Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

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Collection

Academic Women's Caucus (University of Michigan) records, 1970-2015 (majority within 1975-1998)

5.5 linear feet

Organization of women faculty members established to exchange information about their status as faculty women and to investigate and resolve issues of special concern. records include history, awards files, correspondence, minutes, topical files, photographs, and video and sound recordings.

The records of the Academic Women's Caucus (AWC) provide an almost complete history of the AWC from its origins to the present, although the materials documenting the years 1972-1974 are not particularly strong. Many of the early records are from the co-chair Aline Soules. The records do provide valuable documentation of the general concerns of women faculty members at a major research university.

Collection

All Saints Episcopal Church, Pontiac, Michigan oral history project, 2001-2002

0.7 linear feet

Church established in 1837 as Zion Episcopal Church; renamed All Saints' Episcopal Church in 1904. Transcripts and audio cassette originals of interviews taken as part of a church-sponsored project to document the history of some of its Black members, with photographs of the interviewees. Also, photographs of the church building.

Transcripts of interviews, with audio cassette originals and CD-ROM copies of the transcripts. Interviewees include Richard and Catherine Craig, David and Reatha Williams, and Malissa Brice. There are also photographs of the interviewees and of the church building.

Collection

Casa de Unidad records, 1980-2006

7 linear feet — 1 oversize folder — 196 MB (online)

Online
The records of the Casa de Unidad Cultural Arts and Media Center cover the organization's efforts to promote, develop, and celebrate Hispanic and Latino arts and traditions in Southwest Detroit. The record group consists primarily of correspondence, board minutes, grant proposals and reports, newsletters, event and program budgets, event flyers, educational workshop reports and audio material.

The records of Casa de Unidad cover the period between 1980 and 2006. The collection consists primarily of correspondence, board minutes, grant proposals and reports, newsletters, event and program budgets, event flyers, educational workshop reports and audio material. The majority of the material is in English, though a small number of flyers, newsletters, and audio recordings are in Spanish. The collection contains the following series: Administrative Material, Educational/Artistic Activities, Unity in the Community Festival, and Audio Material.

Collection

Christopher Alston papers, 1988-1990

0.1 linear feet — 5 digital audio files

Online

Photographs and sound recordings of Alston remarks at the dedication of the Robert Hayden Lounge in the University of Michigan Center for Afroamerican and African Studies in 1988. The Center was renamed the Department Afroamerican and African Studies in 2011. A 1988 discussion between Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Alston, William McAdoo, and member of the Bentley Historical Library staff about African American historical material housed at the Bentley. Interview conducted by William McAdoo (1990, includes transcript) relating to the Inventory of Negro Manuscripts project at the Bentley Historical Library.

Collection

Fox Island Lighthouse Association records, 1875-2017

0.4 linear feet — 2.4 GB (online)

Online
The Fox Island Lighthouse Association is a non-profit organization founded to preserve the South Fox Island light station in northern Lake Michigan. The collection contains both paper and digital records, and consists of materials created or collected by the association as part of their efforts to preserve the light station.

The collection contains both paper and digital records and consists of materials created or collected by the Fox Island Lighthouse Association as part of their efforts to preserve the South Fox Island light station. Collected material includes copies of U.S. Lighthouse Service and Coast Guard records from the National Archives, including photographs. The collection also includes the association's newsletters, newspaper articles about the association or the light station, a historic structures report developed for the association by U.P. Engineers & Architects, and a series of oral history interviews of former lighthouse personnel, conducted by association members.

The Fox Island Lighthouse Association records are organized into four series: Organizational Records, Collected Research Materials, Oral Histories, and Visual Materials. All but the Visual Materials series contain both print and digital records, and some documents exist in both formats.

Collection

George Murphy papers, 1911-1961

15 linear feet — 1 volume — 1 oversize folder

Judge of the Recorder's Court in Detroit and Frank Murphy's brother; contain correspondence, legal briefs, newspaper clippings, and other materials concerning Detroit politics, 1935-1961, the grand jury investigation of Detroit street railways, 1936, arbitration of labor disputes, 1936-1941, investigation of the Charles Street housing project, 1939-1940, as well as materials illuminating the careers and personal affairs of both George and Frank Murphy, especially in relation to Detroit and the Philippine Islands.

The George Murphy papers, which encompass the years 1911 to 1961, are most comprehensive for the decade following 1932. During this period - the most politically active in Murphy's career - the correspondence is especially useful in illustrating George Murphy's role in his brother's emergence as a politician, especially his role as dispenser of patronage in the depression years. The papers, of course, illuminate the social function performed by the Recorder's Court and contain voluminous correspondence with state and federal judges, attorneys, prisoners, prison officials, probation officers, etc. Judge Murphy also maintained close contact with affairs in his home town, Harbor Beach. Included in the collection are significant materials on affairs in the Philippines during his brother's governorship there, particularly correspondence during the years 1933 to 1936 with his sister, Marguerite, Eleanor Bumgardner, and with leading Filipinos concerning conditions there.

Collection

Geraldine Blair papers, 1959-1987 (majority within 1977-1987)

1 linear foot

Friend of peace activist Rebecca Shelley. Transcripts of oral history interviews with Rebecca Shelley conducted by Eric Hanson; correspondence regarding proposed movie about life of Rebecca Shelley; and miscellaneous collected Shelley materials, including photographs.

These papers contain transcripts of oral histories conducted with Shelley, biographical information on Shelley accumulated by Blair, and documentation of Blair's efforts to locate a biographer or actress interested in writing or enacting Rebecca Shelley's story. Unable to see the project through to completion, Blair donated these papers to the Bentley Library in April 1987.

The Papers of Geraldine Blair are divided into three series: Oral History Transcripts; Correspondence, 1973-1987; and Miscellaneous Materials Documenting Shelley's Life, 1959-1985.

Collection

Glenn Ruggles papers, 1880s-2011

2 linear feet

Glenn Ruggles is an oral historian based in Walled Lake, Michigan. His collection consists of audiocassettes, photographs, and supporting material from his oral history projects.

The collection is divided into series corresponding to particular oral history projects, followed by a Personal series and a Collected materials series.

Voices on the water : an oral and pictorial history of Antrim County's chain of lakes was published in 1998, with a second edition published in 2005. The series contains recordings of oral history interviews conducted in the preparation of the book along with photographs: original and copy prints of vintage views, some modern views, and snapshots of interviewees.

The library has release forms only for the interviews with Jo Anne Beemon, Warren Daane, Lena Stalker, and Byrnece White.

Collection

Hazel Marie Losh papers, 1870s-1978

2 linear feet

Professor of astronomy at the University of Michigan, friend and booster of U-M athletics and athletes; correspondence, speeches, class materials, and photographs.

The collection is comprised of three series: Correspondence, course materials, and other papers; Photographs; and Sound Recording. The photographs are of Losh family members, photos relating to University of Michigan athletics and other interests. There are also photos of Hazel Losh teaching in the classroom. The Sound Recording is of Professor Thomas Slavens interviewing Professor Losh about her life and career. A transcript has been made of this recording.

Collection

Hinsdale family papers, 1857-1963

2 linear feet

Family of Burke A. Hinsdale, professor of education at the University of Michigan and president of Hiram College. The collection contains the papers of Burke Hinsdale and the papers of his three daughters, Mary Louise, Ellen Clarinda, and Mildred. Materials include correspondence, diaries, and photographs.

The Hinsdale family papers consist of material from Burke A. Hinsdale and his three daughters Mary, Ellen, and Mildred. The collection contains correspondence, journals, photographs, and other materials documenting the personal and professional lives of the Hinsdale family.

Some of the correspondents represented in the collection include Randolph G. Adams, John R. Alden, James B. Angell, Denis W. Brogan, Nicholas M. Butler, Donald J. Cawling, William E. Dodd, Lucretia Rudolph Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, Albert B. Hart, Anne O'Hare McCormick, Alice Freeman Palmer, Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Stimson, and Charles Sumner.

Collection

Inter-Cooperative Council (Ann Arbor, Mich.) records, 1932-2015

60 linear feet (in 60 boxes) — 9 oversize volumes — 31.72 GB (online)

Online
The Inter-Cooperative Council at Ann Arbor is an organization established to coordinate the activities of cooperative houses founded and operated by University of Michigan students. Their records are comprised of minutes, office files, and newsletters, as well as organization-level topices and related research. The collection also contains records of student cooperative, the Socialist House.

The records of the ICC at Ann Arbor cover the years 1932 to 2012 and are divided into ten series: Minutes, Office Files, Printed Materials, Events and Programs, Organizational Topical Files, Correspondence Files, Collected Research Materials, House Records, External Organizations, and Audio-Visual Materials.

Researchers should note that because of the differences between ICC office organizational systems and the individual processing archivists working on the collection, topics and materials might be found in multiple series.

Collection

James L. Curtis papers, 1927-2017

5 linear feet — 1 oversize item — 2.03 GB

Online
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.

Collection

John Tanton Papers, 1960-2007

25 linear feet — 1 oversize folder

Environmental, population control, and immigration reform advocate; organization and litigation files relating to his various interests and activities; includes correspondence, legal documents, memos, topical files, and miscellaneous photographs.

The papers of Dr. John Tanton consist of materials documenting his work as a political and environmental activist from 1960 through the 2000s. The portion of the collection open without restriction is divided into the following series: Personal/Biographical; Population and Immigration Organizations and Issues; Conservation Organizations and Issues; Topical Files and Activities; Correspondence; Politics and Government; and Social Issues. The portion of the collection closed to research until 2035 includes the continuation of several series: Correspondence; Personal/Biographical; Population and Immigration Organizations and Issues; Conservation Organizations and Issues; and one new series, Public Interest Organizations and Issues.

Collection

Laurie Palazzolo Horn Man research materials collection, 1913-2004 (majority within 1940s-1980s)

10 linear feet (in 13 boxes) — 1 oversize folder — 5 GB (online) — 62 digital audio files

Online
Research materials used by Laurie Palazzolo in writing of her book Horn Man: the Polish-American Musician in Twentieth-Century Detroit (Detroit, Mich.: American-Polish Music Society, 2003). The collection sheds light on the history of 20th century Polish-American musical landscape of greater Detroit.

The collection documents the history and repertoire of Polish folk music bands in the greater Detroit area as well as professional careers of musicians. The records date primarily from the 1940's until 1980s. Materials dated 1990s-2000s are primarily transcripts of interviews taken by Gomulka Palazzolo. Records include correspondence, business contracts, performance schedules and programs, sheet music, scanned copies of photographs, copies of Keynote magazine, biographical information and interviews of musicians, performance advertisements, and recordings. The records are arranged into five series as follows: Research files, Detroit Federation of Musicians, Sheet music, Sound recordings, and Visual materials.

Collection

Marjorie Cahn Brazer papers, 1955-1992

2 linear feet

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.

Collection

National Archive on Sino-American Relations records, 1971-1984

28 linear feet — 1 oversize folder

Grant project of the Center for Chinese Studies of the University of Michigan to locate and collect materials of visitors to the Peoples Republic of China since the reopening of diplomatic contact in 1971. Printed and manuscript diaries and journals, recollections, reports, correspondence, and audio-tapes; oral interviews with members of the United States Table Tennis Association team; and administrative files.

This record group consists of the following series: Americans in China, 1971-1980; Oral interviews, transcripts, and other sound recordings; Administrative and Background files; and Visual materials.

The bulk of the record group is the Americans in China series, which is arranged alphabetically by the name of the individual or group visiting China. As part of the grant, the project head created a detailed subject guide to the contents of the files. This 313 page guide, entitled Americans in China 1971-1980; a guide to the University of Michigan National Archive on Sino-American Relations is available at the Bentley Historical Library and at several other college and university libraries. The following is a list of the subject arrangement of the guide.

  1. Acupuncture
  2. Agriculture
  3. Archaeology
  4. Architecture
  5. Art
  6. Childcare
  7. Chinese Communist Party
  8. Chinese Visitors to the United States
  9. Cities
  10. Communes
  11. Cultural Revolution
  12. Customs
  13. Economics
  14. Education
  15. Environment
  16. Family Life
  17. Festivals
  18. Foreign Policy
  19. Health Care
  20. History
  21. Industry
  22. Interviews and Meetings
  23. Legal System
  24. Libraries and Archives
  25. Lifestyle
  26. Linguistics
  27. Literature
  28. Mass Media
  29. Medical Science
  30. Military
  31. Minorities
  32. Museums
  33. Performing Arts
  34. Political and Social Organization
  35. Politics
  36. Population Planning
  37. Provinces and Autonomous Regions
  38. Publications
  39. Religion
  40. Science and Technology
  41. Sports
  42. Trade
  43. Transportation
  44. United States-China Relations
  45. Universities and Institutes
  46. Women
Collection

Netzorg Family papers, late 1880s-2012 (majority within 1938-1998)

30 linear feet (in 35 boxes, 1 oversize box, and 1 audio cassette box)

Papers of Morton Isadore and Katherine Smit Netzorg; their son Morton Jacob Netzorg and his wife Petra Fuld Netzorg; Petra Netzorg's mother Charlotte Fuld, and Petra's younger sister Bracha Fuld. The collection chronicles the history of the Philippine Islands in the 20th century, specifically during the Second World War; life of German Jewry on the eve of World War II; Zionist Insurgency in the British Mandate Palestine; developments in the scholarly field of South East Asian Studies and international publishing and book trade industries related to the region. The collection is a rich source of bibliographic material related to the Pacific Islands, primarily the Philippines, as well as the entire South East Asian region.

Family and business correspondence, including internment camp communications of Morton I. and Katherine; journals and diaries; published works and manuscripts of Morton J.; material related to Bracha Fuld's death; photographs; the Cellar Book Shop card catalog; also World War II-period artifacts, and Bracha's military ribbon.

Photographs and slides depicting Fuld and Netzorg families and their friends, Netzorgs' house in Detroit, Detroit street scenes, and the Cellar Book Shop. Of special interest are the World War II period photographs in the Morton I. and Katherine S. Netzorg part of the series depicting the conditions in liberated Philippines in 1945, military action and military life, and Jewish life in the U.S. military. Also of interest are the Fuld family photographs depicting Jewish life in Germany from the late 1800s to late 1930s. Slides with images taken during 1970s trips to the Philippines featuring Banaue, Cebu, Jolo, and Zamboanga, locations in the Southeast Asia, and Europe.

Recorded reminiscences of Morton J. Netzorg and Petra Fuld Netzorg.

Collection

Nursing History Society (University of Michigan) records, 1936-2003 (majority within 1956-2003)

9 linear feet

The Nursing History Society aims to preserve the history of nursing at the University of Michigan. Society was officially formed in 1983 with the purpose of engaging in activities directed toward the preservation of the history of nursing at the University of Michigan. Records include administrative files, meeting minutes, programs, membership materials, and reports; historical files date from 1936 and include materials on the subject of nursing history, class notes, nursing manuals, oral history tapes, and photographs.

The records for the Nursing History Society consist of administrative records, including minutes, programs, membership materials, and reports; historical files dating back to 1936, collected material on the subject of nursing history, University of Michigan nursing class notes, nursing manuals, oral history tapes, and photographs.

Collection

Original Dulcimer Players Club records, 1963-2012

0.5 linear feet — 1 box (contains audiotapes)

Organization dedicated to furthering "the art of playing the Hammered Dulcimer" founded in 1963 by Elgia C. Hickok in Michigan. Records include correspondence, minutes, newsletters, programs, event flyers, and oral histories, sound recordings of interviews and meetings, and photographs.

The Original Dulcimer Players Club records document the group's organization and activities from its founding in 1963. The records are arranged into six series: Administrative materials, Publications and events, Articles and newspaper clippings, Miscellaneous, Visual materials, and Audio materials.

Collection

Reginald F. Sharkey papers, 1953-2007 (majority within 1967-1991)

4.5 linear feet (in 6 boxes) — 1 oversize folder

Conservationist from Petoskey, Michigan who wrote columns and served as an environmental reporter for several regional newspapers; records include published newspaper columns and articles, drafts, photographs and negatives, and documentation relating to his conservation work.

The Reginald Sharkey collection consists of three series: Conservation Career, Writing Career, and Visual Materials. The collection's strength lies in drafts of Sharkey's columns, photographs, and drawings related to wildlife and the environment in Northern Michigan in the 1970s and 1980s.

Collection

Robert W. Fletcher papers, 1950-2004

0.4 linear feet — 3 digital video files

Online

Papers include correspondence, diary, clippings, and photographs relating to his experience as a prisoner; correspondence relating to his Purple Heart award and the Prisoner of War medal. Also included a memoir by Sidney Esensten about his experience as an American P.O.W. during the Korean War.

Visual materials include photos relating to his experience as a prisoner; videotape entitled "P.O.W.--Americans in Enemy Hands" (1986), which includes interview with Fletcher; videotape of 1990 presentation by Fletcher and three Tuskegee Airmen, African American World War II aviators, describing their military experiences, and an undated videotape "Priority: P.O.W."

Collection

Russell M. Magnaghi collection, 1890s-2009 (majority within 1977-2009)

3 linear feet — 1 oversize folder — 1.8 MB (online) — 7 digital audio files

Online
Russell M. Magnaghi is professor of history at Northern Michigan University. The collection consists of oral history recordings and transcripts and photographs, developed as part of Magnaghi's work in documenting history and ethnicity of the Upper Peninsula and Michigan in general.

The collection consists of three series developed as part of Magnaghi's work in documenting history and ethnicity of the Upper Peninsula and Michigan in general. The series are Italian-American Immigrant Oral History Series; Ethnic Heritage of Presque Isle County, Mich.; and Photographs.

Collection

Sherwin T. Wine papers, 1930s-2011

36.5 linear feet (in 42 boxes) — 1 oversize folder — 4.4 GB (online)

Online
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.

Collection

Tom Van Zoeren oral history collection, 1860s-2011 (majority within 2000-2010)

1.5 linear feet — 70.1 GB (online)

Online
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.

Information about selected interviews:
  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.