Martin Mortensen, head, Department of Dairy Industry, 1909-1938

Martin Mortensen, head, Department of Dairy Industry, 1909-1938

Object NamePortrait Bust

Artist / Maker Christian Petersen (Danish - American, 1885 - 1961)

Date1935

OriginUSA

MediumPainted plaster

Dimensions22 x 6 x 7 in. (55.9 x 15.2 x 17.8 cm)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Marie Beal. In the Christian Petersen Art Collection, Art on Campus Collection, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object numberU90.27

Status

Not on view

Collections

Label TextDr. Mortensen helped plan and create the Dairy Industry complex. This bust was placed at the entrance (South) of the new building, 1997. Mortensen was Academic Dean of Dairy Industry 1909-1938 and on the staff of the Dairy Industry department from 1909 to 1953. He was born 1872 and died 1953. Martin Mortensen was born in Denmark in 1872 and came to the United States at the age of twenty-one. After managing an Iowa creamery for several years, he entered Iowa State College in 1897 and took the course in dairy industry. After eight years in commercial work, he returned to the College in 1909 to become head of the Department of Dairy Industry, a position he held until 1938, when he reached the compulsory retirement age. As professor and emeritus professor, he continued his teaching and writing up to just a few months before his death. His special interests were in butter and ice cream making and in dairy plant management. Many honors came to Mortensen for his leadership in the dairy industry. He was an honorary member of the American Dairy Science Association, which he had served as secretary-treasurer, vice-president and president. In 1950 he was awarded the Commanders Cross of the Order of Danneborg by the Danish government. The award came in recognition of a lifetime of outstanding achievement in the dairy industry and especially as a teacher of dairy subjects at Iowa State. Fast fact: Mortensen Road/Parkway that runs along the south side of Ames is named in honor of Martin Mortensen, as is Mortensen House in Helser Hall.

Published ReferencesMilepost (Ames, IA), Aug. 24, 1939.

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