Collections

The collection documents exhibits, speakers, and various other events held at or for the Clarke Historical Library at Central Michigan University (CMU), which Cole helped coordinate, 2003-2013

The collection documents exhibits, speakers, and various other events held at or for the Clarke Historical Library at Central Michigan University (CMU), which Cole helped coordinate, 2003-2013. Included are invitations, postcards, brochures, news releases and clippings, images (photographs and digital prints), CDs of images (prints were made from the CDs), and related materials. Researchers may also be interested in the official records of the Clarke Historical Library or the collection of John Cumming, both of which are housed in the Clarke Historical Library.

Processing Note: Duplicates, financial information, general correspondence, lists of people to whom invitations were sent, reading materials, and acidic newspaper clippings (which were photocopied) removed from the collection totaled .75 cubic foot. Photocopies of the clippings were retained in the collection.

The collection documents the history, committees, and activities of the organization with meeting programs, photographs, and newsletters, mostly in scrapbooks, and other materials.

The Scrapbooks, 1922-2014, include: reports, correspondence, newsletters, meeting programs, ribbons, newspaper clippings, and photographs documenting the history, members, presidents, projects, and activities of the Rotary Club (Mount Pleasant, Mich.) and its members. The Scrapbooks mostly have wooden covers. Each Scrapbook is held together by three large bolts and nuts. Additional materials (Box 7), 2007-2008, include loose assignment, roster, and project papers. The collection is ongoing.

The collection includes President Plachta's Biographical Materials, Subject and Correspondence files, Speeches, Subject and Correspondence files.

The collection consists of President Plachta’s subject and correspondence files on a wide variety of CMU related topics, organizations, people, and events, including larger sections documenting scholarships, the Board of Trustees, and various colleges and universities. Speeches, 1992-1996 (.5 cubic ft.) are also included. They are mostly Addresses to Campus or the Academic Senate. One folder of Biographical Materials precedes the Speeches.

Processing Note: Duplicates, reading or FYI materials, and papers with social security numbers were removed from the collection during processing.

The collection includes photographs of CMU people, places, and events, 1962-2002, and undated.

The collection consists mainly of undated photographs, both black and white and colored, of various sizes, proof sheets, some on cardboard, and some negatives documenting a wide variety of Central Michigan University (CMU) staff, students, programs, departments, special events, and related topics. Some of the portraits in the collection predate 1962. Also, some of the photographs in the collection were taken by private photographers. There are two alphabetical runs in this inventory due to the way the material was transferred to the Clarke and processed. Due to the size of this collection it could not be interfiled into the earlier CMU. Photographs collection in file cabinets. After 2002, all CMU photographs were taken with digital cameras. Peggy Brisbane and her husband, Robert Barclay, took many of these photographs. Mugs means Mugshots. This is a term used by the photographers in the collection.

The papers consist mostly of Louise Parkhill MacGillivray's family correspondence, and family diaries, a journal of vacations at Lake Superior, legal papers, examples of necrophotography, and other materials. Also included is a scrapbook about the affair of King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, 1936.

The collection consists mostly of family correspondence to and from Louise, concerning family news and social or business matters, 1879-1979 and undated; diaries of Louise and other relatives, 1875-1960 (scattered); a journal of vacations at Lake Superior, 1971-1974; legal papers; genealogical materials; photographs, some of which document dead relatives in their coffins (necrophotography); and miscellaneous.

The collection includes minutes and correspondence related to the Academic Senate, its committees, and chairpersons.

The strength of the collection is the Meeting Minutes of the Academic Senate, and its related committees and Executive Board, 1980-2000. Other materials found in the collection include: Academic Senate Chairperson Correspondence, 1980-2000; Undergraduate Curriculum Minutes, 1978-1994; School and later College Curriculum Committee Minutes, 1980-2000; Dean’s Advisory Councils Minutes, 1980-2000; Miscellaneous Minutes of the MSA Council, 1999-2005. Also included are Academic Senate Committee Documents, 1980-2000; Senate Minutes, 1983-1984. Materials are organized chronologically and then alphabetically in an order used by the Secretary of the Academic Senate. Original order was maintained. This 2009 addition is a continuation of the CMU. Academic Senate Organizational Records, 1940-2003, 23.5 cubic ft. (in 25 boxes) donated in 2002-2004. See separate finding aid for the 1940-2003 collection.

The collection includes minutes and correspondence related to the Academic Senate, its committees, and chairpersons.

The strength of the collection is the Meeting Minutes of the Academic Senate and its related committees. Other materials found in the collection include: curriculum change requests; Dean’s Advisory Councils meeting minutes; resolutions; correspondence; special reports; recommendations; course syllabi; the Senate Constitution; and miscellaneous materials. Some Meeting Minutes are only represented in the collection in cassette form. Pre-Senate materials, 1940-1964, are also included. Folders with contents described as “Materials” includes a mixture of meeting minutes, correspondence, reports, calendars, etc. See separate finding aid for additions to the collection.

For additional Senate Records see Richard Wysong papers (He served as Chair of the Senate in the 1960s).

Processing Note: The published reports of the CMU President have been removed from the collection and separately cataloged.

In order to facilitate future use by the Academic Senate, Boxes 1-14 and 25 were processed and left in the original order in which they were kept in the Senate office prior to being transferred to the Clarke in May and June 2002. Boxes 15-24 were processed differently, having been compiled from vertical files and prior donations from various sources.

The collection includes: correspondence, meeting minutes, committee reports, scrapbooks, photographs and negatives, and printed materials of the organization, and items relating to the Michigan State Federation of Women's Clubs. The collection is ongoing.

The Mount Pleasant Woman’s Club organizational records consist of materials from 1894 forward which document the activities of this community organization. The collection was originally subdivided into three series, Minutes, General Administration, and Scrapbooks.

The Minutes series contains Club meeting minutes from 1894 to 1996, and 1999-2003, which are part of the Recording Secretary’s Files. Both sets of minutes are arranged chronologically. These provide the richest source of information on club activities throughout the years. They are nearly complete with only two gaps, 1902-1905 and 1916-1917. Information from these time periods can be found in Scrapbook 1. Some of the bound volumes of minutes contain membership lists, attendance records, bills and receipts.

The General Administration series consists of materials from 1896 to 1998 which primarily document activities of club committees and divisions. Types of materials found here include: reports, committee minutes, histories of the Club, Mount Pleasant Community Calendars, the constitution and bylaws, correspondence, newspaper and magazine clippings, annual programs, certificates, awards, and a photograph. Major topics of this subgroup include; Club House Committee, Health Division, Home and Garden Division, and the Michigan State Federation of Women’s Clubs. A wide variety of information is present in the subgroup, but tends to be quite scattered and not comprehensive.

The Scrapbooks series includes Scrapbooks which primarily contain newspaper clippings, and may include annual and specific meeting programs, reports, bylaws, photographs and recipes. It appears that the books were created by several different sources and seem to form a couple of different roughly chronological series: Volumes 1-5 cover the years 1895 to 1960 and Volumes 6-8 span the years 1939 to 1960. Volumes 9 and 10 are special cases; 9 contains only annual programs, while 10 is primarily made up of photographs which document a wide variety of Mount Pleasant area topics. Subjects covered in volume 10 include: schools, farming, barns, sports, agricultural extension service, oil and gas, girl scouts, Central Michigan College, churches, and recipes.

Several printed works pertaining specifically to the Michigan State Federation of Women’s Clubs were transferred from this collection to the Clarke book collection.

Portions of this collection were microfilmed by the Clarke Historical Library in 1994. The master negatives are on file in the microfilming department of CHL.

Additions to the collection since 1994 include various administrative materials, meeting minutes, guest books, photographic materials, and more oversized Scrapbooks, 1984-1990, 1993-1994, 1994-2007 (4 Oversized volumes) and 1997-2006.

Most of the collection is in very good condition. The exceptions to this are a few scrapbooks and the guest book with wooden covers, the pages of which are quite acidic.

Mount Pleasant Area Diversity Group (Mich.) Organizational records, 1951-2009, and undated, include mostly meeting minutes, related reports, and historical documentation of the group's activities and events to fight racism and discrimination and foster multiculturalism.

The collection consists of paper organizational records of the MPADG, 1976-2014, and undated. It collection is organized alphabetically and chronologically. Important records include Articles of Incorporation, Mission Statement, By-laws, and Tax-Exempt Status papers. There is a complete set of Meeting Minutes with agendas and related materials, 1993-2011, and a few 2012 meeting minutes, as well as meeting minutes from 1992 of the local ministerial association. Other information documenting the group includes correspondence, activities and events materials, conference materials, the group’s history, marketing plan, newspaper clippings (copies), treasurer’s reports, grant requests, and meeting minutes of MPADG Trustees, and reports, 2009-2010.

Of particular interest to researchers will be documentation of incidents in Mount Pleasant and Michigan, 1996-2005, specifically the incidents at Mount Pleasant High School and the communication and plans of actions to address them and collected materials on how Michigan police dealt with juveniles and youth, 1991-2000, undated. Related to this are two folders of materials, agendas, meetings minutes, and a Mount Pleasant High School student survey of the Mount Pleasant Parents of Color, 1993-1997. Also related is the Mount Pleasant School District Strategy 7 Committee Meeting Minutes, Related Materials [multi-cultural education] folder, 2000-2001.

There are also two reports of interest: Isabella County Human Rights Committee Report to the Isabella County Board of Commissioners, July 21, 2009, and Overview of a Project to Explore Racial/Ethnic Diversity at CMU … presented to MPADG, by Mary S. Senter, Sept. 20, 2007.

MPADG also collected Michigan non-discrimination ordinances and information on how to file complaints, 1976-2010 (Scattered).

In 2000 Central Michigan University President Mike Rao asked for the MPADG’s list of efforts for a study on diversity related activities in the Mount Pleasant community. His letter and CMU’s plan are included in the collection.

Lastly, there is a compilation of information entitled Dr. Merze Tate: A Brief Review of a Groundbreaking Career, by Daniel L. Shaw, 2004.

Family papers include miscellaneous materials of Abbie, Ben, Faith, and Russell Johnston.

The Family Papers include miscellaneous materials of various Johnston family members. Family members well represented in the collection include: Abbie Johnston, Ben Johnston, Faith Johnston, and Russell Johnston. Abbie Johnston was the daughter of H. D. (Hugh Day) Johnston, who was the eldest brother of John Yates Johnston. Russell Johnston was the grandson of H. D. through his son, Ben.

Of particular interest in the collection is Faith Johnston’s Reminiscences of Central, 1944, which describes Central Normal School’s professors, including Professor Larzelere, Miss Woldt, Dr. Rowe, Mr. Grawn, and Mr. Warriner, as well as the burning of the Administration building, known as Old Main, on December 7, 1925. Also of interest is her My Golden School Days, 1919-1922, which is a scrapbook (copy) of her days at Mount Pleasant High School.

Faith also wrote several books, copies of which may be found in the Clarke Historical Library, including Anchor Post, which details the lives of Faith and John Y. Johnston. (This information is from the collection.)

An Addition, added in 2013, includes a thank you note to Mae K. Woldt of the CMU Department of Biology from C.C. McDermid, with five black and white, some tinted, photographs of his garden, a letter to Faith from K.M. Fox, in Vienna, including Italian postcards, 1930; and six cards of lovely dried, pressed flower arrangements from Jerusalem, undated.