1876        - Born in Jasper County, Indiana.

1881        - Moved with his family to Little River, Kansas; where he attended the public schools there.

1898-1899    - Fought in the Spanish-American War.

1906        - Graduated from the Kansas Agriculture College; with a B.S. degree in Animal Husbandry.

1906-1907    - Employed at the Kansas Experimental Station.

1907        - Married and took his bride to the Kodiak Agriculture Experimental Station to investigate cattle-raising for the U.S. Agricultural Department; remaining there until 1912 when Mt. Katmai erupted and covered the island with ash.

     - The couple had two sons, Rolland and William, and three daughters: Mrs. Margaret McCarthy, Mrs. Anges I. Reed, and Mrs. Mary Hale.

1912-1915    - Was an independent cattle rancher on Kodiak Island.

1915        - Established the Matanuska Valley Experiment Station at the request of the U.S. Agricultural Department.

1916-1917    - Lived in Seward.

1917-1921    - In charge of the Agricultural Experimental Station in Fairbanks.

1921-1923    - Had his own farm outside of Fairbanks.

1921-1929    - Member, board of trustees of the Alaska Agricultural College & School of Mines.

1923-1925    - Member, territorial senate.

1923-1929    - In charge of the Agricultural Experimental Station at Matanuska.

1929-1933    - Colonization agent for the Alaska Railroad; instrumental in bringing 55 families to settle in the Matanuska Valley. Retired from experimental station work.

1934-1960    - Farmed on his 160-acre homestead in the Matanuska Valley.

1953-1955    - Member of Territorial House of Representatives.

1961        - Received an Honorary Doctorate Science Degree from the University of Alaska.

1964        - Presented “Citizen-of-the-Year” award from the Kiwanis Club of Palmer.

1966        - He and his wife entered the Pioneers’ Home in Sitka and moved the following year to the new Pioneers’ Home in Fairbanks.

1967        - He died at the Pioneers’ Home at the age of 91.