Alfred Woodford
American geologist (1890-1990)
Alfred Oswald Woodford (February 27, 1890 – June 29, 1990) was an American geologist. He was the founding director of the geology department at Pomona College, where he taught for four decades.
He was nicknamed "Woody".
Early life and education
Woodford was born in Upland, California, on February 27, 1890, to a family of successful citrus farmers. He moved with his family to neighboring Claremont in 1909, and graduated from Pomona College (where he was editor of The Student Life) with a degree in chemistry in 1913. He subsequently pursued graduate work in soil chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, and received his doctorate in 1921.
Career
Woodford joined the chemistry department at Pomona in 1915 or 1916, while he was pursuing his doctorate. In 1919 or 1920, he began teaching geology, and he established the college's geology department in 1921 or 1922. He was Pomona's sole geology professor for two decades, until his former student John Shelton joined him in 1941. His academic specialties included California geology, stream hydraulics, and the history of geology.
The public source identifies “Alfred Woodford” as american geologist (1890-1990). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Alfred, Woodford and American.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Alfred Woodford”, the useful work is to connect “american geologist (1890-1990)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 2, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q67211800. VIAF identifies the subject as 19757781. The Library of Congress control number is n89621526. 4 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1890, 1990, 1909 and 1913.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Alfred Woodford”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Alfred Woodford primary sources, Alfred Woodford archive and Alfred research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Alfred Woodford”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Alfred Woodford” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.