Collections

Reform Jewish temple located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Temple Beth Emeth shares facilities with St. Clare's Episcopal Church. Minutes of board and congregational meetings; publications include history of the temple and service bulletins; subject files relate to community involvement and issues; and visual materials.

The records of Temple Beth Emeth document the founding and growth of the Ann Arbor reformed congregation. The records include minutes of board and congregational meetings; publications, including history of the temple and service bulletins; subject files relating to community involvement and issues; and photographs.

The record group has been separated into seven series: Administrative; Leadership; Temple Organizations; Topical files: History, Membership, and Miscellaneous; Congregational Life; Genesis and Audio-Visual.

Professor at the University of Michigan (1965-1988). Director of Choirs, and respected conductor of choral music, well-known for his extensive repertoire and new interpretations of 20th century choral music. The collection includes photographs, video, press clippings, writings, correspondence, and programs documenting Hilbish's work as an instructor and conductor from 1948 to 2004.

The Thomas Hilbish papers document his educational background and his career as a conductor and choral instructor. The papers include performance material (scores, programs, publicity, photographs and videotapes) and teaching material. All phases of his career are included, from Princeton through to the University of Michigan as well as various visiting professorships. The papers are organized into five series: Biographical, Conducting Work, Programs, Teaching, and Audio-Visual Material.

Papers of Thomas M. Farrell, Michigan political journalist, editor, and State public information officer. Farrell started his career as a correspondent for the United Press International, was Congressman John C. Mackie Administrative Assistant (1965-1966), and at different times served as Public Information Officer for the Michigan State Highway Department (1959-1965) and for the Michigan Supreme Court (1985-1993), Public Information Director for the Michigan Department of Transportation (1966-1968) and Department Commerce (1969-1972), Assistant Superintendent for Public Affairs for the Michigan Department of Education (1972-1985), and as Director of Communications for Michigan Catholic Conference (1968-1969). Collection includes correspondence, research material and articles by and about Farrell, as well as material collected by Farrell on subjects of professional and personal interests, mostly related to Michigan politics, government, and political figures; also photographs and VHS videotapes.

The collection is organized into four series: Personal files, Professional files, Subject files, and Audio-Visual material.

Legal advisor to the Michigan A.F.L.-C.I.O. and the Democratic State Central Committee; vice chairman of the Michigan Constitutional Convention, 1961-1962; and member of the Michigan Employment Security Commission, 1949-1965. Correspondence, minutes, reports and newspaper clippings concerning the administrations of Michigan governors G. Mennen Williams and John B. Swainson, the problems of employment and unemployment, and the recount of the 1962 gubernatorial election in Minnesota won by Karl Rolvaag.

The Tom Downs collection includes correspondence, minutes, reports and newspaper clippings concerning the administrations of Michigan governors G. Mennen Williams and John B. Swainson, the problems of employment and unemployment, and the recount of the 1962 gubernatorial election in Minnesota won by Karl Rolvaag. The collection is organized in the following series: Political and other activities, 1949-1965; Michigan Employment Security Commission; Michigan Constitutional Convention and related; Miscellaneous; Sound Recordings; Visual Materials; Oral history project, 1995; and Writings, research, and later activities.

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.

Non-profit organization providing energy efficiency information and services to homes and businesses in Michigan. Name changed in 2009 to Michigan Energy Options. Collection includes administrative and financial files; records of grants, programs, and services; documentation of the Energy Demonstration House; records of the organization’s work with regional task forces and issue advocacy; seminar and curriculum development materials; printed brochures and newsletters; press releases and clippings; and photographs and slides of staff and volunteers, the Energy Demonstration House, and exhibits and events.

The Urban Options records provide an in-depth look at the work of this non-profit energy efficiency organization from its founding in 1978 until 2002. The collection documents how Urban Options was managed as it grew and integrated new services; how programs were developed and implemented; how the organization delivered its message of energy efficiency and sustainability through publications and media outreach, and how it sought institutional and individual support for its work. The records are arranged into eight series.

Records of University of Michigan office (and its predecessor administrative offices) responsible for external fund raising and development activities, including subject files of development officials Arthur Brandon, Lyle Nelson, and Michael Radock; staff files; and photographs.

The records of the Vice President for Development date from 1948 to the present and measure 39.5 linear feet. They reflect the basic concerns of the office for these four decades: preserving and improving the university's public image and planning major fundraising efforts. Unfortunately, both activities are incompletely documented. In the area of public relations the records tend to discuss how immediate problems will be dealt with, rather than overall conceptions of the university's image. The thought behind the innovative fundraising devices created or employed by the office is sometimes recorded through consultant reports, but in general is not well documented.

The manuscript records have been divided into two subgroups, one representing the records of the vice president (or senior staff person, for those years in which there was no vice presidency), the other containing records created by the development office. The Vice Presidents subgroup has been divided by the name of each person who has held the office: Arthur Brandon, Lyle Nelson, and Michael Radock. Researchers should note that since Nelson and Radock used their predecessor's files for some time before inaugurating their own records, the relationship between office tenure and file dates is not an exact one. The Development Office subgroup contains records of that office and its subsidiary units. Several accessions of Development Office records received in 1989 and 1990 have been grouped together as Development Office subgroup: 1989-1990 accessions.

American biographer; participated, researched, and wrote about individuals involved in movements central to New York City's Lower East Side, including the Beats and the Punks. Papers include correspondence, notes and notebooks, clippings, other resources, manuscripts (drafts, proofs, galleys), photographs, and audiovisual materials.

The Correspondence series is comprised of approximately 2.5 linear feet of material, foldered alphabetically by author with individual letters and cards within each folder arranged chronologically. The majority of the correspondence discusses Bockris' professional endeavors, including correspondence between publishers, lawyers, and sources. Additionally included are some personal correspondence such as letters, notes, and cards. Within the series are several notable, lengthy correspondence partners including Isabelle and Jean Louis Baudron, 1984-1997 (5 folders); Gerard Malanga, 1977-1996 (10 folders); Miles, 1977-1998 (7 folders); Elvira Peake, 1984-1999 (5 folders); Claude and Mary Beach Pelieu, 1983-1996 (5 folders); and especially Ingrid von Essen, 1983-2001 (31 folders); Christopher Whent, 1985-2002 (7 folders); and Andrew Wylie, 1974-2000 (41 folders). Correspondence with von Essen is of particular note as she was both a professional collaborator and personal friend of Bockris, and in addition to incoming correspondence, outgoing correspondence from Bockris to von Essen, 1977-2001 (17 folders), is included in the series.

The series also includes correspondence from notable individuals, poets such as Anne Waldman and Allen Ginsberg, John Giorno, Jeff Goldberg, artists and personalities including Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Art Garfunkel, Bobby Grossman, John Waters, Aram Saroyan, and book subjects Bebe Buell, William Burroughs, Debbie Harry, and Terry Southern.

The Notebooks and Journals series is comprised of approximately .5 linear feet, and consists of 17 volumes or items (including one that is oversize). The volumes' contents seem to span the range of Bockris' subjects, although it is difficult to discern the exact contents given the handwriting.

The Topical Files series is approximately .25 linear feet, and contains materials surrounding important topics and persons to Bockris' work. Included in the files are coverage on the subject matter of writing biographies, manuscript fragments, and information on various personalities including those that were featured in some of Bockris' work, like Lydia Lunch, collaborators including Andrew Wylie and Gerard Melanga, and individuals whom Bockris pursued as potential biography subjects such as Art Garfunkel.

The Events series is approximately .1 linear feet, and contains gallery invitations and speaking engagements sent to Bockris. These materials do not correspond specifically to any of Bockris' works, nor do they involve him as an artist or speaker, and thus are separated into their own series.

The Muhammed Ali series is approximately .5 linear feet and pertains to the works that Bockris wrote about Muhammed Ali. Although one of the smaller series of Bockris' works within the collection, it still contains a multitude of information, and is broken down into six subseries: Correspondence; Notes and Notebooks; Scrapbook; Clippings and Articles; Manuscripts; and Reviews. The correspondence is primarily from 1993-2002 and consists of letters between Bockris and his publishers. Within this subseries, items are arranged chronologically by date. The Notes and Notebooks, and Scrapbook subseries both contain Bockris' thoughts and collections of information he gathered on Muhammed Ali. Similarly, the Clippings and Articles subseries contain assorted clippings and photocopies of text about Ali. The Manuscript subseries contains drafts of four works that Bockris wrote about Ali, and the Reviews subseries contains clippings and photocopies of reviews of these works.

The Beat Punks series is approximately 1.5 linear feet, and contains materials related to the subjects within Bockris' Beat Punks book (also published as NYC Babylon) and related works. Correspondence within this series is primarily from Bockris' publisher. The series contains significant information on Allen Ginsberg, including a scrapbook, clippings and articles, and the National Arts Club Literary Aware Dinner manuscript. Other notable individuals mentioned in this series include clippings and articles related to Lydia Lunch and a transcript documenting an interview between Bockris and Legs McNeil.

The Blondie/Debbie Harry series is approximately 2.25 linear feet, and its contents pertain to both Blondie and its lead singer Debbie Harry. Also heavily represented is Blondie member (and Harry's former partner), Chris Stein. Although the Correspondence subseries mostly concerns the book and publishers, there is a handwritten letter by Debbie Harry. The Transcripts subseries features numerous transcriptions of interviews and conversations featuring both Harry and Stein. Other resources noted within the series include both song lyrics and visual materials such as images of both Harry and Blondie.

The manuscript series fastidiously documents the evolution of the Making Tracks monograph written by Bockris, Harry, and Stein. Included are multiple, often annotated drafts of the manuscript beginning with when it was still referred to as Above Fourteenth Street. This documented evolution continues even after the manuscript was renamed to Making Tracks, and includes not only drafts but galleys, sample layouts, second blues, and book covers. In addition to this manuscript, also included are drafts of From Eat to the Beat to Autoamerican and Meeting Famous People.

The smallest series (.2 linear feet) within the collection documenting one of Bockris' works, the Bebe Buell series documents Bockris' and Buell's biography, Rebel Heart. The Correspondence subseries is comprised of two handwritten letters to Bockris from Buell. However, the most notable items within the series are a series of photocopied love letters written by Elvis Costello to Buell. Additionally included are several drafts of Rebel Heart, and documentation of legal issues concerning quotes within the book.

The William Burroughs series is 1.25 linear feet and contains an assortment of materials used by Bockris to write his works on Burroughs. The Correspondence subseries includes letters from publishers and sources, as well as from Burroughs himself, including a small painting sent to Bockris as a Christmas card. The Events subseries includes several gallery invitations specifically sent to Bockris, as well as postcards of his own speaking engagement, In America All We Do is Work.

The Transcripts subseries includes transcripts featuring a wide breadth of individuals such as William Burroughs, James Grauerholz, Richard Hell, Debbie Harry, Christ Stein, Allen Ginsberg, Jean Michel Basquait. Also found in this subseries are transcripts from Burroughs interviewing Patti Smith.

Finally, the Manuscript subseries includes several drafts of many of the works Bockris wrote about Burroughs (including A Report from the Bunker and With William Burroughs). Also included are drafts of shorter works, including the cover, back copy and page mock ups of William Burroughs Cool cats, furry cats, and aliens, but no purring, which Bockris printed in a limited edition of only 100 copies, each of which he signed and numbered.

The John Cale series is .75 linear feet and documents the writing of Cale's biography, as well as the related disagreements about its publication between Cale and Lou Reed.

The Correspondence subseries primarily consists of letters from Lou Reed, Sylvia Reed, and Chris Whent, documenting legal issues and disagreements between Cale and Reed, concerning their past as members of the Velvet Underground, and potential future as collaborators. Also of note are items from Mo Tucker (another member of the Velvet Underground).

Also included is the Other Resources subseries, which contains papers about Cale, his assorted lyrics and writings, and album covers. The Manuscripts subseries provides insight into Cale's biography from proposal, to early draft, to proof, to galleys. The series concludes with clippings and photocopies of What's Welsh for Zen reviews.

At approximately 12.5 linear feet, the Lou Reed series is the largest within the Bockris Collection. Each of its subseries, Correspondence; Notes and Notebooks; Clippings and Articles; Events; Sketchbooks; Transcripts; Other Resources; Manuscripts; and Reviews are sizeable and detailed, providing an enlightening look into Bockris' research and writing processes.

The Correspondence subseries contains numerous letters both from publishers and sources, the most notable of whom include Shelley Corwin (nee Albin), Reed's former girlfriend, Elizabeth Kronstad, Reed's first wife, and Andrew Wylie, Bockris' agent and former collaborator who struck up a friendship with Reed. The Notes and Notebooks subseries is extensive, containing a variety of notes, some of which were arranged by Bockris by subject, and others which were arranged by year. Bockris also participated in several speaking engagements related to his Lou Reed book, the promotional materials for which are documents in the Events subseries.

In addition to notes, Bockris's research also generated a vast quantity of clippings and articles (11 folders), serials and books (7 folders), and an assortment of Lexis-Nexis article print outs, spanning the years 1950 – 1989. Bockris also filled seven volumes of sketchbooks (the Sketchbooks subseries) with Lou Reed Content. Also utilized as source material, Bockris conducted numerous taped interviews, many of which were transcribed and are contained within the Transcriptions subseries. Interviewees of note include Shelley Corwin (nee Albin), Roberta Bayley, Legs McNeil, Richard Mishkin, Billy Name, Bob Quine, Lou Reed, Maureen Tucker, Chris Whent, and Andrew Wylie.

Other Resources also played a role in Bockris' research, and may be found in the subseries of the same name. Included are Reed's college magazine, The Lonely Woman Quarterly, Lou Reed: The Collected Lyrics, and information from Lou Reed's fan club. However, the most extensive portion of this series is the Manuscript subseries which documents Bockris' Transformer: The Lou Reed Story from early proposal all the way to U.S. galleys as well as the U.K. edition galleys, providing a meticulous documentation of the book's evolution. The drafts are organized based on the various arrangements that Bockris utilized. Similar to the arrangement of the Notes and Notebooks subseries, this results in some of the drafts organized chronologically by year range, and others organized by subject or chapter. Numerous final drafts are also included, which reveal different versions of the monograph in its entirety. The series concludes with the Reviews subseries, containing clippings and photocopies the book's reviews.

The Keith Richards series is approximately 3.75 linear feet, and documents Bockris' writing of Keith Richards. Most of the Correspondence subseries is comprised of communications from publishers and fans, however, there are several handwritten letters from Richards' former girlfriend, Anita Pallenberg, although they merely describe materials she sent to Bockris as well as signed certification that the information she provided is truthful. The arrangement of the Notes and Notebooks subseries remains as Bockris sent it, chronological and divided by year. Additional background materials may be found in the Sketchbook, Scrapbook, and Clippings and Articles subseries, the last of which includes copies of Rolling Stones newsletters Beggars Banquet and Basement News. Bockris also made use of taped interviews, the transcripts of which are provided in the Transcripts subseries, including one between him and Marianne Faithful. The Manuscript subseries contains an assortment of drafts of Bockris' work on Richards. These range from drafts focusing on specific people or time period to edited galley proofs and book covers. This broad spectrum of the manuscript provides a view inside Bockris' writing process and style. Finally, the Reviews subseries includes clippings and photocopies of reviews of this work.

The Patti Smith series is composed of approximately .75 linear feet of materials, documenting Bockris' writing of Patti Smith: A Biography. The Correspondence series primarily documents the communication between Bockris and his publisher, Fourth Estate. The remaining subseries, Notes and Notebooks; Scrapbook; Events; Clippings and Articles; and Other Resources all provide background materials for Bockris' writing.

The Manuscript subseries recounts Bockris' writing process, beginning with the early draft of Smith's biography, and ending with several portions of the finished work including the unbound galley, index, cover image, and image galleys. Also included are several drafts documenting the process Bockris underwent to get from early draft to completed galley. The final subseries, Reviews, provides clippings and photocopies of the book's reviews.

At .25 linear feet, the Terry Southern series is one of the smaller series in the collection that describes one of Bockris' works. Correspondence in this series includes a letter written by Southern, as well as several letters by Lee Hill (a Terry Southern biographer) written to Bockris. Also included is a Transcript subseries which features the transcript of a conversation between Southern and William Burroughs. The largest portion of the series is the Other Resources subseries containing several works by Southern and Hill. Unlike the other series documenting Bockris' works, the Southern series provides very little Manuscript subseries content. Indeed, the only item is an untitled early draft. Thus, in this case, little insight is provided into Bockris' writing process or the final work.

The Velvet Underground series is approximately .5 linear feet, and documents the making of Bockris' Uptight: The Story of the Velvet Underground. The Correspondence subseries mainly contains communication from publishers. The bulk of the contents in this series are research materials, including subseries Notes and Notebooks; Clippings and Articles; and Other resources which includes an interview with former Velvet Underground member Moe Tucker. The Events subseries provides information on several speaking engagement of which Bockris was a part.

The Manuscript subseries has two drafts, but is primarily composed of galleys, both for the U.K. edition in 2002 and the new edition. The Reviews subseries contains numerous clipped and photocopied reviews of the book. Also of interest is that some of Bockris' materials, ranging from notes to drafts also appear to have been referenced and utilized during the writing process of his Transformer: The Lou Reed Story book. The Andy Warhol series is approximately 3.5 linear feet. The bulk of the Correspondence subseries is comprised of communication between Bockris and his publishers. However, there are two letters of note, both from Warhol's brother, John Warhola, written directly to Bockris. Also included with one of these letters is a photograph of Bockris at Warhol's grave, taken by Warhola.

Much of the background research for the work is found in the Notes and Notebooks, Clippings and Articles, and Other Resources subseries. The Events subseries includes promotional materials for several speaking engagements made by Bockris as well as student feedback on a lecture presented by Bockris. The Manuscripts subseries documents the evolution of Bockris' The Life and Death of Andy Warhol from original manuscript to page proofs. Additionally included are drafts of related pieces written by Bockris including How I wrote a Biography of Andy Warhol and Pittsburgh Andy. Also included is the Reviews subseries which provides numerous clippings and photocopies of reviews of Bockris' pieces on Warhol. The series concludes with the Scripts subseries which includes several scripts based on Warhol's life and Bockris' biography. These include a potential script for Andy Warhol the Motion Picture and several annotated copies of the script Pop.

The Proposals and Drafts series is approximately .75 linear feet and documents an assortment of research on proposed subject including Ornette Coleman, Dennis Hopper, Fred Hughes, and Charles Plymell. Also included are collaborative pieces with Andrew Wylie like Which Way Did Doris Day Go? drafts of Bockris' shorter works such as Negative Girls and some of his Gadfly pieces. The Photographs series is approximately 2.25 linear feet. The photographs are primarily arranged by subject, including many of the subjects of Bockris' books (Ali, Blondie/Debbie Harry, Burroughs, Cale, Reed, Richards, Smith, the Velvet Underground, and Warhol). Photographs featuring unidentifiable or multiple subjects were filed under "Various." Additionally, there is a folder of negatives. Also included are three volumes of Bockris Contact sheets, chronologically divided into three binders, and covering 1972-2001 in total. Three more binders create the three volumes of Photographs by Victor Bockris, with each binder focusing on a different subject, Burroughs, Warhol, and Ginsberg respectfully. Finally, additional photographic materials may be found in the two oversize boxes, including the AliWarhol 24 Panel Piece, a Debbie Harry photograph, and various photographs. The Audiovisual subseries is approximately 2.5 linear feet, primarily containing cassettes of taped interviews conducted by Bockris. Of particular interest are interviews including Burroughs, Jaguar, Warhol, Ali, John Warhola (Warhol's brother), Buell, Harry, Stein, Cale, the Allen Ginsberg Memorial at the Poetry Project, Gerard Melanga, Legs McNeil, Roberta Bayley, Chris Whent, and Sterling Morrison. Also included among the cassettes are various published materials such as Lou Reed albums. In addition to the cassettes, a Terry Southern CD is also included. The VHS tapes found within this series are primarily published and feature Lou Reed. Similarly, the LPs in this series are all published. Most of these records feature Bockris' subjects including Blondie/Debbie Harry, Cale, Reed, and the Velvet Underground. Other notable individuals include Susan Sontag and Maureen Tucker. Cassette tapes from boxes 36 and 38 have been reformatted and CD use copies have been created. Use copies are located in boxes 45-47

This collection includes material regarding the activities of the Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc., Chapter 9 (Detroit, Mich.). Some members of this group have also been involved in the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) State of Michigan Council, as well as the Michigan Veterans Trust Fund and Vietnam Monument Commission so materials from these groups have also been included in this collection.

This collection has five series: Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. Chapter 9 (Detroit), Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc., Michigan Veterans Trust Fund, Vietnam Monument Commission, and Audio and visual material. Records in this collection include administrative documents, Vietnam Veterans of American national convention materials, and VVA chapter newsletters and publications.