1894-1973
Arthur Stottlemyer was born on a farm near Kelseyville, Lake County, California. His father had come to California from Myersville, Maryland, in 1892 and bought a farm of one hundred sixty acres between Kelseyville and Soda Bay. His maternal grandfather, Anderson Benson, had been born in Massachusetts in 1822 and crossed the country by wagon train in 1849.
Art's father sold his farm near Kelseyville during the depression of 1897 and moved to Elmira, then Vacaville where he farmed. As a young man, Art worked on the farm, then in the Vacaville area delivering meat with a horse and wagon. He came to the University Farm at Davis as the Dairy Herdsman for the Animal Husbandry Department in 1916.
He was a skilled herdsman; the health and management of the Experiment Station dairy herd was under his direct supervision for some thirty-three years. He was noted for attention to detail and precise routine in recordkeeping and animal care. For many years he lived at the Dairy Barn during the week, in a room above what is now the "Silo" snack Bar. From these quarters his supervision of the dairy herd and experimental work under his observation extended far beyond today's forty-hour week. He was a strict and careful supervisor but fair and impartial with those who worked for him. Tardiness of any employee at milking or feeding was quickly detected and corrected. He was an important contributor to the dairy research work conducted by Professors Regan and Mead and their many collaborators over the long period of his tenure.
Art was a member of Athens 222 Masonic Temple of Davis and a Master Mason for forty-three years. In 1931 he became a Thirty-Second Degree Scottish Rite Mason in the Sacramento Scottish Rite Bodies.
He loved the outdoors and the mountains. In 1949 he built a cabin in the Sierras at Phillips on Highway 50. Here he enjoyed many hours of hunting and fishing and relaxation with friends. After retirement Art lived with his mother at his home in Vacaville. He was active throughout his retirement, working as a night watchman for a period, remodeling his house, and assisting neighbors and friends. He took great pride in maintaining his home as a place admired for its neatness of house, yard, and garden.