Inventory of the John W. Gnann Papers, 1929 – 1990

Descriptive Summary

Abstract: John W. “Jack” Gnann (1923-2008) earned a degree in forestry from the University of Georgia in 1948 and was hired that same year by the Union Bag and Paper Company as a surveyor. He worked in various positions within the company over the next 40 years, retiring from Union Camp Corporation in 1988. During his career he was active with the Georgia Forestry Commission and chaired the Georgia Tree Farm Committee for several terms.

This collection documents Gnann’s 40-year career with Union Camp, working primarily in the Savannah, Georgia, area. Materials include correspondence, article clippings, albums, scrapbooks, photographs, and color slides.

Title: John W. Gnann Papers, 1929 – 1990

Creator: Gnann, John W. (1923-2008)

Repository: Forest History Society Library and Archives

Call Number: 2019-002

Language of Material: Material in English

Extent: 2.5 linear feet (2 record cartons, 1 archival box)

Biographical Note

John W. “Jack” Gnann (1923-2008) was born in Savannah, Georgia, on May 3, 1923. He served in the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II from 1944 to 1945. Gnann earned a degree in forestry from the University of Georgia in 1948 and was hired that same year by the Union Bag and Paper Company as a surveyor. He worked in various positions within the company over the next 40 years. In 1955 Gnann became the Savannah District Forester. He became Manager of Forest Development in 1979. In 1983 he was transferred to Woodlands Technical as Manager of Technical Services, and in 1987 assumed the title of Manager of Site Engineering. Gnann retired from Union Camp Corporation in 1988. During his career he was active with the Georgia Forestry Commission and chaired the Georgia Tree Farm Committee for several terms.

John W. “Jack” Gnann with company truck, February 1954.

Collection Overview

This collection documents John W. Gnann’s 40-year career with Union Camp, working as a forester primarily in the Savannah, Georgia, area. Materials include correspondence, article clippings, albums, scrapbooks, photographs, and color slides.

Collection Arrangement

The records are arranged into five series.

1. Correspondence, Clippings, etc.

2. Albums, Books, and Reports

3. Videos

4. Photographs

5. Slides

Subject Headings

• Forest products industry.
• Forest products industry — United States.
• Forests and forestry.
• Georgia — Savannah.
• Paper products industry.
• Union Bag and Paper Company.
• Union Camp Corporation.
• Union Camp Corporation — History.
• United States.

Detailed Description of the Collection

1. Correspondence, Clippings, etc.

Box 1

• Folder 1.1
  Includes business card, Kraft Container Plant postcard, correspondence (1985-1990), various article clippings, Volume 2 Number 4 issue of Light & Industrial Railway Quarterly (Summer 1984).

2. Albums, Books, and Reports, 1929-1988.

Box 1

• Item 1
  Book: A History of Georgia Forestry by I. James Piki, Jr. (1966).
• Item 2: Jack Gnann, 1948-1988 (album)
  Album of photographs and other materials highlighting Gnann’s various work projects with Union Camp between 1948 and 1988.
• Item 3: Georgia Tree Farm album, 1981
  Collection of clippings, photos, and other materials documenting Gnann’s work with the Georgia Tree Farm System during the year 1981. Majority of items related to Milton (Buddy) Hopkins, Jr. being honored as National Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year in 1981.
• Item 4: Georgia Tree Farm album, 1982
  Includes photos, clippings, Georgia Tree Farmer newsletter, promotional brochures, and more relating to the work and activities of the Georgia Tree Farm System during 1982.
• Item 5
  Brown binder of miscellaneous photos documenting forestry operations during the late 1940s.
• Item 6: Scrapbook
  Album labeled “Scrapbook.” Majority of its photos concern Georgia Forest Products Company operations, Satilla Forest, Silco, 1929.
• Item 7
  Album: “Pictorial Record: Thinning Studies in Slash and Longleaf Pine.” William Ernst and K.L. Quigley, May 1946.
• Item 8
  “Pictorial Progress Report: Aerial Spraying for Hardwood Control and Pine Release.” John W. Johnson and Barry F. Malac, June 1957 (pages removed from album and put into folder for preservation purposes). [digital item]

3. Videos.

Box 1

• Video 1
  Labeled: “Rotary Rake – Blade Plow.”
• Video 2
  Labeled: “595 SP with Bedding Plow.”
• Video 3
  Labeled: “Union Camp Pile Windrow, 10/10/84.”

4. Photographs.

Box 2

• Folder 2.1: Georgia Tree Farm
  Includes various photos of Gnann with Tree Farm flag, President Ronald Reagan with Tree Farm flag, Jim Fitzgerald and John Rutland receiving awards, and a group with a Tree Farm sign.
• Folder 2.2: Logging
• Folder 2.3: Logging Equipment and Machinery
• Folder 2.4: People
• Folder 2.5: Fire
• Folder 2.6: Plows
• Folder 2.7: Bridges
• Folder 2.8: Operational Area, Sheared with K-G Blade
• Folder 2.9: Satilla Lodge
• Folder 2.10: Union Bag- Misc.
• Folder 2.11: Misc.
• Folder 2.12: Negatives – Misc.
• Other Items
  Other photos of forestry operations, machinery, etc.

5. Slides.

Box 3

• Binders
  Binders of color slides featuring various images of workers, tractors, machinery, logging, forest management, naval stores, and other activities of Union Camp, as well as other operations in the U.S. South, 1960s to 1980s.

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

No restrictions.

Copyright Notice

The nature of the Forest History Society’s archival holdings means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Forest History Society claims only physical ownership of most archival materials.

The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.

Acquisitions Information

Received from John W. Gnann, Jr. in December 2018.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], John W. Gnann Papers, Library and Archives, Forest History Society, Durham, NC, USA.

Processing Information

Processed by Eben Lehman, June 2019

Encoded by Staff, June 2019

Support for digitization and outreach provided by the Alvin J. Huss Endowment.