Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

Assistant to George Washington Carver at Tuskegee Institute, later a Detroit, Michigan, businessman. Correspondence and other papers of G. W. Carver relating primarily to experiments with soil improvement and the discovery of new applications for the peanut and other Southern agricultural products; newspaper clippings and memos relating to Curtis' campaign for Congress in 1958 and his work with Carver; and photographs.

The Curtis collection has two parts: papers of George Washington Carver that Curtis collected while in Carver's employ; and papers of Curtis mainly relating to his business activities with A.W. Curtis Laboratories of Detroit, Michigan, and also his unsuccessful campaign for Congress in 1958. The Carver papers are of the most significance, relating to Carver's experiments with soil improvement and his discovery of new applications for the peanut and other agricultural products of the South.

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.

Background files with historical information and biographical data on college deans and faculty; chronological files, 1868-1994, including faculty and executive committee minutes, annual reports, and subject files, largely of deans Howard Lewis, Charles H. Stocking, Thomas D. Rowe, and Ara G. Paul; records of Prescott Club, organization of pharmacy students; and photographs.

The College of Pharmacy records (37 linear feet) cover the years 1864-2003, but primarily document the years after 1939. Series include: Background Files, Chronological Files, Photograph / Visual Material Files, Topical Files, Executive Committee, Adjunct and Clinical Faculty Appointments, and Website.

The records were received in a number of accessions beginning in 1955. Additions were received in 1992 (Topical files, 1953-1989), 1995 (Topical files 1972-1992 and Executive Committee files), 2000 (Topical files and Executive Committee), and 2004 (Topical files and Executive Committee) and 2008-2011 (Topical files and Executive Committee). The description of the records in part reflects these accessions.

The records accessioned before 1992 (8.7 linear feet) have been divided into three series: Background Files, Chronological Files, and Photograph / Visual Material Files

The 2000 accession includes additions to the Executive Committee Series (1.5 linear feet, 1980-1994) and Topical Files series (5.5 linear feet, 1963-1998). The 2004 accession includes additions to the Executive Committee series (2 linear feet, 1993 -- 1998) and the Topical Files series (2 linear feet, 1971 -- 1999, scattered).

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.

Files of Professors John W. Bean, Robert Gesell, Warren P. Lombard, and Henry Sewall, 1925-1979; miscellaneous departmental papers relating to the Hyperbaric Chamber Committee, the Institute for Human Adjustment, the Lombard Library, research funds, and teaching assignments; and publications of physiological laboratory; and collection of physiology textbooks, manuals, and monographs, mainly written by University of Michigan faculty; also photographs and films.

The records of the Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology consist of 3 linear feet, 1 outsize box, and 1 outsize film, and cover the years 1884 to 1979. The records consist largely of the files of Professors John W. Bean, Robert Gesell, Warren P. Lombard, and Henry Sewall, 1925-1979. They include miscellaneous departmental papers relating to the Hyperbaric Chamber Committee, the Institute for Human Adjustment, the Lombard Library, research funds, and teaching assignments; and publications of physiological laboratory; and collection of physiology textbooks, manuals, and monographs, mainly written by University of Michigan faculty. The record group also includes photographs and films. The records are divided into three series: Topical Files, Faculty, and Audio and Visual Materials.

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.

Michigan State Police officer, 1923-1941, Michigan Civil Defense Director during World War II, State Police Commissioner, 1947-1951, Republican candidate for governor, 1954, served on Michigan Liquor Commissioner and as Detroit Recorders Court judge. Papers include extensive documentation of his service as Director of Civil Defense and State Police Commissioner and his political activities.

The Donald S. Leonard collection is a valuable resource to researchers studying topics of law enforcement and civil defense and Michigan state politics and government. The Donald S. Leonard collection has been arranged into seven series: Personal and Correspondence, 1925-1966; Civil Defense; World War II Era, 1941-1946; Michigan State Police, 1929-1952; Detroit Police Department, 1952-1954; Political Files, 1950-1956; Organization and Activities Files; Audio-Visual Materials; Committee on Equal Educational Opportunities. Leonard also taught law course at the State Police Recruit School and Metropolitan Police Academy of Michigan.

Chemical engineer and research scientist, pioneer in the refining of petroleum and synthesis of rubber. Correspondence files, financial records, published research materials; and photograph albums.

The Eugene H. Leslie Papers collection consists primarily of three series of correspondence: Alphabetical Correspondence Files, 1916-1964; chronological Correspondence Files (Outgoing), 1924-1958; and Chronological Correspondence Files, 1933-1952. There are also three other smaller series: Biographical Material, Financial Records, 1934-1948, and Papers and Reprints, 1920-1927.

Professor of botany at the University of Michigan. Correspondence and subject files relating to his professional activities, notably his specialization in mycology; and photographs.

The Frederick K. Sparrow Collection has been organized alphabetically by topic. Correspondence is filed under the letter "C" and is in chronological order. In the biographical folder, the researcher will find a summary of the disposition of Dr. Sparrow's botanical effects, listings of his personal mycological library and his holdings of rare mycological books and publications, and a detailed bibliography of his works.

Dr. Sparrow corresponded with friends, mentors, and fellow mycologists and botanists from around the world on a variety of topics. His correspondence comprises over one-half of the collection. The researcher should note that letters dealing with the Second International Mycological Congress are included with the rest of the materials from the Congress.

University of Michigan scientific research center. Office files relating to the activities of the unit, and to the research divisions that IST administered, notably the Willow Run Laboratories, the Great Lakes and Marine Waters Center, the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, and others.

The records of the Institute of Science and Technology of the University of Michigan cover the period 1959 to 1987, from the establishment of the unit to the year of its regentally-approved reorganization. Scattered documents prior to 1959 and after 1987 will be found, but not in great quantity.

The record group consists of thirteen series. Except for some modifications and combining of similar materials, these are series that were maintained by the institute office. Types of documents present within these series include memoranda, reports, minutes of meetings, budgetary and financial papers, correspondence, proposal and grant documents, subject files, and photographs. The researcher should note that much material was retained by the IST office at the time of the 1989 transfer of records to the library. Thus, records for expected areas of interest might still be in the possession of IST. Periodic additions to this record group are expected.

Although of obvious value for its documentation of the history and activities of IST, the records of the institute have prime interest for the researcher interested in the study of research at a major educational institution. In particular, the records of IST document the development of the relationship between a university and state and national governments for the purpose of fostering research in areas deemed mutually advantageous. On the national level, especially in the 1960s, this research centered on areas of national defense and environmental study. On the state level, research was intended to improve the economy: to develop the state's technological and industrial base, thereby reducing the debilitating consequences of depression and unemployment that had periodically plagued Michigan's one-industry economy.

Of some value for the study of the content of research undertaken under IST auspices, the records here are of greater importance for the study of the environment required for research programs to be successful. The specifics of research will be found in scientific notebooks, laboratory experiments, and published studies. The IST records document a different story: the need to search out, administer, and balance competing requests for funding, space, equipment, and trained personnel. The IST files, in effect, document the management of research.

Beyond these research possibilities, the records of IST are illustrative of the changing patterns of technological research over the past thirty years. Founded with specific economic goals in mind, IST (with the administrative transfer of Willow Run Laboratories) managed programs having national defense implications. With the completion of these programs, and especially as the university ceased its responsibility for Willow Run, IST turned to areas of new research or areas of special significance to Michigan (perhaps the most notable examples being in the areas of highway safety and water-related research).