Munford, James Kenneth
Variant namesAlumnus J. Kenneth Munford was a member of the Oregon State University faculty from 1939 until his retirement in 1977, with breaks for military service and further education. He graduated from Oregon State College in 1934 with a degree in education and subsequently served as principal at public schools in Corvallis and Newburg, Oregon. Munford married Helen Marjorie "Marge" Vannice in 1939. In 1939, Munford became an English instructor at Oregon State College, a position he held until leaving for military duty in 1941. After receiving a Doctor of Education degree from Stanford University in 1948, he returned to OSC as an editor in the Office of Publications. He became Director of Publications in 1956 and spearheaded formation of the OSU Press in 1961. In 1983, Munford began writing a weekly column on local and regional history for the Corvallis Gazette-Times which continued until January 1996.
From the description of J. Kenneth Munford collection, 1866-2000 (bulk 1930-2000). (Eugene Public Library). WorldCat record id: 45676866
Alumnus J. Kenneth Munford was a member of the Oregon State University faculty from 1939 until his retirement in 1977, with breaks for military service and further education. A native of Banks, Oregon, Kenneth Munford came to Corvallis in 1930 as a freshman at Oregon State College. After graduating in 1934 with a degree in education, he served as principal at the Harding Elementary School in Corvallis (1935-1937) and the junior high school in Newburg, Oregon (1938-1939) and taught classes at both schools as well. Kenneth Munford and Helen Marjorie ("Marge") Vannice were married in 1939.
In 1939, Munford became an English instructor at Oregon State College, a position he held until leaving for military duty in 1941. After receiving a Doctor of Education degree from Stanford University in 1948, he returned to OSC as an editor in the Office of Publications. He became Director of Publications in 1956 and spearheaded formation of the OSU Press in 1961. Active in the OSU Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi since his initiation in 1934, Munford also served as chapter President (1963-1964), correspondent for the chapter newsletter, and later President of the national headquarters (1968-1971) of the honorary society. In 1986, Munford was awarded Phi Kappa Phi's Distinguished Member Award.
Munford's interest in John Ledyard began in the mid-1930s while teaching a fifth-grade Oregon history class. He wrote an article for the Sunday Oregonian and with the encouragement of a Portland, Oregon, publisher, he quickly wrote a book, John Ledyard: An American Marco Polo, which was published in 1939. Through the years, he began to see that there was much more of historical value in the Ledyard story than had been revealed in his 1939 book, so Munford began preparing an annotated version of the Ledyard's journal. He began collaborating with Sinclair Hitchings, Keeper of Prints at the Boston Public Library, and John Ledyard's Journal of Captain Cooks's Last Voyage was published by the OSU Press in 1963.
Munford retired from Oregon State University in 1977, but continued to be an active writer and supporter of local history. In 1978, he was awarded the Oregon Historical Society's Henry Clinton Collins Award "for his writings on local and statewide history."
In 1983, Munford began writing a weekly column on local and regional history for the Corvallis Gazette-Times . Thirteen years and 561 columns later, his last column was published on January 15, 1996.
From the guide to the J. Kenneth Munford Collection, 1866-2000, 1930-2000, (Oregon State University University Archives)
Role | Title | Holding Repository | |
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referencedIn | Donald T. Carlson papers, 1952-1995 | Cecil H. Green Library. Department of Special Collections and University Archives | |
referencedIn | Office of University Publications and OSU Press Records, 1907-1995 | Oregon State University Libraries University Archives | |
referencedIn | Phi Kappa Phi. Oregon State Chapter. Phi Kappa Phi-OSU Chapter records, 1914-2002 (bulk 1924-1990). | Oregon State University Libraries | |
referencedIn | Triad Club Records, 1925-1999 | Oregon State University Libraries University Archives | |
creatorOf | Munford, James Kenneth. J. Kenneth Munford collection, 1866-2000 (bulk 1930-2000). | Oregon State University Libraries | |
referencedIn | Phi Kappa Phi-OSU Chapter Records, 1914-2002, 1924-1990 | Oregon State University Libraries University Archives | |
referencedIn | Ava Milam Clark Papers, 1888-1972 | Oregon State University Archives | |
referencedIn | Carlson, Donald T. Donald T. Carlson papers, 1952-1995. | Stanford University. Department of Special Collections and University Archives | |
creatorOf | Triad Club (Oregon State University). Triad Club records, 1925-1999. | Oregon State University Libraries | |
creatorOf | J. Kenneth Munford Collection, 1866-2000, 1930-2000 | Oregon State University Archives |
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Relation | Name | |
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associatedWith | Carlson, Donald T. | person |
associatedWith | Carlson, Donald T. | person |
associatedWith | Clark, Ava Milam, 1884-1976 | person |
associatedWith | Corvallis College | corporateBody |
associatedWith | Ledyard, John, 1751-1789. | person |
associatedWith | Munford, Helen Marjorie Vannice. | person |
associatedWith | Oregon State College | corporateBody |
associatedWith | Oregon State University | corporateBody |
associatedWith | Oregon State University. Office of University Publications. | corporateBody |
associatedWith | Petri, Lillian Jeffreys. | person |
associatedWith | Phi Kappa Phi. | corporateBody |
associatedWith | Phi Kappa Phi. Oregon State Chapter. | corporateBody |
associatedWith | Triad Club (Oregon State University) | corporateBody |
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Oregon |
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Oregon |
Pacific Northwest History |
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Birth 1912