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Milton Rees Merrill papers

 Collection
Identifier: UUS_3.2/3

Scope and Contents

The bulk of the collection falls between the years 1944 and 1968.

Dates

  • Creation: 1933-1971

Language of Materials

Material in English

Conditions Governing Access

Some files have restricted access because of state and federal privacy laws. Not available through interlibrary loan.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.

Permission to publish material from the Milton Rees Merrill papers must be obtained from the University Archivist and/or the Special Collections Department Head.

Biographical Note

Born at Richmond, Utah, April 3, 1901, Milton Rees Merrill began his career at USU in 1927 in the Office of Publicity and Public Relations. A USU alumnus (1925), Dr. Merrill also held the master’s degree (1932) and the Ph.D. (1951) from Columbia University. He married Bessie Austin in 1926. They were the parents of two sons, Richard and Stephen.

Dr. Merrill served in a number of positions at USU, including director of Extension, dean of Summer School, department head for History and Political Science, dean of the School of Business and Social Science and lastly, as USU’s first vice president during the 1960s.

A gifted teacher and mentor, students privileged to have had him as an instructor remember him fondly, characterizing him as having “a colorful classroom appearance, a scintillating sense of humor, a lucid informal manner of lecturing, [with] a complete mastery of his subject.” The Department of Political Science, which he helped nurture throughout his lifetime, still maintains an endowed chair in his honor.

A devoted bibliophile, USU’s Board of Trustees named the campus library for him, following his death on November 23, 1971. When the new library opened in 2005, Milton R. Merrill’s name still adorned the building, shared with that of USU’s twelfth president, Stanford O. Cazier, who Dr. Merrill had hired and mentored as a young history professor in 1964.

Extent

23 boxes (11.5 linear feet)

Abstract

The professional papers of Dr. Milton R. Merrill.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Dr. Merrill’s wife, Bessie, likely donated his papers to the library in 1975.

Processing Information

Processed in November of 2018.

Title
Guide to the Milton Rees Merrill papers 1933-1971
Author
Finding aid/Register created by Robert Parson
Date
©2018
Description rules
Finding Aid Based On Dacs (Describing Archives: A Content Standard, 2nd Edition)
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid encoded in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives Repository

Contact:
Merrill-Cazier Library
Utah State University
3000 Old Main Hill
Logan Utah 84322-3000 United States
435 797-8248
435 797-2880 (Fax)