Collections

Sherwin T. Wine was the iconoclastic founder of Humanistic Judaism and an openly gay rabbi who established the Birmingham Temple and formed the Society for Humanistic Judaism, the Center for New Thinking (a community forum for discussion of current events and issues), and various groups devoted to free thought and humanism. Papers include biographical content, correspondence, writings, educational and worship materials, sound recordings, visual materials, and various organizational records.

The Sherwin T. Wine papers illustrate the intellectual traits and organizational acumen of a man who devoted his life to the establishment of a new branch of Judaism and the advancement of humanistic values and rationalism. The collection will be of value to those individuals who seek a deeper understanding of Wine as a person as well as the founder of Humanistic Judaism. Writings, correspondence, and clippings detail the process by which Wine broke free from the traditions of Reform Judaism to found a new denomination. Materials from the Birmingham Temple and other Secular Humanist Judaism organizations trace the development and expansion of the movement. Content related to the many other groups with which Wine was involved reveal an individual able to organize and inspire others to act at local, national, and international levels.

Sheryl M. Szady is a University of Michigan alumna and employee who played an integral role in the evolution of women's athletics at the university. The collection includes meeting minutes, correspondence and other materials from her work with numerous university affiliated organizations including the Friends of the Michigan League, the Kinesiology Alumni Society, and Letterwinners M Club, as well as Interlochen Center for the Arts in Interlochen, Michigan.

The Sheryl Szady papers include meeting minutes, correspondence and other materials from her work with numerous university affiliated organizations and Interlochen Center for the Arts. The papers date from 1984-2010, with the bulk of documentation from 1997-2007. The collection is divided into two subgroups: University of Michigan and Interlochen Center for the Arts.

Topical files on the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (Micronesia) and educational materials collected by Arthur and Shirley Wolfe, teachers with United States Department of the Interior for the Truk District Education Department.

The collection includes information on the history of the Pacific Islands; travel brochures and maps; local newsletters and brochures, and materials related to education in Micronesia, specifically in the Truk District. The papers are arranged in the following series: Topical Files, Newsletters and Magazines, and Education.

Environmental conservation and protection advocacy group founded in 1967 as the Mackinac Chapter of the Sierra Club, name later changed to Michigan Chapter; administrative, legislative, and topical files.

The records of the Michigan Chapter of the Sierra Club document the activities of this state affiliate of the national organization as well as the general environmental movement in Michigan. The series in the record group are: Executive Committee Records, Administrative Records, Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Health Issues, Land Issues, Legislation, Topical, and Audio/Visual Materials.

Grand Rapids, Michigan family, involved in furniture making and other businesses, also active in local state and Republican Party politics and businessmen's associations. Papers include family papers and correspondence, business records, scrapbooks and visual materials.

The Sligh family collection consists of the personal and business papers of the four generations of Slighs mentioned in the biographical introduction: James W. Sligh, Charles R. Sligh, Charles R. Sligh, Jr., and Robert L. Sligh. Although there is some overlap, the files have been arranged into seven series, one for each of these three Slighs, one for the Sligh Furniture Company and related family businesses, and one each for Newspaper clippings and Scrapbooks, and Visual Materials.

The Smith-Parker-Hicks-Winegar Family Papers document the history of several branches of the family who settled in Southern Michigan in the mid-1830s. The collection's seven series contain genealogical records, biographical materials, financial and business records, family correspondence, travel papers, military papers, as well as collected news clippings and scrapbooks about the Detroit Tigers.

The Smith-Parker-Hicks-Winegar Family Papers comprises the papers of various family members collected and maintained by Dr. George and Mrs. Lois Winegar. The collection is divided into seven series: Genealogical Papers and Miscellaneous Family Records, the Robert R. Smith papers, the Blanche Smith Parker papers, the Lois V. Parker Hicks papers, the W. J. Bryan Hicks papers, the George and Lois Winegar papers, and the Detroit Tigers Scrapbooks and Collected Material. The collection is organized around individual family members except for the first series, which contains genealogical and personal papers of multiple people from various family branches.

University of Michigan section of national organization established to further interests of women engineering students. History and background information, annual reports, newsletters and newspaper clippings, budget information, photographs and scrapbooks, correspondence, and files relating to section activities

The records of the University of Michigan student section of the Society of Women Engineers cover the period from 1971 to 2011 and have been divided into three series: Society Records, Student Activities, and Audio-Visual.

The Solar Car Team is an interdisciplinary student organization at the University of Michigan whose objectives are to design, finance, build and race a solar-powered vehicle from scratch. The collection documents the activities and experiences of several generations of the team, including team organization, design, fundraising, construction, testing and racing.

The records of the various U-M Solar Car projects have been received in multiple accessions and are generally described by accession. Accessions are typically organized around specific vehicles, but do contain material carried over from previous cars and races reflecting the fact that students learned from and built on the work of previous teams. For this reason, researchers are advised to review all accessions. The records contain a wide variety of documentation on the design, building, financing and racing of the solar cars and administrative and project management records.

Records include group reports; topical files; and binders containing newsletters and bulletins, and administrative and technical information for the cars; also included are videocassettes detailing design, building, and racing of the Sunrunner solar-powered automobile; photographs and albums of snapshots of team members performing general team tasks and captures of the Solar Car Team website.

The Nordkap Lodge No. 5-378, is the Detroit branch of the Sons of Norway national organization. The organization preserves and promotes Norwegian heritage and culture through festivals, events, and presentations. The records of the organization primarily contain minutes from general and board meetings, but also includes budget reports, issues of the Nordkapen newsletter, and correspondence.

The Nordkap Lodge No. 5-378 records contain material related to the Detroit lodge of the Sons of Norway organization. The collection primarily consists of a run of minutes for the general and board meetings between 1968 to 2017. These minutes are arranged chronologically within binders, and also include financial reports, newsletters, and transcriptions of presentations. Another set of binders offer a mostly complete run of the "Nordkapen" newsletter from the 2010s, as well as budgets for the organization. Two folders contain correspondence between the Nordkap Lodge and national office in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and between board members. Also, a folder with newspaper clippings that document the reach of the organization within the Detroit community.

Sophia Holley Ellis is a Black University of Michigan graduate (BA 1949, MS 1950, MA 1964) and Detroit, Michigan teacher. She primarily taught for Detroit Public Schools (DPS), notably as a German teacher at Martin Luther King, Jr. Senior High School. The collection includes biographical and graduation materials, clippings, an oral history, a photograph album, papers, publications, and scrapbooks.

The Sophia Holley Ellis papers primarily documents Ellis's academic life at the University of Michigan as well as her professional life. Included in this collection are biographical and graduation materials, clippings, an oral history, a photograph album, papers, publications, and several scrapbooks.

The collections' scrapbooks will be of particular interest to researchers. Her University of Michigan scrapbook contains diplomas; photographs of students, including Ellis and her classmates, as well as events on campus; notes describing events in Ellis's personal life; correspondence and other items related to Ellis's academic career; announcements and programs of plays, performances, and other campus events; issues of student and alum publications; greeting cards; and ephemera. Also included are details of her first date; sorority pledging material, including the historically Black sorority Delta Sigma Theta (DST); and photos from a trip to Washington, DC with classmates where Ellis was excluded from some venues because of racial segregation. Her International trip scrapbook documents her travels abroad, while the National Council for International Visitors Award scrapbook highlights her receipt of the Phyllis Layton Perry Educator of the Year award in 2006.

Researchers should also consult her oral history, which was captured on December 3, 2017. During this interview, Ellis—who spoke with Kyle Whitaker and Nancy Bryk—addressed a range of topics, including her family history, early life, and experiences at the University of Michigan.