The E. L. Potter Collection consists of personal correspondence and memorabilia, photographs, and materials pertaining to Department of Animal Husbandry graduates and the Withycombe Club.
Biographical / Historical Notes
Ermine Lawrence (E. L.) “Dad” Potter was born April 13, 1884, in Turney, Missouri. He earned a Bachelors of Science degree from Montana State in 1906. He went on to earn a Bachelors of Science in Agriculture and a Masters of Science from Iowa State in 1908 and 1920, respectively. In the early 1930s, while at Oregon State, he took classes at Stanford and University of California.
He started as an Instructor of Animal Husbandry at Oregon State in 1908, working up through the ranks until he reached head of the department in 1913. He served in this role until 1932 when he became head of Agricultural Economics. He was the first to serve in this role. At Oregon State he was known for his work with the livestock industry, was instrumental in founding the Withycombe Club, and wrote many experimental bulletins.
Dad Potter married Norma Olsen, a fellow professor at Oregon State in Speech and Drama, in 1923.
Even though he retired in 1950, he worked part-time until 1961. In 1952, he traveled to Kasetsart University in Thailand and helped initiate a partnership that would become an official contract with Oregon State.
He died in Corvallis in November 1975.
