Search

Chairman of the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) and previously Director of the University of Michigan’s Office of Automotive Transportation (OSAT). Collection documents Cole’s activities as the Director of OSAT and his consulting work.

The papers of David E. Cole document his activities as the Director of the Office for the Study of Transportation (OSAT) and his consulting work. This collection contains nine series: University of Michigan; Associations and Government; Company Files; Correspondence; Research; Speaking Engagements; Publications, Papers and Clippings; Topical Files; and Audio-Visual Material.

Student papers, 1930-1987 prepared for classes in history at the University of Michigan (primarily Michigan history class taught by Lewis G. VanderVelde, but also including research papers for classes taught by Sidney Fine and others); topics concern Michigan social and political history; Michigan biography and bibliography; and local community history.

The student papers are organized alphabetically by author in two series, which are similar in date range and topics covered. Topics of papers concern Michigan social and political history; Michigan biography and bibliography; local community history and University of Michigan history. A topical index to the papers is available in the first box of the collection.

Director of the Center for Japanese Studies at the University of Michigan; co-head with Keiichi Oshima of the Joint United States/Japanese Automotive Study. Background files; reports; and records relating to meetings, surveys, and fieldwork of the joint study.

The Cole Papers consist of the records of the study comparing the United States and Japanese automotive industries. The collection is arranged under three broad headings: Background; Meetings, Surveys, and Field; and Reports of Study. Included are the final reports, working paper series (22 individual research projects), progress reports, interviews, surveys, meeting minutes, and materials relating to the structure and composition of the study. The collection also includes the published volume resulting from the study.