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Leo R. Newfarmer photograph collection

 Collection
Identifier: P1497

Scope and Contents

The Leo R. Newfarmer photograph collection consists of 1 box containing 3 black-and-white group photographs of Leo Newfarmer, General James Harold Doolittle, and members of the Becharof Petroleum Club in Alaska circa 1955 to 1960.

Dates

  • 1955-1960

Creator

Language of Materials

Collection materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.

Permission to publish material from the Leo R. Newfarmer photograph collection must be obtained from the Special Collections Manuscript Curator.

Biographical Note

Leo Ray Newfarmer was born on September 14, 1909 in Montrose, Colorado. As a young man, he worked with the United States Forest Service on the Grand Mesa in Colorado, where he acquired a love of the outdoors. His uncle, Ross L. Heaton, inspired him to pursue geology. In 1929, Newfarmer began attending the University of Colorado; after his parents moved to California, he lost resident tuition and transferred to The University of California, Berkeley; he graduated with an A.B. in economic geology in 1933. Several years later, he began working for Shell Oil Company in San Antonio, Texas. In Texas, he met and married Adelle Debenport.

Newfarmer worked for Shell throughout his career in a variety of locations. From 1949 until 1960, he was based in Los Angeles, California, as he worked as exploration manager for the region of the western United States. Along with former World War II pilot Jimmie Doolittle, who was vice president of Shell, and Sam Bowlby, Newfarmer participated in oil exploration in Alaska in the 1950s. In the 1960s, the Newfarmer family moved to Houston, Texas, where he became manager of the Shell Canadian Exploration Company. In 1964, Newfarmer assumed presidency of a Shell research and development subsidiary, SoniCo, in San Diego, California. He retired to La Jolla, California, in 1968. In addition to his career, Newfarmer was a member of numerous professional societies, including: the Geological Society of America, the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. Leo Newfarmer died on June 8, 1998.

Extent

3 Items (1 box)

Abstract

Leo R. Newfarmer (1909-1998) was a geologist for Shell Oil Company from about 1935 until his retirement in 1968. This colleciton contains photographs of Newfarmer, Jimmy Doolittle, and others while they were conducting oil exploration in Alaska for Shell in the 1950s.

Arrangement

Arranged by subject

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated by Judith Newfarmer in 2007.

Separated Materials

See also the Leo R. Newfarmer papers (Accn2387) in the Manuscripts Division of Special Collections.

Processing Information

Processed by Special Collections staff.
Title
Guide to the Leo R. Newfarmer photograph collection, 1955-1960
Author
Finding aid created by Claire A. Kempa
Date
2022
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid encoded in English in Latin script.

Repository Details

Part of the J. Willard Marriott Library Special Collections Repository

Contact:
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City Utah 84112 United States
801-581-8863