The World’s Largest Open Access Agricultural & Applied Economics Digital Library This document is discoverable and free to researchers across the globe due to the work of AgEcon Search. Help ensure our sustainability. Give to AgE con Search AgEcon Search http://ageconsearch.umn.edu [email protected] Papers downloaded from AgEcon Search may be used for non-commercial purposes and personal study only. No other use, including posting to another Internet site, is permitted without permission from the copyright owner (not AgEcon Search), or as allowed under the provisions of Fair Use, U.S. Copyright Act, Title 17 U.S.C. A.P. GIANNINI AND THE GIANNINI FOUNDATION OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS A.P. Giannini and the Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics T he Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics of the University of California was founded in the late 1920s from a $1.5 million gift made by Bancitaly Corporation (later renamed Bank of America) to the University of California in tribute to its founding president and successful businessman, Amadeo Peter Giannini of San Francisco. The endowment has grown to around $20 million today and the annual payout from the endowment supports the broad mission of the Foundation, which is to promote and support research on the economics of Califor­ nia agriculture. As the endowment’s corpus grew over the past seventy-fi ve years, so did the body of research that it has funded. A.P. Giannini’s investment in agricultural economics research continues to generate large returns. In 2005/06 the Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics marked its 75th Anniversary with several events, including an all-day symposium on May 3, 2006, on the Davis campus. This volume contains the edited papers presented at that symposium plus the annals of the Foundation and a rich body of archival material. Today, there are more than seventy members and associate members of the Giannini Foundation. Most of these economists are University of California faculty and Cooperative Extension specialists in agricultural and resource economics on the Berkeley, Davis, and Riverside campuses. The Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics is a unique world-class organization and there is really no other similar economics research group in the world. It is accurate to say that collectively the Foundation’s members make up the strongest and most productive group of agricultural and resource economists on the globe. What is even better is that the Foundation is situated in California. And California agriculture is not only unique but also innovative and dynamic. In many ways, the Golden State is a perfect laboratory for agricultural economics and that is one reason why the Giannini Foundation has been so successful over the past seventy-fi ve years, as this book attests. All of the members of the Giannini Foundation are extremely grateful to Warren Johnston and Alex McCalla for pulling together this book in recognition of the 75th Anniversary of the Foundation. Natalie Karst and Julie McNamara provided excellent technical support to Warren and Alex. The editors have provided a tremen­ dous service by documenting the rich history and research accomplishments of the Giannini Foundation. Colin A. Carter Director Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics vii A.P. GIANNINI AND THE GIANNINI FOUNDATION OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS viii A.P. GIANNINI AND THE GIANNINI FOUNDATION OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS Editors’ Introduction and Acknowledgments The publication of this book completes the celebration of the 75th Anniversary of A.P. Giannini’s substantial monetary gift to the University of California in 1928. The funds supported an earmarked endowment for the establishment of the Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics and construction of Giannini Hall on the Berkeley campus. The seventy-fi fth anniversary of the 1930 completion of Giannini Hall was held in September 2005 at Berkeley. In May 2006, the 75th Anniversary Symposium of the Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics featured both retrospective presenta­ tions regarding A.P. Giannini and the Giannini Foundation and discussions of the contributions of the Foundation to the changing context of California agriculture. Much has changed since 1928 and the beginning of the Giannini Foundation. Foundation members are now located on three campuses. The majority have been appointees since 1980. Most members are far removed from the early history of agricultural economics at the University of California. Therefore, in addition to the compiled proceedings of the 75th Anniversary Symposium, we include historical information about the Foundation for current and future generations. We have organized this volume in three major parts: • Part I is the proceedings of the symposium and contains two major sessions (papers and panel discussions). • Part II contains the annals of the Giannini Foundation summarizing salient features of the Foundation, including the roster of founding members in 1929, a brief history of the Foundation, current and emeriti members, Foundation leadership (1926–2009), a chronology of faculty and specialist appointments, American and Western Agricultural Economics Association honors and awards, Ph.D. recipients, and Foundation publications. • Part III contains archival materials that include written histories of agricultural economics in the University of California; early histories and refl ections abridged from oral history materials; biographical records of selected members (Univer­ sity of California In Memoriam materials and American Agricultural Economics Association Fellow awardees); a compiled chronology of campus appointments and Giannini Foundation members at Berkeley, Davis, Los Angeles, and River­ side; and, fi nally, a miscellaneous collection of historical documents, the majority of which are housed in the Bank of America Historical Collection. ix