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Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation Records

Introduction

The Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation was formed in 1985 to honor the memory of Charles Valentine Riley. For access to the Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation Records and related material or for additional information about the treasures within Special Collections of the National Agricultural Library, please contact us.

Historical Sketch


In May of 1984, Emilie Wenban-Smith Brash, granddaughter of Charles Valentine Riley, presented a gift on behalf of her aunt Cathryn's Trust to the Secretary of Agriculture, John Block, to be used to support activities to honor Charles Valentine Riley. Resources from this original gift were used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to plan and conduct the original Riley Memorials Program with the assistance of an advisory group originally chaired by Edward H. Smith of Cornell University and later by Ross S. Whaley of Syracuse University. Others involved included John C. Gordon of Yale University, Durward F. Bateman of North Carolina State University, Gideon D. Hill of E. I. Du Pont Co., I. Garth Youngberg of the Wallace Institute for Alternative Agriculture, Harry C. Mussman, then with the National Food Processors Association, Dan M. Martin of the MacArthur Foundation, and Raymond J. Miller of the University of Maryland.

Those involved in the advisory group came from a relatively wide array of disciplines, organizations, and backgrounds. As is often the case, the dynamics of the group superseded its proximal purpose. In the course of their meetings they realized, more or less quickly, several things. First, they came to appreciate that Riley was considerably more than a pioneering entomologist and that his larger vision was not fully appreciated by many less familiar with his history. Second, the group felt that they knew what agriculture was, and knew how to explain this to people, including each other. But, third (and this took place more slowly), they grew to realize that their explanations all differed in important respects. For example, was agriculture the "food and fiber production system?" This seemed descriptive, but where were water and air and "open space?" And fourth (even more slowly, particularly for those from academia and government), they came to realize that the lack of common understanding about agriculture was both a challenge and an opportunity to honor Riley by articulating and forwarding his vision. It was obviously a challenge, because if the "experts" couldn't explain agriculture to each other, how could they expect the typical citizen - an urban or suburban dweller with no connection to a farm or the rural landscape - to understand it? Thus, understanding of agriculture in its broadest sense emerged as possibly the most appropriate framework within which to memorialize Riley.

Despite the magnitude and complexity of the challenge, the advisory group for the Riley Memorials Program embraced the broad vision of Charles Valentine Riley and the recognition of a serious need to enhance the public's understanding of agriculture and the contributions that scientific knowledge makes to everyone"s welfare. The original advisory group was joined in 1985 by several additional individuals to form the Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation. These included John (Duke) S. Barr III, a farmer from Louisiana; Bennie I. Osburn, of the University of California at Davis; Earl R. Swanson of the University of Illinois; Robert Tweedy, representing farm machinery manufacturers; and Emilie Brash. It should be emphasized that Cathryn Vedalia Riley's desire to honor her father and the Trustee's overture to the U.S. Department of Agriculture were proximal causes of the creation of the Riley Memorial Foundation.

The premise upon which the Riley Memorial Foundation was formed was described in the preamble to the Articles of Incorporation filed with the Government of the District of Columbia on August 27, 1985:

"The systematic acquisition of food, clothing, and shelter was the earliest form of collective human activity and gave birth to civilization. Industry, art, and science are all products of a civilization founded on and supported by agriculture. Thus, agriculture, directly or indirectly, touches all aspects of human activity."

"While much has been gained during the evolution of agriculture from hunting and gathering to settled crops and animal production and thence to complex modern systems for producing and distributing food, fiber, and shelter, much also has been lost. Generally, throughout the developed world, agriculture is no longer recognized as central to human life and culture. However, over the long term, societies with unhealthy agricultures fail."

The perspective in the preamble provided the basis for defining the original goals of the Riley Foundation (Riley Memorial Foundation 1991):

"to promote a broader and more complete understanding of agriculture as the most basic human endeavor, . . . to make secure the lever that is agriculture and its fulcrum, the natural environment, during this and succeeding generations, [and]. . . to facilitate the exchange of disparate views between individuals and groups and to make these views more apparent to the public at large without being an advocate for any particular point of view."

The Riley Foundation was formally organized on November 4, 1985, when the bylaws were adopted and a memorandum of agreement between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Riley Foundation was signed by then Secretary of Agriculture John Block and the first President of the Board of Directors of the Riley Foundation, John Gordon. Documents related to the establishment of the Charles Valentine Riley Memorials Program by USDA and on the operation of the Riley Foundation from 1985 through 2006 are housed in Special Collections and named the Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation Records.

For additional information click on the Riley Memorial Foundation contact:

Richard Ridgway
Secretary-Treasurer
Riley Memorial Foundation
4613 Wildhoney Court
Flower Mound, TX 75022
Email Richard Ridgway

Bibliography

Publications, Reports, and Manuscripts in the Special Collections

Beachy, R. N. "Agricultural Research: Changing the Guards, Guarding the Change." in Proceedings of the 2010 AAAS Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Lecture, 7-11. Washington DC: American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2010.

Borlaug, N. Food and Human Progress. Washington DC: Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation, 1986.

[Transcript of a presentation at the forum on The Health of the Land and Its People.]

Busta, F. F., M. P. Doyle, G. A. Leveille, R.L. Ridgeway, C. Sizer, and K.R. Swartzel, eds. Reducing Foodborne Illness: Advancing the Adoption of Technologies. Silver Spring, MD: Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation, 2000.

[Proceedings of a work conference, Washington, DC, December 13-14, 1999.]

NAL Call No. RA601.5 R43 2000

NAL Special Collections, Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation Records, May 2002, Box 1

 

Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation. The Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation: A Status Report, 1987. New York: Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation, 1987.

Foundation Records*, Box 1

The Health of the Land and Its People. Lanham, MD: Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation, 1989.

[Twenty-three transcripts and manuscripts from a forum held October 29-31, 1986, in Washington, DC.]

Foundation Records*, Box 1

Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation. National Initiatives on Investing in Research: Food, Agriculture, Forestry, Natural Resources, and Environment. Lanham, MD: Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation, 1990.

[Summary of science and technology round table held on February 24, 1990, in Washington, DC.]

Foundation Records*, Box 1

Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation. Productivity and Conservation: Working Toward Common Goals. A Restricted Use Report on Four Regional Workshops and a National Round Table. Silver Spring, MD: Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation, 1998.

Foundation Records*, Box 1

Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation. Productivity and Conservation: Working Toward Common Goals. Supplements to a Restricted Use Report on Four Regional Workshops and a National Round Table. Silver Spring, MD: Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation, 1998.

Foundation Records*, Box 1

Invasive Species: Importance, Status and Needs. Silver Spring, MD: Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation, 2001.

[A non-partisan, policy briefing paper endorsed by 27 organizations.]

Foundation Records*, Box 1

Mass, M., A. Letourneau and J.A. Miller, eds. New Directions in Agriculture. New Haven, CT: Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and the Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation, 1991.

[Presented on the occasion of the awarding of the Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Prize, November 10, 1988 in New Haven, CT.]

Foundation Records*, Box 1

Knutson, L. "A Tribute to Charles Valentine Riley: American Entomologist." in Proceedings of an Entomological Society of America Centennial Symposium, 97-103. Washington, DC: 1991.

Meyerson, L. A., Vogt, K. A., Vogt, G. W. Dunning, and J.C. Gordon. Invasive Alien Species: A Summary of a Public Dialogue Exploring New Solutions to an Old Persistent Problem. YFF Review, vol. 1, no. 2. New Haven, CT: Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, 1998.

[Dialog organized as a prelude to the Riley Memorial Foundation Program on invasive species by the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.]

Foundation Records*, Box 1

Olsen, J. Principal Investigator. A Friends Group for the National Agricultural Library. Washington, DC: Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation, 2004.

Foundation Records*, Box 4

Paster, A. L. and B. Hutchinson. Delivery of Digital Information on Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources: An Assessment of the Agricultural Network Information Center. University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University, 2003.

[A collaboration between the United States Agricultural Information Network, the Agricultural Network Information Center, and the Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation.]

Pinstrup-Andersen, P. The Impact of Technological Change in Agriculture on Poverty and Armed Conflict. Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Lecture Series. Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation, Texas A&M Office of International Agriculture, and USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Agricultural Library, 2006.

NAL Call No. aS494.5.I5.P56 2000

Foundation Records*, Box 1

Ridgway, R. L., ed. Health of the Land and Its People. Lanham, MD: Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation, 1988.

[Summary proceedings of a forum held October 29-31, 1986, in Washington, DC.]

Foundation Records*, Box 1

Ridgway, R. L., M. N. Inscoe and J. F. Robens, eds. Enhancing the Safety of America's Food Supply. Lanham, MD: Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation, 1992.

[Summary of food safety round table held on November 21, 1991, in Washington, DC.]

NAL Call No. TX531.F655 1991

Foundation Records*, Box 1

Ridgway, R. L., K. R. Smith, and M. N. Inscoe, eds. Science Communications and Enhanced Agricultural Policy. Lanham, MD: Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation, 1994.

[Proceedings of science communications round table held on November 16, 1993, in Washington, DC.]

Foundation Records*, Box 1

Ridgway, R. L., and M. N. Inscoe, eds. Science Policy and the Public Interest. College Park, MD: Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation, 1995.

[Summary of a food, agriculture, forestry, and environmental resources round table held on November 15, 1994 in Washington, DC.]

Ridgway, R. L. and R. Reeder. eds. Food and Agricultural Research in Changing Times: Highlights of a National Round Table. College Park, MD: Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation, 1995.

[Summary of a round table held on June 16, 1995 in Washington, DC.]

NAL Call No. S539.7.F66 1995

Foundation Records*, Box 1

Ridgway, R. L. and J. C. Gordon. The Legacy and Vision of Charles Valentine Riley: Entomology and Beyond. Beltsville, MD: Agricultural Research Service, USDA, and Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation, 1997.

[Adapted from a presentation at a symposium entitled "Achievements and Future of the Science of Entomology," University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, April 18-19, 1995.]

Foundation Records*, Box 1

Ridgway, R. L., comp. Agricultural Production and Natural Resource Conservation: Preliminary Assessments of Selected Projects. Silver Spring, MD: Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation, 1997.

[Assessment of selected cooperative projects for exploring opportunities to strengthen linkages between economically viable agricultural-production and natural-resource conservation activities.]

NAL Call No. S604.6.A57 1987

Foundation Records*, Box 1

Ridgway, R. L., W. P. Gregg, R. E. Stinner, and A. G. Brown, eds. Invasive Species Databases: Proceedings of a Workshop, November 12-13, 1998, Las Vegas, NV. Silver Spring, MD: Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation, 1999.

NAL Call No. SB950.2. A1 I5 1999

Foundation Records*, Box 1

Ridgway, R. L., A. G. Gordon, N. E. Jackson, and W. Jolly, eds. Invasive Species Stakeholders: Collecting, Sharing and Using Information. Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation, 2001.

[Proceedings of a round table held on April 26, 2000, in Washington, DC.]

NAL Call No. SB612.A2 I58 2001

Foundation Records*, Box 1

Bruno, D., et. al., eds. Western Rangeland Noxious Weeds: Collecting, Sharing and Using Information. Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation, 2001.

[Proceedings of a workshop held on September 6-7, 2000, in Phoenix, AZ.]

NAL Call No. SB612.A17 W47 2001

Foundation Records*, Box 1

Ridgway, R. L., ed. Agriculture, Food, Nutrition, and Natural Resources R&D Round Table: Partnerships Yield Greater Societal Returns. Flower Mound, TX: Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation, 2011.

Roberts, E. and K. R. Smith. Learning from the Grassroots: Input for Federal Food and Agricultural Research and Extension Programs. College Park, MD: Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation, 1995.

[Summary of listening sessions held in May and June, 1995, in Philadelphia, PA, Minneapolis, MN, Portland, OR, and Atlanta, GA.]

NAL Call No. S541.L43 1995

Foundation Records*, Box 1

Ronald, P. C. "Tomorrow's Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food." in Proceedings of the 2011 Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Lecture. 9-13. Washington, DC: American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2011.

NAL Call No. Waiting for it to be assigned

von Braun, J. "Agriculture for Sustainable Economic Development." in Agriculture: The Fuel for Sustainable Economic Development. 3-14. Beltsville, MD: National Agricultural Library, 2009.

[Proceedings of the 2008 AIARD Capital Hill Forum. Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Lecture Series.]

NAL Digital Collections https://handle.net/10113/19449

*NAL Special Collections, Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation Records, May 2002.

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