Grondal, Bror Leonard, 1889-1974

Bror Leonard Grondal was born in Round Rock, Texas, in 1889. He was raised in the Swedish community of Lindsborg, Kansas, where his father, Bror G. Grondal, had a photography studio. After graduating from Bethany College in 1908, Grondal came to the University of Washington to pursue his graduate studies. He received his graduate degrees and became a faculty member.

A professor of forestry at the University of Washington from 1913-1959, Grondal was one of the founders of the modern wood products research field. He lectured at the Crown Zellerbach Paper School between 1945-1958 and was a consultant to various lumber companies. He was an early associate of the University of Washington College of Forestry (later called the College of Forest Resources), and he founded the National Forest Products Research Society. As the director of the Forest Products laboratory at the University of Washington, he shepherded a great many students who did vital studies in the early days of the forest industry, including one who became a UW president, Dr. Henry Schmitz.

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