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Archiver > BRETHREN > 2000-11 > 0975512080


From: "Dwight or Helen Farringer" <>
Subject: Re: Nininger
Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 10:34:40 -0500
References: <MABBIJKMKNCKDDHOFFNBAECNCAAA.ebitting@bridgewater.edu>


> -----Original Message-----
> From: [mailto:]
> Sent: Sunday, November 26, 2000 3:52 PM
> To:
> Subject: Nininger

> Dear group:
> Does any one know anything about this man, his parents, wife or children,
> where he lived at, etc.
>
> Dennis
> Olympia, Wa
>
> Brethren At Work June 19, 1883 page 7
> Christian Nininger departed this life, May 17th, 1883. He was born Dec.
8th,
> 1808, in Virginia, but lived for a number of years in Kansas. . . . . . . .
. . .

> REPLY FROM E. BITTINGER,
>
> Dennis, The Brethren Nininger family was established in the Roanoke Virginia
area, but I am not sure which county. Maybe Franklin or Roanoke County.
Members of the family remain Brethren to today. A Mr. Nininger was chairman of
the Bridgewater College Bd of Trustees, for many years, and a building on the
campus is named Nininger Hall. Beyond that, I do not have any details on the
background of this family. However, the Niningers of Roanoke area would have
more information. Emmert.

REPLY FROM DWIGHT FARRINGER:

Regarding recent inquiry about the Nininger family - I recall, from my
Astronomy class under Dr. Charles Morris at Manchester College in 1948 or
1949, reference to a Nininger in connection with the study of meteorites. To
get my recollections into focus, I have consulted "American Men of Science"
(11th ed., 1966) and found this information about Dr. Harvey Harlow Nininger:
He was born Jan. 17, 1887 at Conway Springs, KS.; married 1914, and had 3
children.
He received from McPherson College the B.S. degree in 1914 and honorary
D.Sc. in 1937.
Honorary D.Laws from Arizona State Univ., 1963.
Prof. Biol. at LaVerne College, 1914-18.
Field agent, Bureau of Entomology, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, 1918-19.
Prof. Biol. at Southwest Col. (Kans), 1919-20.
Prof. Biol. at McPherson College, 1920-30.
Curator meteorites, Colo. Museum of Natural History, 1930-46.
Director, American Meteorite Museum, Sedona, Arizona, 1946-60.
Consultant, Investigator, and Lecturer on meteorites, 1960-

Some of this information suggests a possible Brethren connection of this
family. There may be some archival information at McPherson College that
could investigated.

After 1930, H.H. Nininger specialized in meteorites, did very extensive
research of the famous Meteor Crater near Winslow, Arizona, accumulated
perhaps the most outstanding meteorite collection ever achieved, published
books on the subject, and achieved international fame in that area of study.

Dr. Morris, long-time physics prof. at Manchester College, had been
teaching at McPherson College for a time in the 1920's, contemporary with H.H.
Nininger as a faculty colleague. I think that is why Dr. Morris took some
personal satisfaction in telling his later Astronomy classes about his
personal contacts with Nininger's work at the Meteor Crater, and of Nininger's
international fame in the field of meteorite study.

I hope some of this information may be useful to Dennis at Olympia or
others who may be interested in Nininger family connections. I could supply
some additional references regarding H.H. Nininger's work and publications, or
if you just tell your Internet search engine to search for "Nininger", you
should get numerous references.

L. Dwight Farringer, Prof. Emeritus of Physics, Manchester College


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