Ralph L. Watts papers

Ralph Levi Watts was born in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania on 5 June 1869. He began work as a horticulturist at the Tennessee Experiment Station in 1890, and worked with the State Department of Agriculture as a lecturer at Farmer's Institutes from 1899 to 1908. He joined the faculty of his alma mater, Penn State, in 1908 as professor of horticulture and in 1912 was appointed the Dean of the School of Agriculture and Director of the Agriculture Experiment Station. He served on the Board of Directors of the Penn State Christian Association and was a member of the American Board of Trustees for Lingnan University in Canton, China. He also served on the Penn State-in-China committee, and was the author of numerous books and scholarly articles. He was awarded an honorary doctorate of agriculture by Syracuse University in 1916 and an honorary doctorate of science by Rhode Island State College in 1931. He retired as dean emeritus of the School of Agriculture in 1939. Dr. Watts died on 2 July 1949 at the age of 80