Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

Jerry Peterson, aka Jerry Vile, is a Detroit metro area artist, performer, and publisher known for his provocative style. Peterson created and published several free culture/humor magazines between 1978-1999 including White Noise, Fun: The Magazine for Swinging Intelectuals [sic], and Orbit. The collection is comprised of complete runs of Fun and Orbit and contains a small number of photographs, memorabilia, and other publications including an anthology by Rob St. Mary.

The collection is primarily comprised of the periodicals Fun: The Magazine for Swinging Intelectuals [sic] and Orbit, created and published by Jerry Peterson. The satirical magazines document Detroit's pop and punk culture scenes in the 1980s and 1990s and include articles and graphics on arts, culture, humor, and entertainment. A detailed index of volumes and issues may be found in Box 8; this is a useful reference due to inconsistency of both publications volume/issue numbering scheme.

The collection also contains a small number of photographs and memorabilia from Orbit; special edition publications by Jerry Peterson on Detroit including a satirical ad he had printed in the Detroit Metro Times during the Detroit bankruptcy in 2013; and the book The Orbit Magazine Anthology: re-entry, authored by Rob St. Mary and published in 2015, which chronicles the history of Detroit's alternative publications.

Detroit-area radio journalist, film producer, musician, and author of "The Orbit Magazine Anthology", a book exploring Detroit alternative magazine culture in the 1990s. Personal writing, scripts, notes, video recordings, sound recordings, and clippings.

The Rob St. Mary papers (3 linear feet) are divided into two series:

The Personal Materials series contains personal writing by St. Mary and his collection of "Motorbooty", an alternative magazine published in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Professional Work series contains awards, notes, video recordings, audio recordings, and clippings from St. Mary's work in media production. It highlights his film and radio career and his work on "The Orbit Magazine Anthology."