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Hadley Read contributed inspiration for what has become the Agricultural Communications Documentation Center. A longtime professor and head of the Office of Agricultural Communications at the University of Illinois, he died in 1981, shortly before the Center was conceived. However, his spirit of love for learning, professional growth and communications excellence helped inspire his associates to begin - systematically - to identify, collect and share the widely scattered body of literature about agriculture-related communications. |
Farm-raised in Iowa, Professor Read earned his undergraduate degree in agricultural journalism (1939) and master's degree in agricultural economics and journalism (1941) from Iowa State College. After working as an economic research analyst with Ralston Purina Company (1941-1943), he became owner-editor of a weekly newspaper in Stanhope, Iowa. From 1944-1947 he was assistant extension editor at Iowa State. He then came to the University of Illinois College of Agriculture as extension editor in mid-1947. Until his retirement in 1974 he pioneered creatively in many aspects of educational communications, internationally. Among them:
- Author of two widely used books on communications methods. Also, a communications handbook that he and his associates produced for Illinois extension workers was later adopted by the American Association of Agricultural Communicators in Education (ACE) for use nationwide. It is still being used in revised form.
- Founder of a teaching program and undergraduate curriculum in agricultural communications.
- Innovator in providing information systems and services for extension and agricultural research programs of land-grant universities.
- Chairman of the professional improvement committee that originated plans for the National Project in Agricultural Communications (NPAC), widely recognized as one of the profession's most valuable professional development programs.
- President of the American Association of Agricultural College Editors (ACE). In 1974 he received the Professional ACE Award, the organization's highest honor.
- For nearly 30 years, a leader and consultant in communications-related programs for agricultural and rural development in countries throughout the world.
- Strong advocate for communications research, especially as a decision-guiding tool for communicators. Reports of more than 30 formal research and evaluation projects during the 1950s and 1960s testify to his spirit of questioning and searching.
- Consummate teacher, always stimulating, challenging and caring.
Users of the ACDC collection benefit from his scholarly contributions in subjects such as:
- communication education
- communication units
- communicator effectiveness
- education needs
- extension communication
- professional development
- universities
The Read Collection includes documents written by Hadley Read.
