W.L. Thompson Papers, 1916-1969

Summary

Extent:

3.75 Linear Feet

Language:

English

Background

Scope and content:

The W. L. Thompson collection contains textual and photographic documentation of his personal and professional life from 1916 to 1969. The bulk of the collection contains information on the citrus industry in regard to entomology and specifically, on Thompson's interaction with associations and colleagues. Some research and reference materials are included along with personal writings, professional publications, reports, correspondence, and photographs. The papers are arranged alphabetically by series, and then title of folder.

Biographical / historical:

W.L. Thompson was a citrus entomologist involved in the study of citrus pests, particularly aphids and grasshoppers, from the late 1920s to 1960s. He worked at the University of Florida's Citrus Experiment Station in Lake Alfred, Florida from 1927 - 1962. His work on controlling aphids was his most significant contribution to the citrus industry. Throughout his career, Thompson published over 200 articles and served as an officer in both the Florida Entomological Society and the Florida State Horticultural Society. He was awarded an honorary degree of doctorate of science from the University of Florida. In 1973, Thompson was presented with the Florida Department of Agriculture's Plant Protection "Award of Eminence" for his contributions to the citrus industry. Thompson died in 1974. He was posthumously inducted into Florida Citrus Hall of Fame in 1977.

Acquisition information:

The W.L. Thompson Citrus Collection was donated in 1994 and 1995 to the Thomas B. Mack Citrus Archives by Nell Johnson of Cypress Gardens Realty (Winter Haven, FL). The collection was transferred into the Sarah D. and L. Kirk McKay, Jr. Archives Center in 2008.

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Related

Other descriptive data:

The collection was re-processed and arranged in 2021 for better organization and findability for the researcher. Two books included with the collection, with no inscription or markings, were deaccessioned due to their fragile condition and the books being available at Hathi Trust and other library collections in Florida. The Spraying of Plants by E.G. Lodeman, 1916 and New Laboratory Experiments in Chemistry by Robert B. Brownlee, Robert W. Fuller, William J. Hancock, Michael D. Sohon, Jesse E. Whitsit, 1947

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Thompson, W. L.--Archives.
Citrus entomology--Florida--History.
Agricultural pests--Control--Florida--History.
Citrus fruit industry--Florida--History--20th century
University of Florida. Citrus Experiment Station (Lake Alfred, Fla.)--History.
Pesticides--Application--History.
Citrus fruit industry--Florida--History.
Spraying and dusting equipment--History.
Reports
Correspondence.
Photographs.
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)

Restrictions:

There are no restrictions on this collection. It is available for research.

Terms of access:

For permission to publish, please contact the McKay Archives.

Location of this collection:

Thomas B. Mack Florida Citrus Archives

Florida Southern College

111 Lake Hollingsworth Dr.

Lakeland

FL

33801

USA

Contact:

https://www.flsouthern.edu/library/archives