creator:

Sweet, Orville K.  (1923 -2007)

title:

Papers

dates:

1963-2007, n.d.

extent:

3.02 linear feet (2 document box, 1 half-document box)

collection number:

MS 641

repository:

Special Collections Department, Iowa State University.

access:

Open for research

publication rights:

Consult Head, Special Collections Department

preferred citation:

Orville K. Sweet Papers, MS 641, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library.

 Biographical note

 
Orville K. Sweet was born in 1923 in Wichita Falls, Texas. He earned a B.S. (1948), then went on to earn a M.S., both from the University of Oklahoma. Sweet then taught vocational agriculture, managed a beef cattle ranch, and was a beef specialist at the University of Georgia. He was president of the American Polled Hereford Association (1963-1979), and served as executive vice president of the National Pork Producers Council (1979-1989), the largest commodity organization in the United States. He is also a past president of the U.S. Beef Breeds Council and the National Society of Livestock Records Association. In addition, he is a member of the American Society of Animal Science. In 1989-1990, Sweet was a visiting industry professor at Iowa State University. During the 1990s, he served as president of Sweet and Associates, a consulting firm in strategic planning for organizations.

Sweet is the author of two books, Birth of a Breed (1975), a background of the purebred industry in the U.S., and The Speaker's Handbook, Jokes, Notes and Quotes!  (1989). Sweet also collaborated with Rolland "Pig" Paul and J. Marvin Garner on the book, The Pork Story, Legend and Legacy (n.d.). Sweet is also well known for his speeches. Between 1963 and 1980, he averaged over 100 speeches per year, which he gave in 49 states and 63 countries.

Orville Sweet passed away April 19, 2007 in Springfield, Missouri.

 Collection description

 
This collection primarily contains drafts of Sweet's speeches and articles he wrote while president of the American Polled Hereford Association and executive vice president of the National Pork Producers Council. The speeches vary in topic and content, but generally address agricultural issues and problems associated with livestock production. He advocated the marketing of beef and pork, and held generally conservative political views. Unless noted otherwise, Orville Sweet authored all speeches and articles in this collection.

 Organization

 
The collection is organized in alphabetical order, and then chronologically.