Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

Tecumseh Products Company, founded in 1934 by Ray W. Herrick (1890-1973) and Charles Floyd Sage (1889-1961), manufactures hermetic compressors for refrigeration products and air conditioners. The Herrick Foundation, founded by Herrick, and the Sage Foundation, founded by Sage, are both philanthropic organizations that support education, civic, and religious causes. Records document the business operations of each company and include correspondence, annual reports, printed material, photographs, and audiovisual material.

The collection consists of two series: Tecumseh Products Company records, 1930 to 2009, and the Herrick Foundation records, 1947 to 2006. The Tecumseh Products Company series includes written company histories, biographical material, correspondence of Tecumseh Products Co. presidents, financial material, annual reports, newsletters, manuals, technical product descriptions, photographs of employees, buildings, and products, audiovisual recordings of events, trainings, and plant tours, and a ceremonial replica of a compressor. The Herrick Foundation records series is comprised of primarily correspondence and project files.