Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

William D. Ratcliff (1941-) was an educator within the Ann Arbor, Mich. Public School system for over 30 years who took an active interest in the education of African-American youth in the Ann Arbor school district. This collection covers the time Ratcliff spent as the Executive Director of the Saturday Academy for African American Students, as well as his time as a guidance counselor within Ann Arbor Public Schools. The collection includes general information about the Ann Arbor Public School district, and information regarding the many organizations and programs that Ratcliff took part in.

William D. Ratcliff (1941-) was a counselor within the Ann Arbor Public School system for over 30 years. This collection documents his time within Ann Arbor Public Schools, as well as his work promoting the achievement of African-American youth in the Ann Arbor educational system. The collection is of value to those interested in collections reflecting community efforts to relieve educational disparities seen among minority students and for documentation on how a successful non-profit organization functions. The collection is divided into six series: the Saturday Academy series (divided into 2 subseries, Administrative and Academics), the African-American and Minority Organizations/Programs series, the Educational Organizations/Programs series, the Ann Arbor Public Schools series, the Newspaper Clippings series, and the Audiovisual materials series.

William Albright--organist, composer, and University of Michigan faculty member--was born in Indiana in 1944 and died in 1998. Albright earned three music composition degrees from the University of Michigan before becoming a member of the composition faculty at the U. of M. School of Music. Albright is probably best known for his piano and organ performance. He helped to bring about a revival of ragtime, and sought inclusion of ragtime and other types of popular music in many of his compositions. He composed for many single instruments--especially the organ--and ensembles, and for orchestra. He also composed hymns, and was the music director for the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Ann Arbor, Michigan. He studied composition with Ross Lee Finney, George Rochberg, and Olivier Messiaen, among others, at Michigan and at summer workshops, and organ with Marilyn Mason. The collection includes biographical materials, correspondence, programs, professional files, University of Michigan School of Music files, and scores and recordings of William Albright works (including notes, sketches, and manuscripts) and works by his friends, students, and teachers.

The William Hugh Albright Papers consist of 77 boxes of musical scores, recordings, and textual documents such as correspondence and lecture notes. Albright's extensive collection of scores and recordings by his friends, students, and mentors is also included. His own works are represented by recordings, original handwritten scores and published versions, and by penciled notes and sketches. The William Hugh Albright Papers are divided into ten series: Photographs, Biographical Materials, Correspondence, Programs, Professional Files, School of Music, The Magic City, Scores, Recordings, and Videocassettes.

Thomas A. Butts, an expert in financial aid and student loan programs, worked for the University of Michigan, 1964-1999. He served as Director of Student Financial Aid (1971-1977), policy advisor and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Student Financial Assistance for the federal government (1977-1981), and was responsible for government relations for the University of Michigan at the Washington D.C. office (1991-1999). The collection documents his work for the University of Michigan admissions office, office of orientation, office of financial aid, and Washington D.C. office of government relations, his work for the U.S. Department of Education, and the evolution of federal student financial aid legislation.

This collection would be of use for research into the role of Thomas Butts at the University of Michigan, the role of the University of Michigan in student financial aid policy, and the evolution of federal student loan policy generally. The collection is composed of six series. The first five correspond to the positions Thomas Butts held (Office of Admissions, Office of Orientation, Office of Financial Aid, U.S. Department of Education, and Washington D.C. Office) and a sixth series, Loans, contains information on specific loan programs. The Loans series especially provides insight into how laws are developed in the federal government, including the evolution of the Higher Education Act and the Direct Loan program. Thomas Butts was involved with many organizations, and a glossary of the main acronyms follows the scope and content note.

Barbara Bach first worked as a Boston area schoolteacher and creator of television documentaries. After receiving a Master's degree in Education in 1969, she became an Ann Arbor, Mich. businesswoman, networking facilitator, fundraiser, and lifelong educator/mentor to individuals and organizations. The collection includes business records, association newsletters, campaign literature, photographs, and correspondence representing her multiple careers as an entrepreneur, legislative aide, community activist, and executive director in a policy environment promoting economic development in Michigan.

The Barbara Bach papers reflect a context of turbulent economic conditions and ground-breaking socio-political events. Some defining highlights of Bach's political efforts include her work with the Ann Arbor Public Schools Title IX Monitoring Committee for gender equality in sports, her nonpartisan campaign work for the county-wide Washtenaw County SAFE House proposal to assist victims of domestic violence, and her Democratic Party campaign work on behalf of Albert H. Wheeler, Ann Arbor's first African American mayor.

However, Bach's business experience and activities on behalf of economic development and job training in the State of Michigan, in connection with the Michigan Community Colleges Association (MCCA) and as Executive Director of the Inventors' Council of Michigan (INCOM), represent the bulk of the collection.

During the 1980s, community colleges were becoming a focal point for job-related training as a precursor to economic development. Organizations such as the Michigan Technology Council (MTC), with support from the University of Michigan, brought together leaders from business, industry, and government in an effort to facilitate technology transfer through commercial applications and new product development.

Economic recession had helped to heighten interest, at all levels of government, in the policy concept of economic development through entrepreneurial successes. Ideally, through teaching, research, and networking assistance, an entrepreneurial "supercenter" would encourage new product and business development, ultimately creating jobs throughout the economy.

Throughout much of her career in Michigan, Barbara Bach was known as Barbara Eldersveld. The collection also includes some materials from her early public service activities in Massachusetts as Barbara Damon.

The collection is organized into eight series: Personal/Biographical, Greater Boston Area, Teaching and Educational Settings, Political, Business and Entrepreneurial, State Government, Inventors' Council of Michigan (INCOM), and Ann Arbor Community Service.

Papers of Josh Mack, an African American education specialist, civic leader, and former Detroit Board of Education member. The collection includes biographical materials, articles and press releases, correspondence (including some from former Michigan politicians), curriculum guidelines from the Wayne County Attention Centers, a small amount of photographs, an audio recording of a Testimonial event, a digital file comprising of several television interviews and news clips, and other collected materials pertaining to Mack's professional career and civic duties.

The collection primarily focuses on Mack's tenure as an education specialist, Detroit Board of Education member, and as a civic leader, particularly in Detroit's North End neighborhood.

Records include biographical materials, articles and press releases about Mack's professional career and civic activities, correspondence, writings, curriculum materials --primarily from Mack's tenure as an administrative coordinator with the Wayne County Attention Centers,--and collected items pertaining to Mack's professional activities and his interest in education, job training, and counseling services for minorities. Also included several digital news clips and interviews.

Papers of Arnold Weinstein, American poet, playwright, librettist, and translator. Material in both paper and digital formats includes manuscript drafts and final versions of libretti, music scores with Weinstein's lyrics, manuscript and published literary works; research and background material related to individual works and projects, as well as programs, publicity material and reviews of shows. Also commercially produced and non-commercial audio and video recordings.

The Papers of Arnold Weinstein collection documents the work of the American librettist, playwright and poet between the late 1950s through the 2000s.

Professor of library science at the University of Michigan. Files relating to his work with the Teachers Section, Library Education Division, American Library Association.

The Bonk collection relates only to his activities with the Teachers Section, Library Education Division, American Library Association. Included are minutes of meetings, correspondence; conference materials, and other subject files.

Secretary of the Ann Arbor (Mich.) Transportation Authority (AATA). Minutes, 1969-1973, financial statements, reports, and photographs of the AATA largely concerning the problems of mass transportation and the development of the "Dial-a-Ride" system; also papers concerning the development of streets and automobile parking facilities in the city.

The Marjorie C. Brazer Papers covers the period of 1955 to 1983 and has been arranged mainly by the name of organization in which Brazer participated. The largest portion of the collection - Ann Arbor Transportation Authority - consists of minutes, policy and long-range planning documents, and subject files detailing the process by which the bus service for Ann Arbor was established, and the beginning of the Dial-a-Ride program. Other smaller organization files in the collection pertain to the Citizen's Association for Area Planning, the Detroit Committee for Neighborhood Conservation and Improved Housing, the Huron High Bi-Racial Committee, the League of Women Voters (Detroit), the League of Women Voters (Ann Arbor), and the Washtenaw County Citizens Committee for Economic Opportunity. One file - Washtenaw County Political Campaigns - concerns Lloyd Ives' 1959 Ann Arbor mayoral campaign and Brazer's own 1968 campaign for county supervisor.

Of interest is the documentation of an oral history project undertaken by Brazer in 1983 and pertaining to the establishment and operation of the Rackham endowment to the University of Michigan. This materials is arranged into the Rackham Endowment Oral History Project series. The series includes oral history audiocassettes and administrative files for the project. Brazer's work on this project resulted in her Biography of an Endowment, published in 1985 by the Bentley Historical Library.

The collection also contains family school yearbooks.

Central academic administrative unit of the University of Michigan which functions as chief executive assistant to the president, responsible for appointments and promotions with oversight for schools, colleges, educational units and programs; including budget planning, legislative relations, institutional research, and affirmative action policies. Supplemental Files subgroup includes material on a number of subjects that was filed separately from the vice presidents' or staff's papers when the record group was received.

The Supplemental Files subgroup of the record group Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs consists of 155 linear feet (in 159 boxes) and spans the years from 1953 to 2013. This subgroup consists of material that was not interfiled with the vice presidents' or staff's papers when the record group was received. The records generally were not created or maintained by any one staff member in the Office of Academic Affairs, but rather are the result of the examination of a particular issue or topic over a period of time by a variety of people.

There are 14 series of varying sizes which comprise this subgroup. For an alphabetical list of the series in this subgroup, please consult the Summary Contents List in the Arrangement section of the finding aid.

Writer, journalist, news broadcaster, radio host, television producer, creative consultant, and teacher in Detroit, Mich. Includes materials related to Ovshinsky's founding of Detroit's first underground newspaper, The Fifth Estate, as well as photographs, correspondence, writings, personal memorabilia, legal materials, press articles, topical files, transcripts and audiovisual materials representing Ovshinsky's work in radio and television from the 1960s through the 2000s.

The collection traces Harvey Ovshinsky's personal and professional development as a writer, journalist, news broadcaster, radio host, television producer, creative consultant, and teacher. The Personal files include autobiographical writings providing insights into the events in Ovshinsky's childhood and adolescence that led to his early interest in writing and journalism. The Professional files contain the first issues of The Fifth Estate, and extensive memorabilia and press coverage on various radio stations and video and television production companies where Ovshinsky was employed. This series encompasses material on the history of Detroit's counterculture in the 1960s and 1970s. The Project files also include topical files on Detroit culture and history, which inspired many of Ovshinsky's documentaries and creative writing.

Materials from Ovshinsky's teaching career and transcripts from his speaking engagements in the Professional files reveal his approach to teaching writing, while drafts for films, stories, and television series in the Project files offer a view into Ovshinsky's creative process. Files named "War Dances" appear throughout both the Professional files and the Project files series. "War Dances" were an integral part of Ovshinsky's approach to both problem solving and the creative process. "War Dances" were personal notes and reflections in which Ovshinsky assessed his present situation, identified his goals and imagined paths to the solution of a problem or to the final stages of a project. Materials from the subseries Educational and children's properties in the Project files include extensive topical files from Ovshinsky's research on how children learn through play. Samples of Ovshinsky's work in radio, television, educational programming and public speaking are available in Audiovisual materials.