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- Bernt Wills Papers
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Bernt Wills Papers, 1940-1976
Collection Overview
Title: Bernt Wills Papers, 1940-1976
ID: OGLMC510
Primary Creator: Wills, Bernt L. (1909-1985)
Extent: 5.0 Linear Feet
Subjects: University of North Dakota - Faculty
Languages: English
Abstract
Scope and Contents of the Materials
The Bernt Wills Papers have been divided into six series:
Series 1: Personal Materials
Series 2: UND Department of Geography
Series 3: Reports and Speeches
Series 4: Organizations
Series 5: Course Materials
Series 6: North Dakota: The Northern Prairie State
Thirty two photographs were separated and placed in the Photograph File Cabinets.
Collection Historical Note
Bernt Lloyd Wills was born on July 24, 1909 in Drake, N.D. He grew up in Central Montana, but graduated from high school in Casselton, North Dakota. He taught and administered public schools in North Dakota from 1928 to 1942. In 1934, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Valley City State Teachers College in Valley City, North Dakota. In 1937 he received a Master of Arts degree from Montana State University, Missoula, Montana. He earned a Ph. D from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois in 1953.
Wills started teaching geography at the University of North Dakota in 1943. From 1944-1946, he served in the United States Navy. Upon his return in 1946, he was named chairman of an independent geography department at UND. In 1963, he wrote a book entitled North Dakota: The Northern Prairie State. He stepped down from his chairmanship in 1964 to resume as a full time professor. In 1967, he wrote a second book entitled North Dakota Geography and Early History. Upon completion of the book, he left for Australia and New Zealand for a year long sabbatical. He was awarded the Alumni Association Award for outstanding teaching in 1976.
Dr. Wills served as National Vice President of Gamma Theta Upsilon, a national professional geographic fraternity, from 1953-1955 and as National President from 1955-1957. He was the first president of the Association of North Dakota Geographers, and also served as an editor of “The Bulletin,” for ten years. He was also a member of the Association of American Geographers, National Council for Geographic Education, North Dakota Academy of Science, and was listed in Who’s Who in American Men of Science.
Wills was involved in many activities around the community, including the Grand Forks Ballet Company, the Grand Forks School Board, and the Boy Scouts of America. He also belonged to Wesley United Methodist Church and served as a youth leader, a lay speaker, and as a member of its board of directors.
On September 25, 1937 he married Evelyn Whitt in Ferdig, Montana. They had two children, James and Karen. Bernt Wills died on July 28, 1985 in Grand Forks.
Subject/Index Terms
Administrative Information
Repository: Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections
Access Restrictions: Open for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections.
Acquisition Method: Donation; Acc.78-546
Related Publications:
Books written by Bernt Wills:
North Dakota Geography and Early History. Grand Forks, 1967.
North Dakota, the Northern Prairie State. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Edwards Brothers, 1975.
Preferred Citation: (Description of Item). Bernt Wills Papers. OGLMC 510, Box #, Folder #. Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections, Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks.
Finding Aid Revision History: Finding aid migrated to Archon in October 2014.
Box and Folder Listing
Browse by Series:
[Series 1: Personal Materials],
[Series 2: UND Department of Geography],
[Series 3: Reports and Speeches],
[Series 4: Organizations],
[Series 5: Course Materials ],
[Series 6: North Dakota: The Northern Prairie State],
[Photographs :],
[All]
- Series 1: Personal Materials
- This series contains materials pertaining to Wills' personal life, including correspondence, organizations he was involved with, higher institutions he attended, and his work on attaining a Doctoral Dissertation from Northwestern University.
- Sub-Series 1: Personal Material
- Box 1
- Folder 1: Air AGE Education Division, Correspondence, 1957
- Folder 2: Air Force ROTC, 1959
- Folder 3: Archaeological Institute of America, 1964
- Folder 4: Ballet Co. Grand Forks, 1961
- Folder 5: Blue Cross and Blue Shield, 1973 (Folder removed and given to family)
- Folder 6: Camp Ritchi Conservation Camp Journal, 1963
- Folder 7: Certificates, personal
- Folder 8: Class Reunion, 1975
- Folder 9: Dinosaur Hunting License
- Folder 10: Experiment in international living, 1960
- Folder 11: Founders Day Camp
- Folder 12: Insurance (Folder removed and given to family)
- Folder 13: Newspaper Clippings
- Folder 14: North Dakota Education Association, panel discussion, 1964 and rosters
- Folder 15: NDSSA, 1959
- Folder 16: Pan American Highways, 1962
- Folder 17: Personal Correspondence, 1967, 1974-1976
- Folder 18: Personal Correspondence, Hawaii, 1958, 1967
- Folder 19: Personal Correspondence, House and Lot (Folder removed and given to family)
- Folder 20: Photographs (Folder removed and placed in OGL Photograph Collection)
- Folder 21: Political and religious philosophy
- Folder 22: Radioactive fallout, 1959
- Folder 23: Red River Valley Facts, Grand Forks Herald, 1966
- Folder 24: Social Science Association, 1964
- Folder 25: Teachers Insurance Retirement Funds
- Folder 26: Teachers Retirement of North Dakota, 1948, 1953
- Folder 27: United States Navy Reserve (USNR) 1944-1946, 1948-1953, 1955
- Folder 28: United States Navy Reserve (USNR) 1944-1946, 1948-1953, 1955
- Folder 29: Wills, James and Karen (Folder removed and given to family)
- Sub-Series 2: Doctoral Dissertation
- Sub-Series 3: Higher Institutions Attended
- Box 1
- Folder 35: Clark University, 1948-1950
- Folder 36: Clark University Rosters, 1942
- Folder 37: Montana State University, Alumni News, 1955-1956
- Folder 38: Montana State University, Alumni News, 1955-1956
- Folder 39: Northwestern University, 1950-1951, 1953-1954
- Folder 40: Northwestern University, 1950-1951, 1953-1954
- Folder 41: Northwest University Bibliography, 1950
- Folder 42: University of Wyoming, 1963
- Folder 43: Vita, 1966
- Series 2: UND Department of Geography
- This series consists of information pertaining to UND's Department of Geography, of which Wills was the chair. Included is correspondence, class information, and general departmental business files.
- Box 1
- Folder 44: Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps
- Folder 45: American Meteorology Society
- Folder 46: Annual Reports, 1955-1965
- Folder 47: Army maps, 1948-1951, 1958, 1959
- Folder 48: Class Rosters
- Folder 49: Correspondence, general, 1952, 1970, 1972-1974, 1976
- Folder 50: Crowell Colliers Encyclopedia
- Folder 51: Curriculum, Committee, ROTC, 1952, 1953
- Folder 52: Curriculum, Subcommittee, 1958
- Folder 53: Departmental Business
- Folder 54: Division of Continuing Education, 1976
- Folder 55: Earth Science Degree Requirements
- Folder 56: Economic Development Commission, 1960
- Folder 57: Equipment Selection (dept.) 1962-1963
- Folder 58: Evaluation of students, 1972
- Folder 59: Exams for graduates
- Folder 60: Extension division, 1959, 1962, 1964
- Folder 61: Field Enterprises Educational Corporation, 1969
- Folder 62: Field trips; local
- Folder 63: Faculty Lecture Series, 1961-1962
- Folder 64: Foundation Grant Project, Williston, ND
- Folder 65: Fulbright, 1960-1962
- Folder 66: Geographic Education
- Folder 67: Geography Department, n.d.
- Folder 68: Geography and the liberal arts college
- Folder 69: Geography requirements, report, 1960
- Folder 70: Grolier Society (ND State Article) 1960-1963, 1965-1966, 1968-1970
- Folder 71: Grolier Society (ND State Article) 1960-1963, 1965-1966, 1968-1970
- Folder 72: History, Graduate Goals, 1957
- Folder 73: Land Economics Foundation
- Folder 74: Letters of recommendation, 1970-1974, 1976
- Folder 75: National Science Foundation
- Folder 76: Newsletters
- Folder 77: North Dakota: Business and Industrial Development Department
- Folder 78: Preamble for a higher education, report
- Folder 79: Sabbatical leave, 1965-1967, 1971
- Folder 80: Student Assistants, 1960-1965
- Folder 81: Student Status Sheets (Graduates) 1944-1946, 1948-1951, 1953-1961, 1963
- Folder 82: United States Geological Survey, 1959
- Folder 83: Valley City State College, Geography Department history
- Folder 84: Williston Extension, 1957
- Series 3: Reports and Speeches
- This series consists of reports and speeches written by Wills while attending college and at the beginning of his career at UND.
- Series 4: Organizations
- Included in this series are materials related to Gamma Theta Upsilon, a national professional geographic fraternity. Wills was an active member in GTU, and the materials in this series consist mainly of correspondence while he served as the national Vice President and President of the fraternity. Also included are materials related to Wills’ involvement in the Association of North Dakota Geographers, the Association of American Geographers, the National Council for Geographic Education, and Sigma Xi, an honorary research fraternity.
- Box 2
- Folder 1: Gamma Theta Upsilon, undated
- Folder 2: Gamma Theta Upsilon, 1970-1973, 1975
- Folder 3: Gamma Theta Upsilon, 1960-1961, 1963, 1969
- Folder 4: Gamma Theta Upsilon, 1958-1959
- Folder 5: Gamma Theta Upsilon, 1957
- Folder 6: Gamma Theta Upsilon, 1956
- Folder 7: Gamma Theta Upsilon, 1950-1955
- Folder 8: Sigma Xi Correspondence, 1975
- Folder 9: Association of North Dakota Geographers, undated
- Folder 10: Association of North Dakota Geographers, 1964-1968, 1971-1973
- Folder 11: Association of North Dakota Geographers, 1958-1959, 1961-1963
- Folder 12: Association of North Dakota Geographers, 1954-1957
- Folder 13: Association of North Dakota Geographers, 1947-1950
- Folder 14: Association of North Dakota Geographers, undated membership rosters
- Folder 15: Association of American Geographers, 1972
- Folder 16: National Council for Geographic Education, 1947, 1955, 1937, 1959-1961, 1963
- Series 5: Course Materials
- This series includes information that Wills collected during his time at UND as a professor. The materials in this series includes summer institutions, curriculum, lecture notes, and information on individual countries. Also included are student papers, information on North Dakota, and Geography for Teachers.
- Sub-Series 1: Summer Institute
- Box 2
- Folder 17: In-Service Institutes, 1963-1966
- Folder 18: Institute field trips (Northern Minnesota), 1962
- Folder 19: Institute field trips (Northern Minnesota), 1962
- Folder 20: Summer Institute, 1964, 1965
- Folder 21: Summer Institute, 1964, 1965
- Folder 22: Summer Institute, 1964, 1965
- Folder 23: Summer Institute Budgets, 1961-1963
- Folder 24: Summer Institute
- Sub-Series 2: Curriculum
- Box 2
- Folder 25: Conservation of Resources booklets, lecture notes, exams
- Folder 26: Geography for Teachers, Correspondence, 1947, 1960-1962, course outline
- Folder 27: Geography for Teachers, Correspondence, 1947, 1960-1962, course outline
- Folder 28: Geography of Europe
- Folder 29: Geography of North America geologic bibliography (INC), exams
- Folder 30: Geography of North America geologic bibliography (INC), exams
- Folder 31: Geography of North Dakota, course outline, lecture notes
- Folder 32: Human Geography, handouts, notes
- Folder 33: Meteorology, exams, lecture notes
- Folder 34: Meteorology, exams, lecture notes
- Folder 35: Political Geography, reading list and exams
- Folder 36: Physical/ College Geography, exams
- Folder 37: Physical Geography, lab exercises and lecture notes
- Folder 38: Physical Geography, lab exercises and lecture notes
- Folder 39: Physiography (Clark University), lecture notes, 1940-1943
- Folder 40: Physiography (Clark University), lecture notes, 1940-1943
- Folder 41: Physiography (Northwestern), outline
- Folder 42: Political Geography, notes and exams
- Folder 43: Settlement Geography, lecture notes, handouts
- Folder 44: Settlement Geography, lecture notes, handouts
- Folder 45: Urban Geography
- Folder 46: World Regional Geography
- Sub-Series 3: Lecture Notes
- Box 2
- Folder 47: Corn and forage crops
- Folder 48: Earth in space
- Folder 49: Fiber culture
- Folder 50: Forests, note cards
- Folder 51: Glaciers, note cards
- Folder 52: Grasslands and Grazing, note cards
- Folder 53: Life forms- plant and animal
- Folder 54: Lowlands
- Folder 55: Manufacturing, Nature and Distributions
- Folder 56: Outline
- Box 3
- Folder 1: Metals, outline, note cards
- Folder 2: Minnkota power coop.
- Folder 3: Missouri River, 1962
- Folder 4: Oceania, notes
- Folder 5: Petroleum Industry
- Folder 6: Rotation and revolution, earth is space
- Folder 7: Rubber
- Folder 8: Soils
- Folder 9: Transportation
- Folder 10: Water supply, Correspondence, 1958
- Folder 11: Windchill, 1958-1959
- Sub-Series 4: Individual Countries
- Box 3
- Folder 12: Australia Film Correspondence, 1976
- Folder 13: No folder - misnumbered
- Folder 14: Australia/New Zealand Lecture Notes and Course Outline
- Folder 15: Australia/New Zealand Map Test and Drop Quiz
- Folder 16: Australia/New Zealand Final Exams
- Folder 17: Australia/New Zealand Film Correspondence, 1969-1975
- Folder 18: India; Pakistan; Ceylon
- Folder 19: Japan
- Folder 20: Korea
- Folder 21: Middle America
- Folder 22: South America
- Folder 23: South America
- Folder 24: United Nations
- Folder 25: United Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR)
- Sub-Series 5: Student Papers
- Box 3
- Folder 26: The Alps of Switzerland (Clark University)
- Folder 27: The American Food Problem
- Folder 28: Audiovisual resources for developing map skills
- Folder 29: Australia and New Zealand, 1970, 1976
- Folder 30: Better intergroup relations through the geography of foods
- Folder 31: Bibliographies (assorted)
- Folder 32: Central Place Theory
- Folder 33: China: Geopolitic in the development
- Folder 34: Cotton Manufacturing in New England
- Folder 35: Democratic Ideals and Reality
- Folder 36: The Earth's age
- Folder 37: Geographic Determinism
- Folder 38: Geography
- Folder 39: Geography for the blind
- Folder 40: Japan
- Folder 41: Mapping is fun, 1961
- Folder 42: Mesabi Range, 1961, 1963
- Folder 43: Method of Procedure for a field trip
- Folder 44: Metals, Individual Research
- Folder 45: The Moon, eclipse, and tide
- Folder 46: North Americas, Geography of
- Folder 47: Physical- Soil and Water, 1961
- Folder 48: Political Geography
- Folder 49: Regional Geography, 1963, 1970, 1972
- Folder 50: South Vietnam
- Folder 51: Southeastern Asia
- Folder 52: The Sundowners
- Folder 53: The Twenty-first Century
- Folder 54: Territorial Waters
- Folder 55: U.S.S.R.
- Folder 56: Student Papers: 1969
- Folder 57: Student Papers: 1970
- Folder 58: Student Papers: 1971
- Folder 59: Student Papers: Undated
- Folder 60: Student Evaluations: Undated
- Sub-Series 6: North Dakota
- Box 3
- Folder 61: Badlands, 1961
- Folder 62: Cities and Counties, 1962, 1963
- Folder 63: Conservation of Resources
- Folder 64: Coal Gasification, 1974
- Folder 65: Geography, North Dakota
- Folder 66: Guy, William, Governor of North Dakota
- Folder 67: Lake Agassiz
- Folder 68: North Dakota, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1969
- Folder 69: Red River Valley, 1961, 1962
- Folder 70: State Parks; recreation/ tourism, 1947, 1961, 1964
- Folder 71: Topography of a slope region
- Sub-Series 7: Geography for Teachers
- Box 3
- Folder 72: College Freshman, Lesson Plan, 1976
- Folder 73: Geography Teaching of 1963
- Folder 74: High School
- Folder 75: High School, Lesson Plan
- Folder 76: Junior High
- Folder 77: Lesson Plans/ Teachers Requirements
- Folder 78: Primary Grades
- Folder 79: Primary Grades, Activities, 1961
- Folder 80: Primary Grades, Lesson Plans, 1961
- Folder 81: Primary Grades, Mapping
- Folder 82: Primary Grades, Weather
- Folder 83: Visual Aides- need for
- Series 6: North Dakota: The Northern Prairie State
- Wills worked very actively in studying the geography of North Dakota and the information he gathered was compiled into his book entitled, North Dakota: The Northern Prairie State. This series consists of correspondence for this book as well as rough drafts and notes.
- Box 3
- Folder 84: American Oil Company, Mandan, ND
- Folder 85: Borden Foods Company, Grafton, ND
- Folder 86: Chamber of Commerce, Bismarck, ND, 1962
- Folder 87: Chamber of Commerce, Devils Lake, ND, 1962
- Folder 88: Chamber of Commerce, Dickenson, ND, 1962
- Folder 89: Chamber of Commerce, Ellendale, ND, 1962
- Folder 90: Chamber of Commerce, Fargo, ND, 1962
- Folder 91: Chamber of Commerce, Jamestown, ND, 1962
- Folder 92: Chamber of Commerce, Kenmare, ND, 1962
- Folder 93: Chamber of Commerce, Lisbon, ND, 1962
- Folder 94: Chamber of Commerce, Mandan, ND, 1962
- Folder 95: Chamber of Commerce, Mayville, ND, 1962
- Folder 96: Chamber of Commerce, Valley City, ND, 1962
- Folder 97: Chamber of Commerce, Wahpeton, ND, 1962
- Folder 98: Chamber of Commerce, Williston, ND, 1962
- Folder 99: Dakota Wood Producers, Bottineau ND, 1962
- Folder 100: Figure and Table Charts
- Folder 101: Mary College, Bismarck, ND, 1962
- Folder 102: North Dakota School of Forestry, Bottineau, ND 1962
- Folder 103: Pillsbury Co., Grand Forks, ND, 1962
- Folder 104: Red Dot Foods Inc., Grand Forks, ND, 1962
- Folder 105: Red River Valley Potato Flake Co., Grand Forks, ND, 1962
- Folder 106: Rogers Brothers Food Production, Grand Forks, ND, 1962
- Folder 107: State Historical Society, 1962
- Folder 108: State Mill and Elevator
- Folder 109: Truax-Traer Coal Company, Minot, ND, 1962
- Box 4
- Folder 1: Agriculture
- Folder 2: The Arts
- Folder 3: Cities
- Folder 4: Clays
- Folder 5: Climate
- Folder 6: Community Development
- Folder 7: Conservation
- Folder 8: Corn in ND
- Folder 9: Crops of ND, Chapter 12
- Folder 10: Dairying in ND
- Folder 11: Education in ND
- Folder 12: Edwards Bros.
- Folder 13: Electric Power
- Folder 14: Forests
- Folder 15: Fruit
- Folder 16: General
- Folder 17: Glaciation Map
- Folder 18: Government
- Folder 19: Grassland Shrub and Forest
- Folder 20: Highways
- Folder 21: History
- Folder 22: Industrial Development
- Folder 23: Land (Topography)
- Folder 24: Libraries
- Folder 25: Mineral Resources
- Folder 26: Missouri Diversion
- Folder 27: Northern School Supply
- Folder 28: Outlook, Problems, Future
- Folder 29: Petroleum
- Folder 30: Pictures (ND), letters (Folder removed and placed in OGL Photograph Collection)
- Folder 31: Population
- Folder 32: Potatoes in ND
- Folder 33: Rehabilitation
- Folder 34: Some North Dakota Industry
- Folder 35: Stone
- Folder 36: Space Relationships
- Folder 37: Special Days
- Folder 38: Sodium Sulfate
- Folder 39: Stories
- Folder 40: Student Manual, "North Dakota: The Northern Prairie State."
- Folder 41: Sugar Beets
- Folder 42: Textbook Orders and Correspondence, 1965, 1968, 1970-1976, 1978
- Folder 43: Transportation
- Folder 44: Water, ND
- Folder 45: Wild animals of ND
- Folder 46: Wheat
- Photographs :
- Separated and placed in the Photograph File Cabinets.
- Sub-Series 1: Safeguard Missile Defense System
- Photograph 1: Typical Safeguard Par Site
- Photograph 2: Safeguard Deployment
- Photograph 3: Concept of Terminal Defense
- Photograph 4: The Army’s Sprint Interceptor Missile
- Photograph 5: Full-scale mockup of the Sprint Missile
- Photograph 6: Safeguard Components
- Photograph 7: Typical Safeguard RSL Site
- Photograph 8: Typical Safeguard MSR Site
- Photograph 9: The Army’s Nike Zeus Missile
- Photograph 10: Perimeter Acquisition Radar
- Photograph 11: Missile Site Radar
- Photograph 12: Prototype Safeguard Missile Site Radar
- Photograph 13: Full-scale mockup of the Spartan Missile
- Photograph 14: The Spartan Missile
- Photograph 15: Concept of Area Defense
- Sub-Series 2: Bernt L. Wills
- Sub-Series 3: Maddock Public School, Maddock, North Dakota
- Photograph 20: Exterior of school
- Photograph 21: Exterior of school
- Photograph 22: Jr. High class
- Photograph 23: 4th Grade Science Class
- Photograph 24: Jr./ Sr. High Science Center
- Photograph 25: Resource Center
- Photograph 26: 3rd Grade Language Class
- Photograph 27: Auditorium
- Photograph 28: Dr. Merton Utgaard, Director of International Music Camp
- Sub-Series 4: Aerial Views of North Dakota
- Sub-Series 5: Miscellaneous
Browse by Series:
[Series 1: Personal Materials],
[Series 2: UND Department of Geography],
[Series 3: Reports and Speeches],
[Series 4: Organizations],
[Series 5: Course Materials ],
[Series 6: North Dakota: The Northern Prairie State],
[Photographs :],
[All]