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University
of North Carolina at Asheville |
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| Biography | Born in Southport, Connecticut,
on 11 November 1890, Walter Julius Damtoft's parents were Danish
immigrants. He graduated from Bridgeport High School in 1907 and from
the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University in 1910. He followed
his Bachelor of Philosophy degree with a Master of Forestry degree in
1911, also from Yale. Honorary degrees were given to Damtoft from both
the Biltmore School of Forestry and from North Carolina State College.
Following his graduation from Yale, Damtoft took a job with Champion
Fibre Company near Asheville, North Carolina. He was hired as an
industrial forester, one of the first in the South and then made his way
in other administrative posts with Champion, including that of vice
president and general manager for the company's subsidiary offices in
Asheville. He left the company briefly for a position in Washington, D.C
as the acting director of the Forest Products Division of the Office of
Price Stabilization, but soon returned to Asheville where he continued
his work with Champion as the Assistant Secretary-Treasurer and the
Director of the General Woods Department. Damtoft lost his first wife to
the 1918 flu epidemic and remarried Dorothy Atkinson. They had two
children.
He actively participated in professional societies and organizations related to forestry. As president of the Southern Pulpwood Conservation Association and as vice president of the Forest Farmers Association and vice president of American Forest Products Industries, Inc., he was held in esteem by his peers. His selection as the Director of the American Forestry Association and as director of the Southern Industrial Relations Conference were well-deserved positions he achieved late in his career and were testimony to his stature in the profession. His civic endeavors were equally impressive. Damtoft served as Chairman of the Asheville Housing Authority, as a trustee for Mission Hospital, as Chair of the District Board of Appeal of the Selective Service System and as a member of the North Carolina Board of Conservation and Development. He was invited to be the general chairman of the Southern Governor's Conference and to serve on the Board of Managers of Wachovia Bank and Trust Company. His work as the president of the North Carolina Industrial Council and as the Director of the Asheville Chamber of Commerce are well-known in the western North Carolina region. Damtoft's death at the age of 86 ended a long and illustrious career. |
| Subjects | LCSH
: Damtoft, Walter Julius (1890-1976) United States. Forest Service Forests and Forestry --- United States Forestry and Community Forestry Extension North Carolina Forestry Extension Southern States Forestry Industry Forestry Innovations Forestry Schools and Education Forestry Schools and Education --- North Carolina United States. Department of the Interior |
| Bibliography |
Damtoft, Walter J. Records regarding a tract near the Vanderbilt Tract. (1916), US Forest Service Supervisors Office (Asheville, NC). The Editors. Society
Officers of the Society of American Foresters. Journal of Forestry,
February 1934. (pg 265) Maunder, Elwood R. Voices
From the South: Recollections of Four Foresters. Santa Cruz, CA: Forest History
Society, Inc., 1977. Damtoft, Walter (editor) Articles from the Pages of the National Observer. Princeton: New Jersey, 1974. "Walter Damtoft, Forester, Dies". The Asheville Citizen (23 November 1976): 1 Elwood L. Demmon. Who's Who in America (1970 - 71): 84-85 |
| Citation | U.S. Forest Service Southern Research Station Collection, D.H. Ramsey Library, Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville 28804 |
| Processed by | Special Collections staff - HW |