Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

African American Psychiatrist, University of Michigan Medical School graduate (1946). Dr. Curtis was an advocate for affirmative action in medical schools and worked to improve the medical field for both Black patients and Black physicians. Record types include correspondence, research, reports, student counseling files, patient records, speeches, manuscripts, oral history, and photographs.

Dr. James L. Curtis's personal papers contain materials related to Albion, Michigan, as well as correspondence, a diary, awards, his writings in prose, photographs, and materials related to his philanthropic work. His professional papers primarily document Dr. Curtis's dedication to affirmative action and advancing the healthcare field for both marginalized communities and practitioners. Record types include correspondence, research data and notes, publications, patient/client files, student counseling files, reports, topical and reference files, photographs, as well as manuscripts and speeches written by Dr. Curtis. The audio-visual series contains photographs, scanned photographic material, and an oral history. Photographs appear among both personal and professional papers. Folder titles in these series indicate the presence of photographs.

Letters describing his war-time activities as a first lieutenant and later a captain; includes details about the battles of Stone's River, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, as well as the sieges of Kennesaw Mountain and of Atlanta. He expresses admiration for Generals Rosecrans and Thomas, tells of transporting prisoners and deserters, describes a hanging, and defines the Legion of Honor. Also contains some papers concerning his wife Lottie Langdon Conely's family and two Civil War letters to Lottie from David P. Ingraham (from Brooklyn, Mich.), a lieutenant and captain in Co. A, Ninth Michigan Cavalry, who tells about celebrating the Fourth of July and Christmas, and describes the Tennessee mountains. Includes unidentified photos of a beach party and bicyclists.