Born in Hamilton, NY in 1904, Everett Percy Christopher moved to Newport, RI with his parents in 1919. He graduated from Rogers High School and attended Rhode Island State College (R.I.S.C.). His undergraduate years at R.I.S.C. portray a young man who competed in agricultural competitions, was president of the Debating Society, joined the Rhode Island Chapter of Tau Kappa Alpha fraternity, and sang on the glee club. Christopher earned both his bachelor and master degrees from Rhode Island State College, and his doctorate from Cornell University.
In 1930, Christopher married Elizabeth Webster Smart. Elizabeth received her BS from Pembroke 1925 and her MS from Brown in 1930. From 1927-1938 she was an instructor at R.I.S.C. in English, psychology, and education. She later became an Associate Professor of Child Development and Family Relations. She died on February 25, 1964 . They had two daughters together, Carolyn and Elizabeth Anne. Christopher taught horticulture at Rhode Island State College from 1927 to 1962. He formed the original Plant Sciences Department, served as an expert on apple growing for the experiment station, and served as associate dean of agriculture and associate director of the Experiment Station until retiring in 1970. After retirement, Christopher spent one and one half years in Korea as a consultant to United States aid programs.
During World War II (1940-1945), Dr. Christopher was state chairman for Victory Gardens and assisted Rhode Island communities in establishing refrigerated locker plants for the storage of large amounts of food. This plan was devised to help alleviate the critical food shortage experienced during the second World War. The locker plants, located in Kingston and Wakefield, held meat fruits and vegetables in storage for the winter months.
Christopher was a member of the American Society for Horticultural Science, which elected him a Fellow in 1967, the American Association for the advancement of Science, the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Refrigeration Research Foundation, the American Horticultural Society, the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and the Rhode Island Fruit Growers Association.
As an author of many publications on horticulture, Christopher was chosen to write the successor to The Pruning Manual, a standard work on horticulture written by renowned botanist Liberty Hyde Bailey. Christopher also wrote the "Weekend Gardener," a column for the Providence Journal and was a gardening consultant on WJAR Radio.
Upon his death, Christopher bequeathed $60,000 to the URI Foundation for an arboretum. The Christopher Memorial Arboretum, created in 1991, contains over 140 species and cultivars of deciduous and evergreen trees. Established not only for aesthetic appreciation, the arboretum provides an educational opportunity for students learning about different tree species.
Dr. Everett P. Christopher died March 8, 1989.
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Everett P. Christopher Papers, Mss. Gr. 80, University of Rhode Island.
The papers of Dr. Everett P. Christopher, Professor of Horticulture at the University of Rhode Island, were given to the Special Collections Department of the University of Rhode Island Library, and consist of correspondence, ephemera, and artifacts from the years 1906-1974.
The papers are arranged in two series as follows:
The papers of Dr. Everett P. Christopher, Professor of Horticulture at the University of Rhode Island, were given to the Special Collections Department of the University of Rhode Island Library.
This series consists of correspondence transacted during the period 1926 to 1970; however, the bulk of the material originates from the years 1927, 1930, and 1931. The correspondence consists primarily of letters dealing with agricultural/gardening inquiries; requests for materials both to and from Dr. Christopher; handwritten notes on dusting demonstrations and the like; invoices, orders, and pamphlets pertaining to products offered by commercial firms; notifications of meetings and events; announcements from clubs and organizations; inquiries from Dr. Christopher to several colleges/universities and commercial firms; and personal letters.
Within the correspondence are letters from G. E. Adams, Director, the R.I. State College Extension Services; Roger B. Corbett, Agricultural Economist at the Agricultural Experiment Station at the State Colleges; Richard M. Bowen, President of the Rhode Island Fruit Growers Associations; the Rhode Island Department of Agriculture; the U.S. Department of Agriculture; certain news agencies; and the George Washington Bicentennial Commission (ca. 1932). Also included is correspondence between Dr. Christopher and the Canadian Department of Agriculture.
The series is arranged first alphabetically by correspondents, then by letter dates. Corporate bodies such as commercial firms, farms, clubs and associations, colleges/universities, and governmental agencies are treated as authors herein. One exception, however, is that correspondence with news agencies to grouped together in the folder entitled "News Agencies--Correspondences with.'" Certain personal and corporate authors have been assigned their own folders, due to the amount of material therein relative to the series in general. The arrangement within the folders is chronological.
This series provides a glimpse of the personal side and public career of Dr. Everett P. Christopher. His undergraduate years at Rhode Island State College portray a young man who competed in agricultural competitions, was president of the Debating Society, joined the Rhode Island Chapter of Tau Kappa Alpha fraternity, and sang on the glee club (See Folder 14).
A scientist and educator, Dr. Christopher researched methods to develop heartier vegetables, control pests, and improve refrigeration. Dr. Christopher wrote The Pruning Manual, a successor to the standard manual written by Liberty Hyde Bailey, Professor and Dean of Cornell University's College of Agriculture (See Folder 17). In 1967, Dr. Christopher was chosen as a fellow of the American Society for Horticultural Science (See Folder 7).
The Subject File contains letters, memos, newspaper clippings, college publications, maps, photographs and memorabilia.
The files are arranged alphabetically by topic or record type and chronologically within the folders.