Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

Professor of engineering at the University of Michigan. Photos of Johnston's personal and family life in Wyoming and Michigan, including student activities at the University of Michigan; photos of his work on water projects in the West and in Egypt; and photos of Camp Davis, the summer engineering camp of the University of Michigan in Cheboygan Co., Michigan..

The Johnston collection spans the years of 1888-1928. The bulk of the collection is comprised of photographic prints, mainly cyanotypes, and glass plate negatives. Scattered papers are also present and include biographical material and topical files relating to Johnston's personal, religious, and professional activities. The collection has been arranged into five series, which include: Personal and Family Photographs, Work Photographs, Camp Davis Photographs, Glass negatives, and Biographical Materials.

Files relating to class reunions of the University of Michigan College of Engineering class of 1947, dating from 1952 to 2007. Records include plans for a major gift to the university at the 50th reunion (a reflecting pool) and biographical information on class members.

The material in the University of Michigan College of Engineering Class of 1947 records relate mainly to class reunions, held every five years from 1952 through 2007, including materials related to fundraising for and planning of the 50th reunion gift, a reflecting pool and fountain on the university's North Campus.

The material also includes responses to questionnaires sent out around each reunion collecting information about class members since graduation relating to their occupations and personal lives. A complete roster of the class as of 1987 was compiled for the 40th reunion and can be found in that folder.

Records of the University of Michigan College of Engineering include histories, correspondence and topical files of deans; minutes of the executive and other committees; faculty records, including minutes of meetings and faculty biographies; miscellaneous student and alumni records; photographs, microfilm, digital files, and archived website.

The College of Engineering records date from 1860 to 2014 and measure 118.5 linear feet, 3 oversize folders, and 1,196 GB. The records document the internal activities of the College of Engineering, both administrative and academic, the role of the college as a unit of the University of Michigan, and research developments and trends over the years. Correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, financial records, and other material reflect changing research interests within the field of engineering as well as the curriculum development that has accompanied technological advances. Of particular interest are the files relating to outside work by faculty members, a question of enduring concern within the college. The records reflect the relations of the College of Engineering with private industry, especially through the documentation of funding from outside sources and the involvement of professors in outside research.

Electrical engineering was established as a department in the College of Engineering in 1895. In 1971 it was renamed as the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The Department of Computer and Communication Science was transferred from the College of Literature, Science and the Arts in 1984. The faculties and courses were merged under new designation Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Departmental records include administration material relating to policies and budget, annual reports and reviews, topical files, photographs, and personnel files of inactive faculty and research scientists. Records describe the facilities, curriculum, and teaching and research activities within the department.

The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science records contain correspondence, departmental review reports, committee minutes, faculty and student surveys, personnel records and photographs. The records span the years 1920-1997.

The records are arranged in seven series: Administrative Budget/ Financial, Department Review and Report, Histories, Topical, Photographs, and Personnel.

The records of the Division of Research Development and Administration (1919-1996) encompass the DRDA and all of its predecessor organizations, including the Department of Engineering Research, the Engineering Research Institute, the University of Michigan Research Institute, and the Office of Research Administration. Record types include correspondence, topical subject files, research grant files, meeting minutes, financial records, and photographs.

The records of the Division of Research Development and Administration (1919-1996) encompass both the DRDA and all of its predecessor organizations. The papers have been divided into seven major series: Governing and Oversight Bodies (1919-1964), Staff and Committee Records (ca. 1922-1979), Administrative Files (1922-1972), Correspondence Files (1943-1972), Willow Run Laboratories (1946-1966), Directors' Files, and several boxes of Research Grant Files on microfilm. There are also four smaller series: the Engineering College Research Council (1959-1961), Review of the DRDA - Report to Harold Shapiro, 1980, Engineering Research Institute - miscellaneous research reports, Photographs, and Programmed Research Information System at Michigan (PRISM) Reports.

Professor of chemical engineering at the University of Michigan. Tapes and transcript of tapes of oral interviews with Donald Katz talking about his life and professional activities; reprints of his writings; files relating to his Ann Arbor Council of Churches activities; and files of his investigation of the Port Huron Water Tunnel explosion, 1971.

The papers of Donald L. Katz consist of five series: Biography/Personal, Ann Arbor Council of Churches, Papers, Publications and Patents, Cassette Tapes, Interviews of Donald L. Katz, and Port Huron Water Tunnel Explosion.

Professor of engineering mechanics at the University of Michigan. Materials concerning his interest in the St. Lawrence Seaway, his work with the American Concrete Institute's investigation of precast floor systems, and his activities with the American Society of Civil Engineers' Committee on Water Diversion; also subject files on prohibition and immigration policy in the 1920's; and photographs.

The Menefee papers documents his professional career as a teacher and as a specialist in engineering mechanics. Following a single folder of Biographical Material, the collection divides into the following series: Correspondence, Speeches, Subject Files, and Photographs.

Professor of civil engineering at University of Michigan. Railroad valuation and appraisal files; lectures and reports; personal materials.

The Henry Earle Riggs collection includes correspondence and documents, 1914-1924, relating to valuation of the Detroit United Railway. This includes correspondence removed from the files of Mortimer E. Cooley. There are also other materials relating to public utilities valuation, civil engineering, and public works, mainly lectures, addresses, articles, and testimony.

Of special note is a file of correspondence relating to University of Michigan Civil Engineering alumni killed in World War I, file on the history of the Ann Arbor Railroad, and a 1942 speech describing problems of the proposed Willow Run, Michigan, wartime housing development.

Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Michigan; designer of the proposed Mackinac Bridge; and member of the Mackinac Straits Bridge Authority. Correspondence, newspaper clippings, blueprints and notes concerning the design and construction of the Mackinac Bridge in Michigan. Correspondents include: Mortimer E. Cooley and G. Donald Kennedy.

The James H. Cissel Papers, 1934-1943, contain approximately one linear ft. of materials and serve as an interesting account of the architecture and technology of bridge design in the 1930s and document a little known period in the history of the Mackinac Bridge. The papers are comprised of materials pertaining to Cissel's involvement with the design and construction of the proposed Mackinac Straits Bridge. The collection consists of correspondence, newspaper clippings, architectural and design studies, and blueprints. The original order of the collection has for the most part been maintained. Series in the collection include: Correspondence, Newspaper Clippings, Ferry Boat Data, Legislation, Mackinac Straits Bridge Project, Publications, and Blueprints.

Dean of the College of Engineering of the University of Michigan; correspondence, letter books, appraisals and reports, lectures, blueprints, newspaper clippings, photographs, and other materials concerning his activities as dean of the College of Engineering, engineer for the U.S.S. Yosemite in the Spanish American War, chairman of the Block Signal and Train Control Board, Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1924, and coordinator for the P.W.A. in Michigan in 1933-1935; also genealogical materials on the Cooley family.

The Mortimer E. Cooley papers consists of correspondence, subject files, personal materials, and photographs detailing the professional career and activities of a distinguished engineering educator. The collection has been arranged into the following series: Correspondence; Topical Files; University of Michigan and College of Engineering materials; Genealogical and Miscellaneous; Arbitration, appraisal, and consultation files; Photographs; Naval Logs; and Testimonial and celebratory materials. Box 47 was eliminated during 2001 reprocessing.