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Anne Turkos
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Q.What does LIEBIG mean on the old MAC (Maryland Agricultural College) logo? -Edwin Remsberg ’89
A.I suspect the inclusion of this word on the MAC logo was a way to pay homage to one of the leading advocates of scientific agriculture in the 19th century, German chemist Justus von Liebig. He was known as the “father of the fertilizer industry,” and he developed the theory of mineral plant nutrition. The association of Liebig’s name with an agricultural college therefore seems appropriate.
“LIEBIG” appears on the left side of the logo, opposite a drawing of a plow, from about 1890 until February 1917. It was erased from the college’s seal during World War I when anti-German sentiment swept the United States. Looking at MAC publications from this time period, it is clear that the university staff took great pains to remove this word from the seal; it almost appears as if it was painted out in some way. I could not find any evidence that “LIEBIG” appears on the seal again after this time.
Questions for Anne Turkos, university archivist for University Libraries, may be sent to terpmag@umd.edu.
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