Cornell University Class of 1912. Floyd Roy "Flood" Newman was born in Casnovia, Michigan in 1890 and grew up in Churchville, New York. In 1908, he entered Cornell University where he majored in chemistry and participated actively in athletics. In February 1912, he skated the length of Cayuga Lake. While at Cornell, Newman was a member of Bandhu Fraternity, which later became Phi Kappa Tau fraternity. Following his graduation, Newman went to Shanghai, China, as a Standard Oil Company trainee. There he joined the Shanghai Volunteer Corps and rose to the rank of first lieutenant. As an Army officer in World War I, Newman helped organize the distribution of petroleum supplies to the armed services in the United States and France. In 1925 he co-founded the Allied Oil Company, Inc. of Cleveland. He was co-owner and secretary-treasurer of the company until 1948 when it merged with the Ashland Oil and Refining Company. Newman was a former Cornell University Trustee and served as a Presidential Councillor. He gave Helen Newman Hall, Newman Lab and the F.R. Newman Arboretum to Cornell, and supported the University's geological sciences and athletic programs.
From the guide to the Floyd R. Newman papers, 1893-1990., (Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library)
