Collections

Michigan Jewish family with relatives in the former Czechoslovakia and Hungary who hoped to travel to the United States to escape Nazi persecution during World War II. The collection includes biographical information and correspondence between family members written in Czech, Slovak, and Hungarian, as well as digital copies of the English translations of the letters. Many of the letters discuss the political situation in Europe following the Nazi annexation of Czechoslovakia and their attempts to obtain visas to travel to the United States.

The Tann Family papers (0.3 linear feet and 3.9 MB) contain correspondence between Eugene Tann and the family of his uncle William "Bill" Tann of Detroit with their relatives living in the former Czechoslovakia and Hungary. The majority of the letters are dated from 1937-1947 and detail the experiences of European family members during World War II and the efforts of Eugene and William Tann to help them travel to the United States. The letters are written in Czech, Slovak and Hungarian and are accompanied by digital English translations created by Clara Garbon-Radnoti (Hungarian), and Zuzana Hodkova (Czech and Slovak).

The collection also includes biographical information about Eugene Tann and his immediate family.

The Tann Family papers have been divided into two series, the Biographical Information series contains a biographical statement about Eugene Tann written by his children, Lewis Tann and Dorothy Tann Collens and the Correspondence series that features both the original letters and the translations.

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.

Gamma Deuteron Charge (chapter) of the Theta Delta Chi fraternity, instated at the University of Michigan in 1889. Records include original and digital copies of annual composite photographs of the members of the University of Michigan chapter, as well as drawings of an unbuilt fraternity house designed by Alden B. Dow. Also included are a volume of meeting minutes; an oversize ledger detailing per person costs; and an alumni register.

The Theta Delta Chi Gamma Deuteron Charge records consist of yearly composite photographs of the members of the chapter; a ledger detailing per person costs of fraternity life; and an alumni register. Particularly of note is a volume of handwritten meeting minutes which date from 1947-1956. The minutes detail the "Meetings of the Charge" and cover house events, planning, and finances, house morale and interpersonal conflicts, and other issues related to the running of the Gamma Deuteron Charge chapter. Also included in the minutes volume are treasurer notes from 1951-1972.

The collection also contains the original copies of the composite photographs, as well as digital copies. Also included are a small number of drawings of an unbuilt fraternity house that were designed by Alden B. Dow.

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.

Tom Van Zoeren was a park ranger at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. His collection contains oral history interviews relating to the history of the Sleeping Bear Dunes region and other Michigan localities.

The Van Zoeren collection contains oral history interviews conducted between 1979 and 2010, and includes copies of scanned photos and supporting documents. The interviews are available variously on audio cassette tapes and online. Transcripts or summaries are found in the collection for many of the interviews. The Van Zoeren collection is organized in two sections by format.

The first section contains analog files and audio cassette tapes. This section is arranged in series by family interview: Basch/Lanham/Van Zoeren oral history interviews, 1993-2000; George Burfiend oral history interviews, photo collection, and farm tour, 2005-2008; DeKorne family oral history and photographs, 2006; Doan family oral history interview, 2006; Dottie (Ashmore) Lanham oral history and photograph collection, 2003-2008; Alfred and Loraine (Olsen) Mason oral history interview and photo collection, 2001-2004; Leonard Thoreson oral history interview and photos, 2005-2006; and Frederick and Margretha Werner Farm oral history interview and photo collection, 2006-2007. These series contain information related to the families and interviews in the form of text, scanned and printed images, and audio and video recordings.

1. Basch, Laura (Oleson), of the Port Oneida, Michigan, area (audio cassettes and online)
2. Burfiend, George, relating to Burfiend farm and Port Oneida (online)
3. DeKorne, Jack relating to the family of Boudewyn and Kate DeKorne of Grand Rapids and Glen Lake, Michigan (online)
4. Fargo, Judy Carole and Ruth Ann Doan Jones, relating to the Frank and Alma Doan family of Croswell, Michigan ( online, filed under Doan family)
5. Lanham, Dottie, relating to her life and to Burdickville and surrounding area (online)
6. Lanham, John, of Burdickville, Michigan (audio cassettes and online)
7. Mason, Alfred and Lorraine [referred to as 'Loraine' in some collection materials] (Olsen), relating to their families, the family farms and the Port Oneida community (online)
8. Miller, Charles, relating to the Frederick and Margretha Werner farm in Port Oneida (online, filed under Werner)
9. Stuber, Mary Lou, relating to the Frederick and Margretha Werner farm in Port Oneida (online, filed under Werner)
10. Thoresen, Leonard, relating to his family, the family farm and the Port Oneida community (online)
11. Thoreson, Leonard, relating to the Frederick and Margretha Werner farm in Port Oneida (online, filed under Werner)
12. Van Noord, Trudy, relating to the family of Boudewyn and Kate DeKorne of Grand Rapids and Glen Lake, Michigan (online, filed under DeKorne family)
13. Van Zoeren, Jay, of Vriesland, Michigan, 1948 graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School (audio cassettes and online)

Additional files relating to these and other persons are available online.

The second section consists of one series of digitized material, oral histories, photos, and other historic materials from the Sleeping Bear Dunes region. The digital files were created or assembled by Van Zoeren and were received on an external hard drive. This series is further divided into subseries by type of material: Information on Farms, Families, etc.; Oral History Audio Files; Historic Images; Video Recordings; Genealogies; Census and Cemetery Records; Historic Maps; and Other Resources. Some of the content may be digitized versions of items in the analog portion of the collection.

Correspondence, memoranda, reports, minutes, and other materials relating to administration of the office; include files relating to operation and naming of University dormitories, especially detailing the establishment of housing policy and the resolution of housing controversies; information on small group housing and off-campus housing with individual files on fraternities and sororities; also files concerning the occupational status and treatment of Japanese-Americans working for the University during World War II, and concerning the housing and training of military personnel on campus during the war.

The records of the Housing Division provide documentation on development and administration of the university's dormitory system, off-campus housing and student life. The records include correspondence, memoranda, reports, minutes, and other materials relating to administration of the office; include files relating to operation and naming of University dormitories, especially detailing the establishment of housing policy and the resolution of housing controversies; information on small group housing and off-campus housing with individual files on fraternities and sororities; also files concerning the occupational status and treatment of Japanese-Americans working for the University during World War II, and concerning the housing and training of military personnel on campus during the war.

Organized in 1879 to "cultivate the public taste for music," the Society sponsors concert series, opera, dance and theater performances at the University of Michigan. The records consist of director's files of Albert A. Stanley, Charles A. Sink, Gail Rector, and Kenneth Fischer; include correspondence relating to performances and management of the Society; ledgers and account books, board of directors minutes and packets; files concerning the Choral Union, the University of Michigan School of Music, the Henry S. Frieze Memorial Organ Fund, and Hill Auditorium; also visual materials and audiotapes of Board meetings.

The records of the University Musical Society document its founding in 1879, governance and administrative restructuring through the years, its activities sponsoring musical, dance and theatrical performances on campus, and its role in music and arts education. The records include directors' correspondence files, board of directors minutes, ledgers and financial records, photographs, sound recordings and videotapes.

Intellectually, the records are organized into eight series: Directors' Correspondence, Financial records, Historical file, Board of Directors, Committees, Topical File, Contracts, Photographs, President's Correspondence, Staff Files, Executive Directors' Files, and Motion Pictures (film, videotape and digital materials).

The records were received in several major and numerous small accessions and the physical arrangement of the records (the order in which they are arranged in boxes/folders) reflects this. In this finding aid, the records are described in term of their intellectual organization regardless of the particular accession in which they were received. As a result, the box number order in which the descriptions are displayed in the contents list will not always be consecutive.

Proceedings, treasurer's reports, committee reports, scrapbooks, and various administrative records.

The University of Michigan Faculty Women's Club record group contains materials from 1921-2008, which document the work of this organization to promote friendship and collegiality among women faculty and wives of faculty members. The record group contains information about the activities and administrative procedures of the club. The record group is arranged in five series: Administration, Newcomers, Interest Groups, Events and History.

The University Planner's Office oversees the master planning, site planning, and site design for the university. The records consist of correspondence, memoranda, meeting minutes, reports, architectural drawings, and photographs spanning the years 1840 to 2014.

The records of the University Planner's Office consist of 48 linear feet, 72.3 GB of digital files, and one oversize volume. Records contain correspondence, memoranda, meeting minutes, reports, architectural drawings, and photographs spanning the years 1840 to 2014. The records document the role of the University Planner's Office in campus planning on the University of Michigan campuses and in conjunction with the City of Ann Arbor.

Broadcasting executive, mainly with WGN Continental Broadcasting Co. in Chicago; scrapbooks containing clippings, photographs, programs, and memorabilia from his career when he first joined WGN in 1941 until 2004.

The Quaal collection consists of nine scrapbooks covering the period of 1941 to 2004 and consisting of clippings, photographs, programs and other published materials, and various other memorabilia from all periods of his career in broadcasting. These scrapbooks are accompanied by a detailed index. In addition, the collection includes photocopies of letters that Quaal received from US presidents and other notable public figures. There is also a folder of biographical information.