Vernon L. Singleton Papers

Finding aid created by Special Collections staff using RecordEXPRESS
UC Davis. Special Collections
University of California, Davis, Special Collections, UC Davis Library
100 NW Quad
Davis, California 95616-5292
(530) 752-1621
speccoll@ucdavis.edu
https://www.library.ucdavis.edu/special-collections/
2024


Descriptive Summary

Title: Vernon L. Singleton Papers
Dates: 1948-1995
Collection Number: D-148
Creator/Collector: Singleton, V. L. (Vernon L.)
Extent: 33 linear feet
Repository: UC Davis. Special Collections
Davis, California 95616-5292
Abstract: Correspondence, class materials, research files, wine judging files, published writings and patents, various committee files, speeches, and biobibliographies.
Language of Material: English

Access

Collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

All applicable copyrights for the collection are protected under chapter 17 of the U.S. Copyright Code. Requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of California as the owner of the physical items. It is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item]. Vernon L. Singleton Papers. Collection Number: D-148. UC Davis. Special Collections

Biography/Administrative History

Vernon LeRoy Singleton was born on June 28, 1923 in Mill City, Oregon. His family moved to Indiana by 1940 and lived in Jackson Township in Parke County. Singleton attended Purdue University but paused his education to serve in the United States Army During World War II. He served as a field artillery officer from 1943 to 1946. After the war, Singleton returned to Purdue University, obtaining a PhD in chemistry with a biochemistry focus in 1951. Singleton spent his early years after university working in chemistry. He worked as a research chemist at Lederle Laboratories in Pearl River, New York from 1951 to 1954, and then as a research chemist at the Pineapple Research Institute in Honolulu from 1954 to 1958. In 1958, Singleton was recruited to the University of California, Davis by Professor Dinsmoor Webb. Singleton was officially hired by the university's Department of Viticulture and Enology in the same year. Singleton lectured graduate courses and researched grape phenolics as part of winemaking. He worked at UC Davis until 1991. Singleton published a significant article with Joseph Rossi, Jr. in 1965 that detailed new methods to analyze phenolics in grapes. This new method established a cost-effective way to analyze grapes in a wine laboratory. This process became the standard for using chemistry to analyze the quality and attributes of wine. Singleton published another major article in 1969 with Paul Esau that quantified and reviewed polyphenol chemistry. This article provided a foundation for further research in plant aging that acted as a standard for decades to follow. He later worked on a study published in 1986 that explains the oxidation process in the fermentation of grapes. Through this analysis, Singleton created the Grape Reaction Product (GRP) to measure this phenomenon to better track and reduce oxidation in the winemaking process. Singleton published over 200 different articles on viticulture and winemaking during his career. In addition to his academic research, Singleton published two significant books on horticulture. He co-wrote Wine: An Introduction for Americans (1965) with Maynard Amerine. The book won the Andre Simon Prize of the Wine and Food Society for being a useful beginner's guide to viticulture. His other book is Principles and Practices of Winemaking and Wine published in 1996. This book, which codified and streamlined methods for winemaking and wine analysis, received Le Prix en Oenologie for its contribution to the field of viticulture. Singleton published four books on winemaking. In later life, Singleton worked as a judge for various wine-making contests and festivals. He served as a judge for the California State Fair Wine Competition and the Sacramento Bee's Celebration of Wines exhibition in 1979. Singleton was a member of the American Chemical Society and the Institute of Food Technologists. He served as President of the American Society of Enologists from 1975 to 1976. In 2011 the Culinary Institute of America inducted Singleton into the Vintner's Hall of Fame.

Scope and Content of Collection

Correspondence, class materials, research files, wine judging files, published writings and patents, various committee files, speeches, and biobibliographies.

Indexing Terms

Wine and wine making -- Research.
University of California, Davis -- Faculty -- Archives.

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