Carey, Charles Henry.  "History of Oregon." Vol. 2. Chicago-Portland: Pioneer
Historical Pub. Co., 1922.  p. 585-6.

LEROY CHILDS

Though but thirty-two years of age Leroy Childs of Hood River has forged ahead
and occupies the post of entomologist and superintendent of the experimental
station of the Oregon Agricultural College at Hood River, which is one of the
most Important in the west. He was born in Alhambra, California, in 1888 and is
a son of A.O. and Nettle (Nye) Childs. His parents are natives of Michigan and
are directly descended from Revolutionary stock on both sides. Mr. Childs is a
direct descendant of Samuel Childs, one of the pilgrims who landed in
Massachusetts between 1620 and 1624.

Leroy Childs was educated in the primary and high schools of Redlands,
California, near which town his father owned a large orchard. His collegiate
course was pursued in the Leland Stanford University at Palo Alto, California,
from which he was graduated in 1913 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Already
proficient in entomology and plant pathology, he took a position with the United
States forest service as field pathologist and retained that post for six
months. He afterward accepted a position with the California State Commission
of horticulture as assistant secretary and in 1914 he was made assistant
entomologist at the Oregon Agricultural College and shortly thereafter was
transferred to Hood River. He has through scientific training and broad
practical investigation and experience, become splendidly qualified for the
position which he now fills and he is rendering valuable aid to the state in
bringing to the fruit raisers and farmers of central Oregon a knowledge of  the
best methods of caring for their orchards and their fields.

In 1915 Mr. Childs was married to Miss Hazel Holmes, a daughter of John T.
Holmes and Sarah (Vanalstyne) Holmes. Mr. Holmes was a native of Michigan and a
prominent lumber dealer of that section. Mr. and Mrs. Childs have two sons,
Leroy Winston and Allison Oliver. Mr. Childs is the author of many works
relating to fruit pests and the bulletins issued by the college and written by
him have become recognized as standard. He has been particularly successful in
his dealings with apple scab and fruit leaf roller and the service he has
rendered to the fruit growers of central Oregon and especially the Hood River
valley has been of untold value to them through the standardization of their
spraying practices. Mr. Childs owns in partnership an orchard of forty acres
north of Dee, in the upper valley. Twenty-two acres of this ranch is planted to
pears, making it one of the largest pear ranches in the state. The other
eighteen acres is in apples. Mr. Childs laughingly declares that it is a fine
thing to own one's own ranch, for it permits him to try all his knowledge on his
own trees without fear and he gladly gives the orchardists the benefit of his
methods and his actual experience. It is safe to say that in the development of
the material welfare of the state Professor Childs has certainly done his full
share.


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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in November 2006 by Jeffrey L. Elmer.
Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned
above.