Clyne S. Shaffner papers
Collection
0285-UA
Clyne S. Shaffner (1914-1984) had a lengthy career in Poultry Science, during which he made great advances in preserving chicken sperm through freezing. Shaffner was born April 18, 1914, in Freeland, Michigan. As a young man, he was active in the Michigan Junior Farm Bureau. He earned his B. S. degree at Michigan State College in 1938, his M. S. in 1940, and his Ph. D. from Purdue University in 1947. In 1947 he accepted a position as Associate Professor of Physiology and Genetics in the Department of Poultry Science at the University of Maryland. He served as department head until 1971 and remained at Maryland until his retirement in 1977. A fellow of the Poultry Science Association and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, he also served as president of the Poultry Science Association from 1961 to 1962. Shaffner died in West Laurel, Maryland, on May 19, 1984, at the age of seventy. The Clyne S. Shaffner papers contain notes and assignments from Shaffner's classes at Michigan State College and Purdue University in the early 1940s, publications of the Michigan Junior Farm Bureau, and personal letters to Shaffner from Laura Jean Denham.
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1.25 Linear Feet
English
The Clyne S. Shaffner papers date from 1938 to 1947 and consist of publications from the Michigan Junior Farm Bureau, personal correspondence, and photographs as well as class notes, research materials, tests, and memos from Shaffner's studies at Michigan State College, Purdue University, and summer school at the University of Missouri.
Shaffner's main interests include farm management and poultry anatomy, but he particularly focused on poultry reproduction and the problem of preserving chicken semen by freezing it.
Clyne S. Shaffner was born April 18, 1914, in Freeland, Michigan. As a young man, Shaffner helped operate the family farm and was active in the Michigan Junior Farm Bureau. Shaffner earned his B. S. degree at Michigan State College in 1938. He stayed at Michigan for an additional two years, graduating with an M. S. in 1940 before going on to Purdue University to study for a Ph. D.
Shaffner's doctoral studies were interrupted by a stint in the U. S. Navy from 1944 to 1946. Upon his return, however, he picked up his academic work immediately and graduated in 1947. In the same year he accepted a position as Associate Professor of Physiology and Genetics in the Department of Poultry Science at the University of Maryland. By the time Shaffner became department head in 1955, he had met and married his wife Nancy and had become a father. The Shaffners eventually had two children, Neil and Catherine. He served as department head until 1971 and remained at Maryland until his retirement in 1977.
From his doctoral studies on, Shaffner was interested in fowl reproduction, particularly in the emerging field of semen preservation through freezing. A fellow of the Poultry Science Association and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, he also served as president of the Poultry Science Association from 1961 to 1962.
Shaffner died in West Laurel, Maryland, on May 19, 1984, at the age of seventy.
The collection is organized as four series.
The University of Maryland Libraries originally accessioned the Papers of Clyne S. Shaffner as part of the Records of the Department of Poultry, University of Maryland, in 1974. The papers were separated from the Department of Poultry records when those files were appraised in fall 2002.
The collection was transferred into acid-free folders, housed in acid-free boxes, and organized into four series. The photographs were interleaved with acid-free paper.
Part of the Special Collections and University Archives