Identity elements
Reference code
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1905-1965 (Creation)
Extent
3.00 Linear Feet, 2.00 Boxes
Post-Fire Oversize Extent:
Oversize Box 2 (16.5 x 20.5): 509: 20/22/5
Name of creator
Biographical history
Frank Caldwell Hershberger was born in Veedersburg, Indiana on 20 May 1888. An accomplished horseback rider from an early age, he spent time at George D. Rainsford's Diamond Ranch near Chugwater, Wyoming. He received his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the Kansas City Veterinary College in 1913. Shortly thereafter, the Chinese government hired Hershberger as a veterinary surgeon specializing in horses and cattle. He traveled to Manchuria and Siberia to investigate an anthrax outbreak. He remained in the employ of the Chinese government until 1918.
His enlistment with the Veterinary Corps during World War I led to a long career with the United States Army. He underwent cavalry training at Camp Marfa, Texas in 1919-20. He graduated from Medical Field Service School in 1923, from Army Veterinary School in 1924. From 1930-31 he attended Fort Riley's Cavalry School, where he completed the Troop Officers' Course. Sent to the Philippines, he inspected abattoirs for Fort Mills in Corregidor.
A European trip in 1936-37 took Hershberger through Marseille, Berlin and Amsterdam. He gathered postcards and mementos from hotels, clubs and other sites. An assignment with the Veterinary Corps at Fort Hamilton, New York quickly led to a reappointment by the Order of the Secretary of War in February 1938. Hershberger was given the task of inspecting food shipments through the New York Port of Embarkation in Brooklyn. When the United States entered World War II, the port handled inspections for food shipments to troops overseas. Hershberger established and operated a school to provide intensive training to newly commissioned Veterinary Corps officers.
Upon his death, Dr. Hershberger donated the bulk of his estate to Kansas State University. His relationship with the school began when his alma mater closed in 1918 and transferred its graduate records to Kansas State Agricultural College's Division of Veterinary Medicine.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
The papers were assembled by Colonel Frank Caldwell Hershberger (1888-1965) over a long international career as a veterinary medicine specialist. The bulk of the collection consists of photographs and postcards gathered into three scrapbooks dating from 1908-circa 1955. These albums cover various locations in Europe and Africa, as well as Diamond, Wyoming and the Philippines. Additional loose photographs date from circa 1905 and document his time at the University of Missouri, Camp Marfa (Texas), Fort Monroe (Virginia), Fort Riley (Kansas), Fort Sill (Oklahoma), and Fort Mills (Corregidor, Philippines). Photographs include military officers, military polo teams, training cavalry horses, and the process of transporting horses via troopship. Augmenting the visual materials are articles, diplomatic papers, typescripts, some correspondence and a diary related to Hershberger's work for the Chinese government (1914-1918). One typescript details the history of the Port Veterinarian for the Port of Embarkation, New York, 1921-1945. The collection also includes the Legion of Merit medal, Legionnaire degree, which is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements.
[url=https://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/handle/2097/36186/browse?value=Hershberger%2C+Frank+Caldwell+%281888-1965%29&type=author]Digital images[/url]
System of arrangement
The collection is arranged in two boxes.
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
- Latin
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
It received accession number 2015-16.044.
Immediate source of acquisition
Acqusition Source: Estate of Frank Caldwell Hershberger
Acqusition Method: Donation
Acqusition Date: 20160516
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Specialized notes
- Citation: Preferred Citation: [Item title], [item date], Frank Caldwell Hershberger papers, Box [number], Folder [number or title], Morse Department of Special Collections, Kansas State University libraries.
Alternative identifier(s)
Archon Collection ID
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Sources used
Archivist's note
Finding Aid Author: Cindy Von Elling