C. E. (Carey E.) Vail came to the Colorado Agricultural and Mechanical College in 1909 as an instructor in chemistry and assistant chemist at the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station. He remained at the college until his retirement in 1945, and in the last 25 years of his career served as a research chemist at the Experiment Station. Vail was born in Industry, Illinois, on September 7, 1879, graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University and received an M.A. in 1909 from the University of Nebraska.
C. E. Vail married Hazel Emigh in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on July 29, 1926, and they had two sons, Arthur and Kenyon, and one daughter, Mildred. Vail died in Fort Collins on October 1, 1956.
From the guide to the Papers of Carey E. Vail, 1870-1966, 1902-1949, (Colorado State University, Colorado Agricultural Archive)