Collections

Prosecuting attorney for Missaukee County, Michigan, Republican State Senator, and U.S. Congressman from the 9th Michigan District from 1935 to 1951. Correspondence, reports and newspaper clippings concerning his activities on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Armed Services; material on the Manhattan Project and the testing of the atomic and hydrogen bombs; and photographs.

The Albert J. Engel papers primarily document his eight terms of service in United States House of Representatives, 1935-1951, though is some correspondence and other material dating back to 1911. The papers include correspondence, speeches, press releases, clippings scrapbooks and articles about Engel, files on various topics that came before Engel's House committees -- notably the Bikini Island A bomb and H bomb tests, and photographs

Zoologist, college professor, president of University of Michigan, 1929-1951. Professional files relating to his career with the University Museum and as a professor of zoology, and presidential files containing correspondence, reports, speeches, and other University materials, including budget and legislative files, material relating to changes in University administration, his relationship with faculty, students and alumni, and photographs.

The Alexander Ruthven papers consists of two series of records. The first is the papers of Ruthven as president of the University of Michigan, 1929 to 1951. The second, and smaller, series is the files maintained by Ruthven as a zoologist with the University Museum and as professor of zoology. This latter series dates largely from 1908 to 1929 but also includes collected earlier files from the 1870s.

Republican regent of the University of Michigan. Files and photographs relating to his election campaigns, his regental activities, especially as member of the Association of Governing Boards of State Universities and Allied Institutions; also papers concerning his work as price specialist with the Office of Price Administration during World War II, and as Michigan campaign manager for Wendell Willkie, 1943-1944.

The papers in the Alfred B. Connable collection, covering the years 1925-1992, document Connable's political and business careers, and also include biographical information. Included in the collection are newspaper clippings, correspondence, a diary, and photographs. The collection is organized into six series: Biographical Information, Board of Regents, Business Career, Political Career, Miscellaneous, and Photographs.

Aviator and airplane designer, founder of Meyers Aircraft Company, Tecumseh, Michigan. Personal materials, business papers, biographical material, photographs and miscellanea; include letter from Howard Hughes, Sept. 10, 1947.

The Meyers papers include both business and personal material. Materials relating to Meyers' contributions in aviation are likely to be of interest to researchers. Included is correspondence from the 1930s through the 1951s with the Civil Aeronautics Administration concerning development of the OTW, 145, and 200. There is also extensive material relating to design, testing, and production of Meyers aircraft. The papers also may be of use to researchers interested in the fate of the small manufacturer. Those papers of a personal nature reflect Meyers' interest in fishing and in aviation as a hobby as well as business. In addition, the papers throw light upon social and political attitudes of the period. Of interest here is material concerning legal action against Mrs. Meyers, a former member of the Young Communist League, who was deported during the 1950s.

The Al Parker collection includes three envelopes of photographs, sheet music, and newspaper clippings as well as a scrapbook relating to the professional and personal life of Philadelphia-based photographer and photographic supplies salesman Alfred Parker.

The Al Parker collection includes three envelopes of photographs, sheet music, and newspaper clippings as well as a scrapbook relating to the professional and personal life of Philadelphia-based photographer and photographic supplies salesman Alfred Parker.

Envelope A (photographs): includes unmounted oval portraits of Parker’s children Eda and Ray from the early 1900s; studio portraits of Eda and his wife Alice from the 1910s, two of them from the Philadelphia studio of Gilbert and Bacon; an mounted school class photo (ca. 1890s?)

Envelope B (sheet music): includes three examples of World War I songs from the Eagle Publishing Company of Philadelphia with "music by Geo. L. Robertson and lyrics by Al. Parker."

Envelope C (letters, clippings, etc.): includes a letter appointing Dr. Ray Parker head of plastic surgery at a hospital in Johnstown, PA; a magazine article on “Flood Free Johnstown”; letters and clippings about Dr. Ray Parker; article on World War II factory workers; newspaper article on Theodore Roosevelt urging U.S. entry into World War I; and a note from Christmas 1926 from Parker’s grandson Donald addressed to “Ganco."

Scrapbook: The volume (37 x 28) is cloth-bound and has 66 pages total. Materials are not arranged in any chronological or thematic order and so unrelated items often appear together on the same page.

The album begins with photographs of Parker’s family members while the next few pages focus on scenes from his professional life, including a magazine cover from April 1900 and documentation of his break with Willis & Clements in 1910. Portraits of Parker at every stage of his life appear throughout the scrapbook, though not in any chronological order. The earliest is a tintype from the 1850s that shows him as a young boy with his brothers. Many portraits and casual snapshots of Parker's daughter Eda and son Ray from their early childhood into adulthood are included, while a collection of clippings reflects Parker’s pride in Ray's success as a doctor. His delight in playing the doting grandfather is clear from the drawings Parker made for Eda’s son Donald and in the notes that Donald wrote to Parker using the nickname “Ganco.”

A handful of portraits that were taken by Parker show that he was a capable studio photographer in addition to being a successful promoter of platinum photography products while working for Willis & Clements. Requests for his opinions from Eastman Kodak Company, Photo Era magazine, and the Photographers’ Association of New England testify to his recognized expertise. Numerous portraits of Parker in the company of other well-regarded photographers of the day confirm his acceptance in that professional circle.

Many ephemeral items also help illuminate the arc of Parker's career including programs from his minstrel show days; an advertisement for his Australian window blind company; the initial offer of employment from Willis and Clements; business cards from various stages of his career; and an ad for a new camera shutter he invented. Interspersed amongst these items are letters and photographs from various colleagues and employers along with miscellaneous poems, cartoons, programs, drawings, song lyrics, newspaper clippings, and so on.

Ann Arbor chapter of the Junior Chamber of Commerce, a young adult community service organization; minutes, project files, budgets, newsletters, photographs, and related material.

The record group consists of seven series: Administrative Files, Projects, Auxiliary, Topical Files, Publications, State and Local Jaycees, and Other Materials.

The Anthony J. Dziuszko papers contain items pertaining to Mr. Dziuszko's World War II military career. The collection includes 45 letters to Dziuszko's future wife, Laura Szewick, 74 photographs, and 14 miscellaneous documents and other items from various islands in the South Pacific.

The Anthony J. Dziuszko papers consist of 133 items dated April 29, 1941, to May 19, 1945. Included in the collection are 45 letters, nine documents and receipts, 74 photographs and five miscellaneous items. The 45 letters provide vivid descriptions of military life, and of the natives and surroundings on the various islands where Mr. Dziuszko served (these descriptions were occasionally edited by the military censors). He detailed both the difficult physical challenges of jungle fighting and the recreational activities of his regiment.

Ann Arbor, Michigan, family. Correspondence, other papers and photographs of Arthur Brown, Ann Arbor attorney and mayor, and officer and director of the Washtenaw Abstract Company; also papers of his wife, Cora Pulcipher Brown, largely concerning work with Americanism Committee of the Daughters of the American Revolution during World War II.

The Brown family collection is unfortunately a fragment of materials with very few of the papers created by either Arthur or Cora Brown surviving. What remains relate almost exclusively to the legal career of Arthur Brown, in particular to his service to various persons as a collector of bad debts, and to Cora Brown's work with the Americanism Committee of the Daughters of the American Revolution during World War II.

Republican U.S. Senator from Michigan; advocate of the United Nations and bipartisan foreign policy. Correspondence, scrapbooks, diaries, and visual materials.

The Arthur H. Vandenberg collection consists of 8 linear feet of materials (available on microfilm), 25 volumes of scrapbook/journals, and assorted audio and visual materials. The collection covers Vandenberg's entire career with a few folders of papers post-dating his death in 1951 relating to the dedication of memorial rooms in his honor in the 1970s. The collection is divided into four major series: Correspondence; Speeches; Campaign and Miscellaneous Topical; Clippings, Articles, and Scrapbooks; Miscellaneous and Personal; Visual Materials; and Sound Recordings.

Detroit, Michigan, attorney and judge, Democratic candidate for governor in 1934. Correspondence, legal case files, family materials, speeches, essays, diary notes, financial materials, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, photographs, and transcript of oral interview.

The Arthur J. Lacy collection consists of correspondence and other papers documenting his political activities within the Democratic party and career as a Detroit attorney. The collection has been divided into the following series: Biographical information; Personal letters; Professional correspondence and related papers; Lacy Family papers; Speeches; Early personal materials; Writings, essays, etc.; Financial files; Miscellaneous; Newspapers clippings; Photographs; and Legal files.

The Lacy Collection documents particularly well Lacy's major legal cases (Wilson vs. White, the Ford Stock Tax Case, Mary A. Rackham Estate) and his transition from conservative Democrat to conservative Republican. His letters home from Valparaiso, Indiana and Ann Arbor and his letters to his future wife Beth Garwick give a detailed picture of college life in the 1890's. Major subjects covered in the public papers are the Detroit Domestic Relations Court, problems of taxation and banking in the depression, Lacy's friendship with James Couzens, and the campaigns of 1932 and 1934. A series of notes Lacy wrote to himself from 1915-1928 and 1946-1956 reveal his political ideals, personal morality, and his relationship to his family.

Within the Professional Correspondence and related papers series, the researcher will find correspondence with many notable political and business figures. These include John W. Anderson, William R. Angell, Art Baker, Arthur A. Ballantine, C.C. Bradner, John V. Brennan, Thomas E. Brennan, Prentiss M. Brown, Wilber M. Brucker, George E. Bushnell, Daniel T. Campau, Harvey J. Campbell, John J. Carson, E.R. Chapin, John S. Coleman, William A. Comstock, Calvin Coolidge, Grace G. Coolidge, Frank Couzens, James J. Couzens, John D. Dingell, Patrick J. Doyle, William J. Durant, Henry T. Ewald, Mordecai J.B. Ezechiel, James A. Farley, Homer Ferguson, Woodbridge N. Ferris, Clara J.B. Ford, Edsel B. Ford, Joseph Foss, Fred W. Green, Alexander J. Groesbeck, Edgar A. Guest, James M. Hare, Herbert C. Hoover, J. Edgar Hoover, Kaufman T. Keller, Stanley S. Kresge, David Lawrence, Arthur F. Lederle, John C. Lehr, Fulton Lewis, Percy Loud, William G. McAdoo, William McKinley, George A. Marston, Eliza M. Mosher, Frank Murphy, George Murphy, William J. Norton, George D. O'Brien, Elmer B. O'Hara, Hazen S. Pingree, Mary A. H. Rackham, Horace H. Rackham, Clarence A. Reid, George W. Romney, Eleanor Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Alexander G. Ruthven, W.M. Skillman, Albert E. Sleeper, Edward D. Stair, Arthur E. Summerfield, William H. Taft, Joseph P. Tumulty, Arthur H. Vandenberg, A. VanderZee, Murray D. Van Wagoner, Henry F. Vaughan, Carl Vinson, Matilda R.D. Wilson, Clarence E. Wilcox, and R.A.C. Wollenberg.

The Lacy Family papers are rich in detail about life in Michigan in the nineteenth and early twentieth century; the surviving letters document family crises and Lacy's role in them as the oldest and most successful child and later, as family leader. Lacy was the family genealogist and he collected and preserved the family correspondence of his uncles and aunt, some of which date back to the 1850's.

Professor of Latin American history at the University of Michigan. Correspondence concerning his professional and personal activities; also class outlines, bibliographies, term papers, and examinations; and manuscripts of books and articles, notes and transcribed documents relating to colonial Latin America.

The collection includes correspondence, professional papers relating to his teaching, research, and university activities, and manuscripts of his writings, both published and unpublished.

Professor of political science at the University of Michigan specializing in municipal government, Ann Arbor, Michigan city council member 1949-1953, member of several state commissions and boards, consultant to numerous city charter commissions. Papers relate primarily to his service on Ann Arbor city council and his research interests.

The Arthur Bromage papers provide documentation of his service as Ann Arbor city councilman and other political activities and some of his academic research. The papers include correspondence, speeches, press clipping s and publications.

The Beatrice and William Ebeling letters concern the couple's life in China in the early to mid-1940s. They wrote to William's parents in Kalamazoo, Michigan, about their work for the China Inland Mission, the growth of their children, and current events.

The Beatrice and William Ebeling letters (32 items) concern the couple's life in China in the early to mid-1940s. Both Beatrice and William composed manuscript and typewritten letters to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Carl Ebeling of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Their first 2 letters pertain to the birth of their son, John Carl Ebeling, and their life in Wuyang Xi'an, Henan, in December 1942; the remaining items relate to their experiences after fleeing to "Pinshien" [Binxian?], Shaanxi, in the summer of 1944 and while living in Hancheng, Shaanxi, from around October 1944 to March 1946. They commented on their missionary work, finances, the progress and end of the Pacific war, the growth of their children, and their travels within China. William's letter of June 8, 1944, recounts a bombing raid. A birth announcement for John Carl Ebeling, with a colored drawing of a baby's head, is enclosed in the Ebelings' letter of December 7, 1942. The collection includes a short, undated note to Ebeling's grandfather.

This collection is made up of letters by Bernard Baruch and Mark Sullivan regarding United States foreign policy, financial policy, national politics, and personal matters.

This collection is made up of 60 letters between Bernard M. Baruch and Mark Sullivan, a testimony and several pamphlets by Baruch, and a signed, dedicated portrait photograph of Baruch. The majority of the collection consists of Baruch's letters to Sullivan. The correspondence addresses United States politics, beginning in the early 1920s with foreign policy, farm policy, and the long term outcomes of the Paris Peace Conference. Later letters contain Baruch's critiques of U.S. fiscal policy, foreign policy, and military preparedness, as well as general thoughts about the U.S. economy and the political environment following the Wilson administration.

Baruch and Sullivan discussed their writings and other works, offering critiques, recommendations, and congratulations. They discussed Sullivan's journalism and historic works, and Baruch's political career and treatment in the media. In one letter, Baruch gave a narrative account of his early education in South Carolina (January 21, 1927). The letters also contain discussions of more personal matters, holiday greetings, and invitations for Sullivan to vacation at the Hobcaw House. At various points in the correspondence Baruch expressed his perception of anti-Semitism in U.S. politics and education. The collection includes one photograph portrait of Bernard M. Baruch, signed and dedicated to Duane Norman Diedrich. See the Detailed Box and Folder Listing for more information.

Scrapbooks of the University of Michigan students Betty Lou Bidwell Morris (Literature, Science, and the Arts, Class of 1947), and her parents Howard King Bidwell (Engineering and Architecture, Class of 1924) and Ruth Loella Kinney Bidwell, (Literature, Science, and the Arts, Class of 1924). The scrapbooks contain photographs, dance cards, grade reports, identifications, membershipn cards, and registration cards, announcements, certificates, invitations, programs, newsletters, and letters. Also, Betty Lou's scrapbook of alumnae and reunion material having to do with the Betsy Barbour Buds. Materials relate to the Bidwells' student lives, family lives, and social activities, as well as World War II.

Scrapbooks of Howard King and Ruth Loella Kinney Bidwell, 1909-1940; and Betty Lou Bidwell Morris, 1936-2015. Scrapbooks primarily focus on the academic, family, and social lives of Howard and Ruth Bidwell and their daughter Betty. This includes photographs of their family life, close friends and associates, as well as social activities both on and off campus. Also included are dance, identification, grade report, membership, postal, and school registration cards; announcements of births, engagements, and weddings; honors certificates; invitations and programs for commencement activities, special events, and student organizations. The collection also includes several newspaper clippings from the Michigan Daily (primarily focusing on campus activities and World War II); student and alumnae publications; and other ephemera.

Detroit newspaperman and United States Senator from Michigan. Correspondence chiefly concerning his 1952 senatorial campaign and his newspaper work in the United States and abroad during World War II; scrapbooks of newspaper articles written by Moody and published for the most part in the Detroit News and Barron's; tape recordings of public affairs radio program; photographs and motion pictures of public affairs interview programs.

The Blair Moody collection documents the career of a Washington-based newspaper correspondent and columnist and United States Senator. The collection covers the period 1928 to 1954, though the bulk of materials date since the mid-1940s. Much of the collection pertains to that period of time when Moody was in the Senate or was running for election to the Senate, although his newspaper career is also well documented. The collection has been divided into the following series: Biographical; Correspondence; Personal/Family; Newspaper Career; Gridiron Club; Senatorial Papers; Speeches; Scrapbooks; Sound Recordings; and Visual Materials.

Professor of law at University of Michigan. Papers include correspondence and other papers concerning personal and family matters, professional affairs, the decision of the University to re-enter the Western Intercollegiate Conference; also correspondence from students serving in World War II; and photographs.

The Burke W. Shartel papers consist of correspondence and other papers concerning personal and family matters, professional affairs, the decision of the University to re-enter the Western Intercollegiate Conference; also correspondence from students serving in World War II; and photographs. The papers are organized into three series: correspondence, 1901-1963 (arranged chronologically); Papers, 185-1963; and photographs.

Correspondents include: Wilber M. Brucker, Homer Ferguson, Felix Frankfurter, Martha W. Griffiths, J. Joseph Herbert, Donald S. Leonard, George Meader, James O. Murfin, Marcus Plant, Roscoe Pound, Allan F. Smith, Edwin B. Stason, and Hessel N. Yntema.

The Photographs series consists of an album of portraits of family and friends; and album of European trip pictures.

Newspaperman and curator of mollusks at the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology; correspondence from friend W. N. Weech writing from England during World War II; unpublished writings; and photographs.

The collection has been arranged into the following series W. N. Weech; Unpublished writings; and Photographs. The Weech series consists of letters from W. N. Weech describing conditions in England during World War II. The Unpublished writings includes the manuscript of his unpublished book, "Immigrant Michigan," with sections on transportation, newspapers ,pioneer life, and immigration. There are also manuscript of articles and notes on various topics. The photographs are of nineteenth century homes, farms, and businesses in various Michigan communities. There is also a photograph of a bust of Goodrich sculpted by Carlton Angell.

Daniel Carlisle family of Buchanan, Michigan; family correspondence, diaries, and photographs.

The Carlisle family collection consists of two feet of material dating from 1860 to 1972. The papers relate to various members of the Daniel Carlisle family of Buchanan, Michigan. The collection contains correspondence between Hannah L. Carlisle and her husband, Daniel Carlisle. Include as well are letters and eight of Hannah Carlisle's diaries, written between 1885 and 1900 and largely concerning her life in Dead wood, South Dakota.

Other family members represented in the collection are William and Phyllis Carlisle and Vivian Carlisle. The letters of William D. Carlisle concern his service in the US Navy during World War II. The letters of Phyllis Carlisle relate both to her student life at the University of Michigan during the early 1940s and to her service in the Waves during the war. The letters of Vivian Carlisle were written while a student at the University of Michigan and Michigan State University during the 1940s.

Other items of interest is a folder of genealogical material and a letter written by Francis A. Carlisle while serving in Cuba during the Spanish-American War, describing his experiences.

Professor of English at University of Michigan. Correspondence, diaries, and topical files relating to his interest in English grammar and usage, his evaluation of various dictionaries, his interest in Polish-American relations, and the controversy surrounding Henshaw Ward's denial of Peary's discovery of the North Pole.

The Wells collection is comprised of the following series: Subject file; Personal diaries; Robert E. Peary; and Other papers.

Journalist, historical researcher from Kalamazoo, Michigan; Correspondence, research articles and notes, and photographs.

The Weissert collection includes correspondence, 1893-1947, including letters from Joseph Bailly, Clarence M. Burton, Gurdon S. Hubbard, Chase S. Osborn, Albert E. Sleeper, and George Van Pelt. There are also speeches, and writings mostly on Michigan history topics, including Indian history and the history of Kalamazoo and Barry County. The series of research notes illustrates the variety of Weissert's interests: historical personalities, forts, Michigan cities, and early state history. The photographs and snapshots pertain to Weissert's interest in Michigan history, especially homes, churches, mills, hotels, businesses, and other sites primarily in western Michigan, but also including Sault Ste. Marie and Mackinac Island. There are also photographs of Michigan pioneers, particularly from the Hastings, Michigan area.

Detroit, Michigan physician and member of the University of Michigan Board of Regents, 1946-1961. Reports, correspondence, and agendas of meetings of the Board of Regents, the Workers Education Service, the American College of Surgeons and World War II; and photographs.

Charles Stuart Kennedy papers consist of reports, correspondence, and agendas of meetings of the Board of Regents, the Workers Education Service, the American College of Surgeons and World War II; and photographs. The collection is comprised of three series: Board of Regents, Personal Materials, and Taiwan Material.

Detroit, Michigan, police officer. Scrapbooks containing material concerning the Detroit Police Department and Ungermann's career; also photographs.

The collection consists of scrapbooks relating to his career, to the activities of the police department, and to civil defense activities. The photographs in the collection are of Detroit, Michigan buildings, streets, people, and activities, especially as they relate to the work of the Detroit Police Department; group and individual portraits and photographs of Detroit Police, and photos of police training; photos of war bond drives and other war work during World War II; and photos of WJR radio broadcasting during the 1930s.

Architect based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Project files relate to work with George Brigham and his system of constructing prefabricated homes, 1944-1947; files relating to design and construction of Huron High School in Ann Arbor; other projects concern design of mobile home parks and other Michigan school buildings.

The collection is arranged into five series, Brigham Building System, Lane Projects, Huron High School, Personal and World War II Military Service. The series include the many projects that Charles Wesley Lane worked on during his architectural career and some materials from his military service as well. The collection is composed of photographs, slides, microfilm, microfiche and prints. The researcher will be interested in the variety of architectural projects in which Lane was involved, which include schools, mobile homes, churches, and other types of structures. A small number of photographs of Nagasaki after the atomic bomb may also be of interest.

Aviator, civilian personnel officer with the U.S. Air Force; chronological and topical files, audio-visual materials, and clippings and scrapbooks.

The Chauncey Spencer collection is an accumulation of personal materials - correspondence, scrapbooks, photographs, sound and video recordings - relating to his lifelong interest in aviation, his career with the military, and the career of his mother, poetess Anne Spencer.

Detroit, Michigan, architect; 1934 graduate of the University of Michigan. Biographical material and descriptions of his architectural work, including photographs; also photographs taken during World War II and report of U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey on Wake Island, Marshall Islands, and Rabaul, New Britain.

A large part of this collection is made up of black and white slides taken during World War II in the South Pacific and color slides taken in 1945 and 1946 during the Strategic Bombing Survey of Wake Island, the Marshall Islands, and Rabaul, New Britain. The collection does not include any information as to whether Gabler was the actual photographer. The slides are identified by a topical code system, which is deciphered as much as possible in this finding aid. Some of the slides are mounted in cardboard mounts and are stored in folders, the rest in glass and metal mounts and stored in a metal box. The finding aid indicates the locations for each topical code.

The book The Allied Campaigns Against Wake Island, the Marshall Islands and Rabaul, New Britain: A Photographic Record, included with the collection, parallels the topics of the slides taken during the Strategic Bombing Survey, but does not duplicate any of the pictures in the slide files.

Assistant chief of the decartelization branch, economics division in the Office of Military Government for Germany (US), 1946-1948; later Republican state senator from Marshall, Calhoun County, Michigan, 1949-1956. Reports, correspondence, memoranda, and photographs concerning his work in Germany; also miscellaneous files detailing his activities in the state legislature.

The collection is arranged into the following series: Office of the Military Government for Germany (US) Economics Division, Decartelization Branch; State Senator's Files; Topical Files; and Photographs.

Ann Arbor, Michigan resident and businessman with strong interest in local history. Collection includes video featuring interviews with residents and other historical footage of landmarks and events in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and the hamlet of Dixboro as well as collected papers and records related to Ann Arbor High School and Dixboro United Methodist Church.

Most of the collection consists of digitized film footage and digital video relating to Ann Arbor and Michigan history. A small portion of the collection also includes biographical and genealogical material.

Michigan Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution; minutes of the state executive board, proceedings of the Michigan state conferences, publications, reports, and scrapbooks; also papers concerning their genealogical work, record of activities during World War I and II; historical files for individual chapters of the Michigan DAR; and photographs.

The records of the Daughters of the American Revolution of Michigan document its organization, history, and activities. As the state society of the DAR, the organization also collected material on the activities of the various local chapters. The records have been arranged into the following series: State Executive Board Minutes; State Conference Proceedings (original and published); Reports; Various Records of DAR State Historian; Miscellaneous; Chapter Records (original materials, collected material, and membership yearbooks); Publications; Scrapbooks; Topical files; and Photographs.

The Deardorff family papers consist of 109 letters, 6 V-mail envelopes, 2 Christmas cards, and 1 newsletter. Dale Deardorff wrote most of the letters from his military posts to his parents and sister, Jane, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and to his brother Bob in Virginia. Donald Price wrote 4 letters from Texas and Italy. The collection provides details of the daily lives of soldiers as they trained for and fought in World War II.

The Deardorff family papers consist of 109 letters, 6 V-mail envelopes, 2 Christmas cards, and 1 newsletter. Dale Deardorff wrote most of the letters from his military posts to his parents and sister, Jane, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and to his brother Bob in Virginia. Donald Price wrote 4 letters from Texas and Italy: 1 to Jane and 3 to his Aunt Anna Deardorff, who was also living in Gettysburg. A man with the last name of Geiman wrote 1 postcard to Erle and Ipha Deardorff.

When Dale was in basic training at Camp Croft in South Carolina, he wrote letters to his parents nearly every day. This pattern continued when he was stationed at Fort George G. Meade in Maryland and at an undisclosed location in New England. Once Dale was shipped to England, his correspondence home became more sporadic. His letters primarily provide information about his daily training activities, the weather, family affairs, and the soldiers' recreational activities. He often mentioned spending time at USO centers. Dale described the physical features of the locales where he was stationed in great detail.

Many of Dale's letters contain enclosures. On August 3, 1943, he recounted his first experience on an obstacle course and included a sketch of the course. Dale also attached a photograph of himself with a friend, taken while his friend's family was visiting, to his letter of August 14, 1943. Two newspaper articles regarding obstacle courses, including the one at Camp Croft, are enclosed with Dale's letter to his father on September 12, 1943. On September 15, 1943, Dale wrote a short message to his mother, referring to the USO calendar of events on which he was writing. A small calendar, in which he kept the addresses of his friends from basic training, accompanied Dale's letter of November 26, 1943. The front cover displayed an image of a pin-up girl. Many of his letters are on postcards and illustrated stationery from Camp Croft, the USO, the 31st Infantry Training Battalion, and the U.S. Army.

Don wrote 4 letters from his military post in Laredo, Texas, and from Italy, where he was stationed during the war. The short message from Laredo is on an illustrated postcard and was addressed to Jane. In it, he briefly described the city and the people. His later messages were directed to his Aunt Anna. They provide details about the daily life of a soldier in the Army Air Corps. In his last letter, Don mentioned meeting a few British soldiers and shared details about the time he spent with them.

The final postcard, from "Mr. Geiman," is an invitation for Mr. and Mrs. Deardorff to attend a service flag dedication at a church.

The collection contains 6 empty V-mail envelopes addressed from Dale to his parents and postmarked from England. In addition, the collection includes 2 Christmas cards, both from Dale. One is for Jane and the other is for his parents. Also part of the collection is a newsletter from Dale's battalion at Camp Croft, dated July 10, 1943. It consists of articles related to various events and to people in the battalion. On the last page, Dale wrote a short note to Jane, explaining that she might enjoy reading the stories.

Secretary to Michigan governor Chase S. Osborn, later assistant to the secretary general of the Nuremberg Medical Trial, 1946-1947. Correspondence, writings, and International Military Tribunal files; also photographs.

The papers of DeHull Norman Travis include one linear foot of material in addition to five outsize items stored separately. The collection covers the period from the start of his law practice in 1909 through his death in 1960. However, most of the collection relates to Travis's work at the Nuremberg War crimes trials.

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.

Research papers, 1967-1979, of students in journalism at the University of Michigan; contain essays relating to the history of Michigan newspapers and journalists, and the development of radio and television broadcasting; include papers concerning newspapers in Adrian, Ann Arbor, Detroit, and Grand Rapids, and the journalistic efforts of Father Charles Coughlin, Henry Ford, and Gerald L. K. Smith.

The Department of Journalism research papers collection measures 2 linear feet and consists solely of student research papers written between 1967 and 1979. The papers contain essays written regarding the history of various newspapers -- many in Michigan cities such as Adrian, Ann Arbor, Detroit and Grand Rapids; journalists and the journalistic efforts of individuals such as Father Charles Coughlin, Henry Ford, and Gerald L.K. Smith; and the development of radio and television broadcasting.

The surviving administrative records of the Department of Journalism were retained by its successor unit, the Department of Communication, and can be found in that department's records.

This collection is comprised largely of the World War II letters of United States Army Air Forces Lieutenant Donald R. Caird (of Southeast Michigan) to Margaret I. MacDonell (of Phoenix, Arizona). Lieut. Caird's correspondence spans his Army Air Forces flight and instrument training at bases in Texas, Arizona, and California, 1943-1944; and his services as a pilot instructor at Merced, California, and Lincoln, Nebraska, from 1944 to 1945. His letters include information about work and everyday life on base, but primarily focus on his courtship with Margaret MacDonell, their marriage on December 7, 1943, the birth of their first son, and other aspects of their relationship, household, and newly forming family.

This collection is comprised largely of the World War II letters of United States Army Air Forces Lieutenant Donald R. Caird (of Southeast Michigan) to Margaret MacDonell (of Phoenix, Arizona). Lieut. Caird's correspondence spans his Army Air Forces flight and instrument training at bases in Texas, Arizona, and California, 1943-1944; and his services as a pilot instructor at Merced, California, and Lincoln, Nebraska, from 1944 to 1945.

Correspondence Series: In his letters, Donald Caird commented on his training, on the flying students, his own instructional methods, his administrators ("the brass"), weather conditions that had an effect on flying, his quarters, clothing and laundry, frustration with changing instructional requirements, vehicles and transportation, the GI Bill (March 22, [1945]), playing golf, bowling, and watching basketball and football games.

The most prevalent content in the Caird's correspondence pertains to his courtship with Margaret I. MacDonell, their marriage, the birth of their first son, and other aspects of their relationship, household, and newly forming family. He wrote about attending mass and confessional; planning before their December 1943 wedding; anticipating the birth of "shack rat"/"Roscoe" (i.e. Donald Caird) in November 1944; discussing Margaret's pregnancy, health, and medical treatments; working with real estate agents to find a house for Margaret and Roscoe near his Air Forces bases; wondering and reflecting on Roscoe's growth; trying to help manage finances; and planning for furloughs. He frequently discussed the next times he would be able to connect with Margaret. A small number of other correspondents contributed to the collection, including, for example, a couple of letters from Donald R. Caird's mother Ella Caird, enclosed in his letters of January 1944, and a letter from Dr. D. H. Moulton of Chico, California, on Margaret Caird's physical condition and pregnancy (June 13, [1944]).

A selection of Lieut. Caird's letters bear illustrated, printed letterheads, including those of the Hotel Tioga, Merced, California, "The Gateway to Yosemite"; "GARDNER FIELD", California (June 13, [1944]); and "New HOTEL OAKS", Chico, California (summer 1944).

Documents Series: The six partially printed documents contain records of Donald R. Caird's training at Thunderbird Field II, near Phoenix, Arizona, with aircraft types (all Stearman Aircraft Company PT-17s), flight times, and instructor names, December 8, 1942-January 19, 1943.

Printed Items Series: The printed items include five invitations/announcements/memorials, three newspaper clippings, and one printed pamphlet. The announcements include an invitation to the ordination of Rev. Alfred P. Caird (1915-1980) at Saint Basil's Church, Toronto, Ontario, September 29, 1941, along with a smaller announcement card for Rev. Caird's "First Solemn Mass" at Detroit, Michigan, October 5, 1941. The announcements/memorials include three variant printings memorializing Ella C. Caird following her death on July 5, 1962 (William Sullivan & Son Funeral Home, Royal Oak, Michigan). The three undated (World War II era) newspaper clippings regard the marriage of Dorothy Rohrbacher to Ted Levandowski, the birth of Donald Caird on November 21, [1944], and a pictorial announcement about the newly organized Ria Club Alumnae (including Margaret McDonell in a group portrait). The collection's single pamphlet is: Steve Caird, et al.The Greatest Generation: Caird Stories Volume 2 . Artifact Uprising, [21st Century].

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.

Founder and director of the Research Center for Group Dynamics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an organization that later merged with the Survey Research Center of the University of Michigan to form the Institute for Social Research. Correspondence, reports, memoranda, articles, lectures, and an unfinished manuscript pertaining to research on war bond sales for the U. S. Bureau of Agricultural Economics, 1943-1946; also papers on subsequent research on social behavior and psychology conducted at the University of Michigan.

The Dorwin Cartwright Papers reflect Cartwright's career as researcher of war bond sales for the Bureau of Agricultural Economics during World War II and his later activities as professor and staff member of the Institute of Social Research. The papers contain some correspondence reflecting his transfer from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to the University of Michigan, but include primarily reprints of Cartwright's articles and reports while on the staff at the University. The papers also contain some of Cartwright's lectures and an unpublished manuscript in which he summarized his research on war bond sales. Accompanying the war bond materials are several promotional advertising posters from World War II.

This collection is made up of letters that Private First Class Edgar Denton of La Grande, Oregon, wrote to his friends Frank and Murdle Smith while serving with the United States Army during World War II. Denton discussed his enthusiasm for rifle and machine gun training and concern for his wife and children.

This collection is made up of 4 letters that Private First Class Edgar Denton wrote to his friends Frank and Murdle Smith of Summerville, Oregon, while serving with the United States Army during World War II. He wrote his first two letters from Camp Hood, Texas, and Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, while training for combat and awaiting deployment to Europe. He discussed his enthusiasm for rifle and machine gun training, commented on his correspondence with his wife Peggy, and requested news of mutual acquaintances in Oregon. Writing from Europe in late 1944 and early 1945, Denton expressed his belief that the war would soon end and referred to his hospitalization in England after suffering wounds in the hip and back.

Edmond Francis DeVine was a lawyer and an Ann Arbor, Michigan native who served as Prosecuting Attorney for Washtenaw County in the 1950s and was a World War II veteran. The collection consists of diaries, scrapbooks, photographs, and other materials related to DeVine's high school, military, and legal careers.

The Edmond DeVine papers consists of diaries, scrapbooks, photographs, and other materials related to DeVine's high school, military, and legal careers.

The Edward H. Lockwood papers contain letters documenting Lockwood's service with the Y.M.C.A. in Guangdong Province, China during the years of the Sino-Japanese conflict and Second World War.

The Edward H. Lockwood papers contains 23 letters, 19 of which were addressed to his friend Joe Kidd, a teacher and headmaster at Saint Luke's prep school in Wilton, Conn., and two each to his family and T.T. Poon, a Chinese official of the Y.M.C.A. Though few in number, these letters provide outstanding documentation of one man's service with the Y.M.C.A. during the years of the Sino-Japanese conflict and Second World War, and of the hardships inflicted on the Chinese civilian populations during the war.

Lockwood was highly educated and his letters are both impassioned and informative, though not always very long. His descriptions of Shaoguan during the war are particularly interesting, providing not only an American's impressions of the Chinese, but fine descriptions of the destruction, the refugees, and of Chinese efforts to keep their higher education system intact, even in exile. His occasionally blasé, occasionally anxious response to life beneath the bombs is intriguing and, at times, almost amusing.

The pre-1940 correspondence is particularly marked by a sense of frustration over American dithering in the face of Japanese aggression. Having twice lost all of his possessions when forced to flee before the Japanese, and having been witness to the devastation of war, Lockwood's feelings are easily understandable, though his particular mix of political perspectives is peculiar, to say the least. While excoriating the implicit racism of American foreign policy in Asia, for example, Lockwood offered only mild opposition to European fascism. While he was repelled by British imperialism, his feelings seem to have been largely attributable to an antipathy for their "antiquated," elitist social system, more than for its effects on the colonized nations.

Lockwood's personal life is not particularly well documented in this correspondence, however some information on his relationship with his eldest son, Richard (Dick), can be deduced. Several of Lockwood's letters to Joe Kidd include mention of his opinions on Dick's life choices, or give his opinions on Dick's growth into manhood, his career directions (or lack thereof), and his pacifism. That Lockwood was often separated from his wife and children is evident: while there seems to have been genuine affection in the family, work with the Y.M.C.A. seems to have been Lockwood's first priority. Finally, Lockwood's first letter to T.T. Poon contains his reflections on his quarter century of service with the Y.M.C.A. in China and just as interesting, his ideas on how he had been changed by China.

Counselor in religious education at the University of Michigan. Correspondence and biographical material; official reports; radio scripts; articles on the religious education of college students; scrapbook, 1933-1943; preliminary reports of a survey of college religious life published in 1942; materials relating to a survey of University alumni who entered religious vocations; and materials relating to Japanese-Americans in Ann Arbor, Michigan during World War II; also correspondence of several of Blakeman's predecessors as counselor in religious education; materials on the Student Christian Association, the Spring Parley, 1930-1942, the Michigan School of Religion, the Michigan Pastors' Conference, 1940-1947, the Michigan Child Guidance Institute and the Conference on Religion, 1940-1941; and photographs.

This collection consists of letters written from Edwin Freeman to Prescott Barrows while serving in the United States Army in World War II. The letters are written from an army base in Greenville, Mississippi and from an army post in India.

This collection includes 26 letters written from Edwin Freeman to Prescott Barrows in 1942 from an army base in Greenville, Mississippi and an additional 9 letters written to Prescott Barrows from a posting in India in 1945. Many of the letters are written on illustrated army stationery.

The Greenville letters largely portray Freeman's dissatisfaction with army life. He describes the drills, several meals, constant homesickness, and the fact that he is ill-suited to military life. He talks of going on leave to Greenville, and includes racist remarks about the "colored girls" there, in addition to disparaging remarks about southerners in general. A pervasive theme throughout the letters is Freeman's love of classical music which forms a bond between the two men. He talks of composers and favorite classical pieces, and frequently details his efforts to hear classical music while on the base, even describing a fistfight he initiated when another man tried to turn off the radio during a classical program.

The India letters reiterate these themes, with the addition of local weather, more racist comments about the "black Indians," and a colorful description of a Hindu religious festival. Of particular interest is a letter dated 10 May 1945, in which Freeman writes of receiving news both of Germany's defeat and of Roosevelt's death, which causes widespread dismay. He has strong and racist feelings about the Japanese. In a letter of 28 July 1945, he mentions seeing film footage of a liberated Japanese concentration camp and his and the other men's rage at the state of the men and this evidence of "inhuman cruelty." On another occasion, he sees former Japanese POWs passing through on their way back to the States. Because of their condition, he feels the Japanese fully deserve the atomic bomb and other horrors besides.

Editor and publisher of the Ironwood, Michigan, Daily Globe. Photographs and slides relating to Ironwood and surrounding area, including street views, parades, lumbering and mining activities, local events and disasters, building projects, and miscellaneous; also newspaper clippings.

The collection consists of photographs and slides relating to Ironwood and surrounding area. These images include street views, parades, lumbering and mining activities, local events and disasters, building projects, and miscellaneous. The collection also includes newspaper clippings of his editorials and other articles relating to his newspaper career and civic interests.

Charlotte, Michigan, attorney, legal advisor to Governors Frank Fitzgerald and Luren Dickinson and justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. Correspondence, newspaper clippings and other materials on Michigan politics, the Republican Party, and his association with Governor Dickinson; scrapbook, 1885-1889, compiled by Fred A. Pennington; account book, 1904-1905; day book, 1941; log book, 1942, of Beaver Island cabin; and miscellaneous notebooks and photograph albums.

The Emerson Boyles papers consist of correspondence, newspaper clippings and other materials on Michigan politics, the Republican Party, and his association with Governor Dickinson; a scrapbook, 1885-1889, compiled by Fred A. Pennington; account book, 1904-1905; day book, 1941; log book, 1942, of Beaver Island cabin; and miscellaneous notebooks and photograph albums. The collection has been arranged into three series: Correspondence and other papers; Miscellaneous personal and family; and Photographs.

This collection is primarily made up of the incoming and outgoing correspondence of Emily F. and Evangeline Brady. From 1943-1945, Emily F. Brady received letters from members of the United States military and from acquaintances in Cuba and South America, and from 1949-1950 she wrote letters to her siblings about her life in Chile and Brazil.

This collection is comprised of 121 items, mostly the incoming and outgoing correspondence of Emily F. and Evangeline Brady. From 1943-1945, they received letters from soldiers in the United States military and from acquaintances in Cuba and South America, and from 1949-1950, Emily wrote letters to her siblings about her life in Chile and Brazil. The only item that is not a letter is a photograph of four teenagers at a swimming pool.

The first group of letters consists primarily of incoming letters to Emily and Evangeline Brady. The first few items pertain to Emily Brady's unsuccessful efforts to secure teaching positions in Cuba, Chile, and at the Universidad Femenina de México. The Brady sisters later received letters from servicemen in the United States servicemen during World War II, including their brother George of the USS Birmingham; John Landry of the Army Air Forces' 110th Bombing Squadron; J. G. Francis Wilber ("Walt") of the Birmingham and Camp Elliot, California; and Michael Kimla of the 336th Army Medical Dispensary. Emily also received letters from Berta Montero in Havana, Cuba; Lopez Arias of Buenos Aires, Argentina; and C. E. Gonzalez ("Enrique") of Popayán, Colombia. The soldiers commented on many aspects of their service, such as Kimla's time in Puerto Rico, Landry's visits to London and other English cities, and Wilber's duties at a personnel center at Camp Elliot. Wilber also shared news of a visit to Mexico. One of Montero's letters encloses a Spanish-language printed program for a harp recital.

Emily Brady wrote to Evangeline, George, and others between December 23, 1949, and September 19, 1950, while she lived in Chile and Brazil. She described everyday life in Santiago, Chile, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and mentioned her travels to other towns, such as Huiscapi, Chile, and Porto Alegre, Brazil. In the summer of 1950, she often commented on recent World Cup matches. Her letter of May 17, 1950, has a very rough sketch of the layout of Rio de Janeiro.

Orientalist, government official and director of the International Center at University of Michigan. Correspondence, 1929-1965, notebooks, 1940-1942, and scrapbooks relating largely to professional activities and China; also photographs.

The Gale collection is arranged into the following series: Biographical Information; Correspondence; Conferences and other activities; Miscellaneous; Photographs. Within the correspondence, there are letters from Adolf Berle, James A. Farley, Joseph R. Hayden, Hubert H. Humphrey, Frank Murphy, Chester Nimitz, Singhman Rhee, Daniel Poling, John Powell, Arthur H. Vandenberg, and Wendell Willkie. Some of the photos were collected during Gale's employment in China (1909-1927) and Korea (1958-1959), and photos relating to the University of Michigan Class of 1907, the Quadrangle Club, and the International Center.

Law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Frank Murphy, and Washington, D.C. attorney. Diary, 1943-1944, relating to the Supreme Court, and miscellaneous notes, correspondence and newspaper clippings; also papers of Justice Murphy collected by Gressman, including notes of cabinet meetings, and of conferences and telephone calls; and correspondence, 1937-1949, between Frank Murphy and Felix Frankfurter.

The collection consists of two kinds of materials: papers of Frank Murphy that Gressman accumulated as clerk to the Supreme Court Justice; and Gressman's own papers. The greater part of the collection are the papers of Frank Murphy, dating from 1935 to 1948, with the bulk of the files falling in the period of 1939 to 1941, when Murphy was US Attorney General and the first year of his tenure on the Supreme Court bench. Always conscious of history, Murphy made valuable notes on the cabinet meetings he attended and his meetings and conversations with various public figures. These individuals include Hugo Black, Louis Brandeis, William J. Donovan, Carter Glass, Charles E. Hughes, Cordell Hull, Joseph P. Kennedy, John L. Lewis, Sir Robert Menzies, Manuel Quezon, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Francis B. Sayre, Harlan F. Stone and Sumner Welles. Also of importance are the several files of letters exchanged between Frank Murphy and Justice Felix Frankfurter.

Gressman's own papers are much smaller, but these also relate to his association with Frank Murphy, including notes that he made preparatory to writing a proposed biography of Murphy. Gressman's diary on his time spent as Murphy clerk of the Supreme Court is dated July 1943 to April 1944.

Professor of psychology at the University of Michigan. Papers include an unpublished autobiography; files relating to his work with the Civil Aeronautics Administration during World War II in developing a pilot aptitude test and a flight training manual; and correspondence and subject files relating to his professional activities and research on such subjects as color-hearing, extrasensory perception, a marriage longitudinal study, and predictors for student success; also papers detailing his work on the Thalia Massie rape case; and photographs.

The Everett Kelly collection is arranged into four series. The bulk of the collection relates to his professional interests outside of the University of Michigan.

Clergyman, minister of the Grosse Pointe Memorial Presbyterian Church. Scattered correspondence, reminiscences of Henry Ford, sermons and other addresses concerning in part the issues of the day, notably international and domestic affairs, the depression, World War II, and relations with Russia.

The Frank Fitt papers are arranged alphabetically by topic or type of material. Of most interest to the historian should be Reverend Fitt's Sermons, Addresses, Reviews, and Memorials. Comprising the majority of the collection, they are arranged in two ways, by topic and by date. Particularly in his sermons, Fitt spoke often to the issues of the day. The researcher will find many interesting references to domestic and international affairs, including the depression, World War III and relations with Russia. Of further interest should be Mr. Fitt's reminiscences of Henry Ford, a friend of his for many years.

Republican attorney general of Michigan, 1951-1954, general counsel of the Department of the Army. World War I letters, papers detailing work as chairman of the committee on emerging problems of the Michigan Constitutional Convention; miscellaneous genealogical material, and diaries and memoranda books; scrapbooks concerning political career, especially his service as state attorney general; and photographs.

Only a few papers survived Millard. Correspondence, most interesting for his letters written in France during 1917, and a small body of papers from his committee chairmanship at the 1961 state constitutional convention, highlight the collection. A large number of newspaper clippings about his career, and many awards and citations he received, are also available. A few items regarding his military career, his political activities and his membership in the Masons can also be found.

A large number of photographs and albums are also found in the collection. Included are five scrapbooks, 1955-1961, covering the period when Frank Millard was general counsel in the Department of the Army. These scrapbooks are 70-80 percent photographic, and the remainder consist of clippings, programs, correspondence, schedules and itineraries. Another scrapbook covers the years 1912-1914 when Millard was a student at the University of Michigan. It also contains three pages of earlier material dated 1901-1910. This scrapbook is more than half photographic in content with the rest consisting of programs, clippings, and memorabilia.

Amateur photographer; sixty-two reels of film shot by Benz on various trips.

When the University of Michigan Media Resources Collection was accessioned by the Bentley Historical Library, a number of films were discovered in the vault that were not related to that collection. Within that material were travel films shot by Fred E. Benz. These films document Benz's travels around the world between 1929 and 1950. The films had been edited together and were probably used by Benz for presentation to local groups and as home entertainment.

The Fred E. Benz Collection contains sixty-two, 400 foot reels of silent 16mm film. It is made up of eight series, one for each trip taken. The series are: Africa, Australia/New Zealand, Guatemala, Havana, Mexico, Russia, South America, and a World Cruise. The contents of each reel are described in the finding aid. Benz has included handwritten descriptions of the images found on the Russian and World Cruise series attached to the inside lids of each can of film. Benz was careful to document most of the locations with a handwritten note displayed before the camera. When cities or natural markers are noted in the finding aid, the identifying information was taken from that supplied by the film maker on the screen or from his notes in the can lids. The spelling of geographic locations in the finding aid reflect the information on the film and not current spellings.

Short notes found with the Mexican footage indicate it was the result of two different trips. The reels retain their original numbering because the numbered reels (1,2,3,4) appear to comprise one trip and numbered/lettered reels (1a, 3a, 4a) comprise the second trip.

The value of the collection is that it captures moments in time, documenting lifestyles, architecture and modes of travel which no longer exist or have evolved over time. Footage exists of London on the eve of war and Shanghai one year before being destroyed by the Japanese invasion.

Perhaps the greater value lies in the depiction of the indigenous lifestyles captured on film. Benz, as an amateur photographer, was interested in the common events that he experienced as he traveled. The collection features extensive recordings of people working or playing, and children of different cultures going about their daily activities. The films show barren huts in remote areas of Russia in the 1930s, families living under stone bridges outside of Buenos Aires, life-saving competitions in Sydney and the plethora of street markets found in most cultures and countries that he traveled through.

Because these are travel films, the scope of the footage included often extends beyond the geographic area used to identify the series. For example, the Australia footage includes material filmed on various Pacific islands, the Asian continent and Japan. The Russian trip contains footage of England and Northern Europe, and the South American films contain shots of the departure from New York. Each series should be examined for additional geographic content.

Special attention should be given to the Mexican series containing film recordings of Mt. Rushmore with construction only partially complete. Included as well are extensive shots of bullfighting in addition to other Mexican scenes. Also of note is the extensive depiction of women throughout all of the series. On the canister containing reel 5 in the Russia series is a receipt from United States Navy Department stating that this reel was being forwarded to Chicago for study of the shots of Kirkenes, Norway.

The color in the Africa, Guatemala, Havana, Mexico and South America series is excellent. The wide, clean, lush cityscapes of Havana and Capetown are richly captured in color and give an indication why they were popular travel destinations at this time.

In addition to the eight travel series, the collection also included one reel of World War II footage assembled by Castle Films from public domain footage. This type of film was sold through camera stores and mail order houses and Benz probably purchased a reel for his own use. The identifying writing on the film can is in Benz's handwriting and clearly belonged with his collection.