George W. Varseveld Papers, 1948-1994

Title: George W. Varseveld Papers, 1948-1994

ID: MSS Varseveld

Primary Creator: Varseveld, G. W. (George Wallace)

Extent: 2.0 cubic feet. More info below.

Languages of Materials: English [eng]

The George W. Varseveld Papers were created and assembled by Varseveld in the course of his food science research and teaching at Oregon State University. The papers include certificates, course teaching packets, a manual, notes, photographs, publications, reference materials, reports, and student theses. The reference materials comprise over half of the collection and include articles, books, conference proceedings, Extension Service circulars, manuals, and reports relating to food processing equipment and research. Varseveld's own research is reflected in research reports, notes, article reprints, and bulletins published by the Agricultural Experiment Station. Among the topics represented in these records include: mechanization of strawberry harvesting, green pea grading, supersweet corn breeding, thermal processing, and freeze-dried snap bean compressibility. The theses were written by graduate students in food science advised by Varseveld; his MS thesis is also included.

A manual of Food Science and Technology Department research procedures and guidelines is included. Course reading packets for Food Quality Evaluation (FST 111) and Food Processing (FST 221) are part of the collection.

The photographs document research on the harvesting, processing, freezing, and surface strength of various fruits and vegetables. Primarily documenting strawberries and beans, these images also depict cherry, pea, and corn research. In addition to portrait shots of Varseveld, the images also depict other Food Science faculty such as Lois McGill and Clifford Samuels. The photographs are primarily color slides (1037 items); they also include 48 prints and 1 negative.

George W. Varseveld was a faculty member in the Food Science and Technology Department at Oregon State University from 1963 until his retirement in 1989. As a research food scientist, he advised graduate students and conducted research on fruits and vegetables -- specifically mechanical harvesting of strawberries, suitability of fruits and vegetables for processing, green pea grading, and freezing of snap beans.

Varseveld earned a BS in Agriculture at the University of Alberta, Canada, in 1947 and his MS in Food Science at Oregon State College in 1953. He worked as a food technologist and quality control supervisor in the food processing industry in Washington and California after completing his graduate degree at Oregon State.

George Wallace Varseveld was born in Trail, British Columbia, Canada on December 5, 1922. He became a United States citizen in the early 1970s. Varseveld died in Corvallis, Oregon, on February 26, 2007.

More Extent Information: 1086 photographs; 2 boxes

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.

Acquisition Note: The materials were donated to the Archives by a friend of Varseveld's widow.

Related Materials: The Special Collections and Archives Research Center holdings include the Food Science and Technology Department Records (RG 176) and the Food Science and Technology Department Photographs (P 142). Additional materials about food science research projects are available in the Agricultural Experiment Station Records (RG 025).

Preferred Citation: George W. Varseveld Papers (MSS Varseveld), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Processing Information: This collection is not fully processed; this guide is preliminary.

Varseveld, G. W. (George Wallace)

Agricultural processing--Oregon.
Food industry and trade--Oregon.
Natural Resources
Oregon State University. Agricultural Experiment Station
Oregon State University. Department of Food Science & Technology
Oregon State University. Extension Service
Peas--Grading.
Strawberries--Harvesting--Machinery.
Strawberries--Preservation.
Strawberries--Sensory evaluation.
University History
Varseveld, G. W. (George Wallace)

Film negatives.
Photographic prints.
Slides (photographs).