thomas O. Sandy Papers
The collection includes correspondence, receipts, farm records, and other papers of Thomas O. Sandy, a farmer in Nottoway County, Virginia, and the first state demonstration agent for agricultural extension in Virginia. The papers relate to Sandy's farm, extension work, and estate.
State/Regional Home and Agricultural Publications,
The collection contains publications on topics including, but not limited to: war-time food use and victory gardens, home planning and organization, food and cooking, home demonstration, and household management. Although the emphasis in on Virginia state and local agencies, materials may also originate from around the United States.
William Logan Threlkeld Papers
This collection contains the papers of William Logan Threlkeld, professor of zoology and biology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute (1929-1958), including biographical materials, personal and professional correspondence, research files, and printed materials.
Records of the Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia 4-H Horse Program
The collection include photographs, slides, negatives, and audiotapes from Virginia 4-H State Shows, State Fairs, and other events throughout the state. 4-H programs began in Virginia in 1908, and since then, the Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, and Virginia State University have hosted the Virginia 4-H Horse Program, which emphasizes equine selection, nutrition, management, riding, and horsemanship.