The Elizabeth Anspach Papers, 1914, 1994, and undated, consist of biographical materials, photographs, postcards, diplomas, report cards, honorary speeches, and newspaper clippings (copies). The topically grouped material is arranged alphabetically. A large portion of the photographs consist of family, baby, vacation, and retirement photos. Many of the diplomas are from Elizabeth’s time at Detroit Teaching College, Cornell, and Harvard, which is in Latin. The newspaper clippings range from her father’s obituary to retirement clippings honoring Elizabeth’s life and career. The award speech and lecture pamphlets all highlight the various achievements and awards that Elizabeth received. The newspaper clippings and award papers all commend Elizabeth for her contributions to education, children, and various organizations throughout the public health field. There are no materials specific to George Wheeler in the collection. The only item in the collection specific to Charles L. Anspach is their wedding invitation.
The photograph albums and scrapbooks document several periods of Elizabeth’s life and family, as well as contain a wedding invitation to Elizabeth and George Wheeler’s wedding. The scrapbooks also contain various items documenting Elizabeth’s life between her retirement and her death in 2003. The oversized folder contains her diplomas, as well as her 1946 Harvard class photograph.
Processing Note: During processing, 10 cubic feet of three-dimensional objects were transferred to the CMU museum. A box of photograph frames and one oversized folder of duplicates and out-of-scope materials, as well as acidic clippings (copies were retained in the collection in the Clarke) were returned to the donor as per the donor form.
Biography:
Dr. Elizabeth L. Wheeler-Anspach (1904-2003) was the daughter of Frederick S. and Marie Lockwood. Elizabeth was sister to Frederick Lockwood Jr, who at the age of seven passed away. Elizabeth graduated from Detroit Central High School in 1922. After High School, Elizabeth attended the Detroit Teachers College and earned a teaching certificate, graduating in the spring of 1924. For over fifteen years Elizabeth taught at Detroit Public Schools, teaching biology and science to elementary and high school students. Elizabeth dedicated her time and passion to the study of Public Health and Health Sciences, eventually she earned her Bachelor of Science degree at Wayne University. Pursuing her studies in Public Health, Elizabeth next attended Cornell University, where she earned a Master of Arts degree in 1938. Elizabeth studied and researched health science at Harvard University, where she earned both a Masters and Doctorate in Public Health in 1946.
Then, Elizabeth married George R. Wheeler on August 10, 1951. Together, they had two sons, whom they raised in Isabella County, Michigan. From 1947 to 1960, George was the head of the Department of Conservation and Agriculture at Central Michigan University (CMU). Elizabeth was among the world of academia surrounding CMU, she began teaching at the university in 1957.
George Wheeler passed away on August 11, 1968, leaving Elizabeth a widow. Several years later, Elizabeth married former CMU President Charles L. Anspach. They remained married until he suffered from a debilitating stroke in August of 1977, and passed away only two months later. Elizabeth never remarried.
Elizabeth was also involved with the Michigan State Health Department from 1963 to 1966. Her work in this department allowed CMU to form the first undergraduate program in public health education, a program in which she taught and specialized in. She continued to teach at CMU until 1970, when she retired after thirteen years of teaching and forty-four years of public health work. Elizabeth was honored and awarded by CMU after her retirement. CMU established a lecture series in her name. After she retired, President Richard M. Nixon invited Elizabeth to attend a 1970 White House conference on Food Nutrition and Health, commending her for her work in public health. Elizabeth was the first woman in Michigan history to ever receive an award for health education.
Elizabeth was an advocate for public health education for the remainder of her life, until her death in 2003. She was survived by her two sons and two step-daughters. (This information is from the collection).
