Dunbar, Robert G.

Robert George Dunbar was born April 30, 1907 in La Grange, Wisconsin. He married in 1937 and had two children. He received a B.A. in History with a minor in Spanish from Milton College in Wisconsin in 1929. In 1933 he received his M. A. in History from the University of Wisconsin and earned his PhD in 1935, also from the University of Wisconsin. He taught at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, 1935-1937 and at Colorado State University at Fort Collins, 1937-1947. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Navy as an instructor at Navy War Orientations Programs in Bainbridge, MD. He joined the faculty of the History Department at Montana State University in 1947. He was an Associate Professor of History from 1948-1950 and Professor of History from 1950-1973. He served as Director of the Center for Inter-Cultural Affairs from 1968-1973. At M.S.U. he also founded the International Studies Center in 1955, and in 1963, he succeeded in establishing a Peace Corp training program focused on helping agricultural projects in Ecuador. He was an authority on water rights and irrigation in the Western United States. He was the author of "Forging New Rights in Western Waters" (University of Nebraska Press, 1983); "The Farmer and the American Way" (Oxford Book Company,1952); "History of Agriculture;" chapter 5 of vol. 2, "Colorado and Its People" (Lewis Historical Pub. Co, 1948); "History of Agriculture;" chapter 12, of vol. 1, "A History of Montana," by Merrill G. Burlingame and K. Ross Toole (Lewis Historical Pub. Co., 1957) and numerous articles in professional journals and newspapers. He served as president of the American Agricultural Society, 1966-67 and spoke frequently to national and state agricultural groups. He vigorously advocated inter-cultural programs and Native American Education. He was a founding member of the Bozeman Chapter of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, which bears his name. Upon retirement in 1974, he was awarded the rank of Professor Emeritus in History. Dr. Dunbar died February 15, 1993 at age 85.

From the guide to the Robert G. Dunbar Papers, 1930-1986, (Montana State University-Bozeman Library, Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections)

Robert George Dunbar was born 30 Apr. 1907 in La Grange, Wis. He received a B.A. in History with a minor in Spanish from Milton College in Wisconsin in 1929. In 1933 he received his M.A. in history from the University of Wisconsin and earned his PhD in 1935, also from the University of Wisconsin. He taught at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, 1935-1937 and at Colorado State University at Fort Collins, 1937-1947. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Navy as an instructor at Navy War Orientations Programs in Bainbridge, Md. He joined the faculty of the History Dept. at Montana State University in 1947. He was an associate professor of history from 1948 to 1950 and professor of history from 1950 to 1973. He served as director of the Center for Inter-Cultural Affairs from 1968 to 1973. At M.S.U. he also founded the International Studies Center in 1955, and in 1963, he succeeded in establishing a Peace Corp training program focused on helping agricultural projects in Ecuador. He was an authority on water rights and irrigation in the western U.S. He served as president of the American Agricultural Society and spoke frequently to national and state agricultural groups. He vigorously advocated inter-cultural programs and Native American education. He was a founding member of the Bozeman Chapter of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, which bears his name. Upon retirement in 1974, he was awarded the rank of Professor Emeritus in History. Dunbar died 1 Feb. 1993.

From the description of Robert G. Dunbar papers, 1930-1986. (Montana State University Bozeman Library). WorldCat record id: 71128137