Collections

The Alumni Association of the University of Michigan was established in 1897 following a consolidation of the Society of Alumni with the alumni societies of the professional schools. The Michigan Alumnus became the association's official organ. As the organization grew, local chapters were established and provided greater structure. The records include files pertaining to the Alumni Association's administrative office and various chapters and interests groups. This includes national and international U-M alumni and alumnae clubs, the Alumnae Council, the Society of Alumni, the University of Michigan Black Alumni (UMBA-formerly the African American Alumni Council (AAC)), and the Reunion of Black Graduates (RBG). The records include but are not limited to correspondence, minutes, reports, and survey responses, audiovisual materials, digital files, photographs, and publications.

The collection spans 1845-2001. The textual records of the Alumni Association (boxes 1-133) are largely unprocessed, and are described in only general terms in this finding aid. Exceptions include files maintained by Marjorie Williams who served as the vice chair and chair of the Alumnae Council from 1960 to 1962, Class Reunion files, and Topical Files.

Additions to the collection (boxes 168-171) incorporate records, audiovisual materials, photographs, and publications pertaining to the University of Michigan Black Alumni (UMBA). To note are materials specifically related to the African American Alumni Council (AAAC)-formerly the UMBA, and the Reunion of Black Graduates (RBG). This includes information about the Dr. Leonard F. Sain Award, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. scholarship and symposium, the Camp Michigania retreat, and annual reunion for black graduates photographs, planning materials, and souvenir books.

The University of Michigan's highest governing body is the Board of Regents. The Regents deal with virtually every aspect of university policy and campus life. The records of the Regents reflect this broad range of interests and authority. This record group contains exhibits from meetings beginning in 1899. These exhibits are the most complete record of the actions of the Regents, supplementing and detailing the published minutes Proceedings of the Board of Regents. Additional documentation in this record group includes manuscript minutes, 1837-1870, correspondence, material by and about the Regents, photographs, audio recordings of meetings, 1977-2011, and material on recent presidential searches.

As the official governing body of the university, the Regents deal with virtually every aspect of university policy and life. The records of the Regents--which includes exhibits of Regents' meetings, topical files, correspondence files, audio and visual material, and archived web content--reflect this broad range of interests and authority. But while the documentation is wide-ranging, it is not continuous. Certain types of records are continually before the Regents, particularly information regarding salaries, leaves of absence, appointments to faculty positions, and formal approval of degrees conferred upon students. More often, however, the Regents are presented with a specific problem and asked to resolve it through the creation of policy. After the creation and successful implementation of a policy, the situation which caused the issue to arise is usually no longer a matter of Regental concern. The Regents' records reflect this pattern of action. Issues arise, are resolved, and then are supplanted by new concerns.

Professor of Speech at the University of Michigan and active participant in local, national, and university theater. The collection includes correspondence, press, and programs and photos documenting various theatrical productions.

This collection documents Claribel Baird Halstead’s life as an educator, theatrical director, and actress. It provides insight into the development and history of theater at the University of Michigan and into Claribel’s specific contributions. The collection is divided into five series: Personal Papers, Professional Papers, Audiovisual Materials, Theater Programs, and Published plays.

Papers of David M. Dennison, professor of physics at the University of Michigan; contain lecture notes and exam materials, correspondence, speeches, files relating to research in theoretical physics, University of Michigan and travel files.

The David M. Dennison Papers contain both the personal correspondence of the Dennison family and items relating to David M. Dennison's research and teaching while at the University of Michigan.

The first part of the collection is correspondence from 1894-1896 from James Lutheran Dennison and his wife to their son Walter Dennison, the father of David M. Dennison. One folder contains correspondence from George Dennison and his wife Nina to his brother Walter Dennison also from the 1890s.

Biographical and personal materials for David M Dennison are comprised of letters from David M. Dennison and his wife, Helen Lenette Johnson, memorial materials from David's death, home finances, and travel information. Family documents in this collection are comprised mostly of his son Edwin's Ph.D. research at the University of Michigan. Dennison's papers include various speeches, articles, and other writings about the physics he was studying, primarily focused on the later part of Dennison's time at the University. Materials from the University of Michigan include lecture notes and exams from the many physics classes Dennison taught. Documents relating to administration of the physics department and David's colleagues are also a part of this collection. Of note is David and Helen's correspondence and connection to the Niels Bohr Institute.

Audio-visual materials in the collection include photographs of David and Helen from the early 1900s through the 1970s. There are also two cassette tapes with recording of talks given by David, as well as photograph negatives and spectroscopic plates, lantern slides depicting astronomical images pertaining to his astro-physics research.

Correspondence, topical files, photographs, and printed material relating to the operation and activities of the department, primarily after 1960 during the administrations of Warner Rice, Russell A. Fraser, John L. Styan, Jay L. Robinson, John R. Knott, Robert Weisbuch, and Martha Vicinus; also include scattered files before 1960 and after 1979.

The bulk of the records of the Department of English Language and Literature are from the years 1960 to 1979 and generally coincide with the chairmanships of Warner Rice, Russell Fraser, John Styan, and Jay Robinson. The records primarily document the internal workings of the department and its relationship with other units in the university. The majority of the records were created by the department itself and consist of minutes of committee and faculty meetings, correspondence, department reviews, course outlines, position requests, and newsletters and publications.

The records of the Department of English Language and Literature are divided into seven series: Correspondence, Topical Files, Photographs, Executive Committee, Chair's Files, Presentations, and Faculty Files.

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.

Professor of community and adult education at the University of Michigan; correspondence, writings, teaching material, subject files relating in part to his university activities, the Adult Education Association, and the American Youth Commission; also photographs and sound tapes.

The papers of Howard Yale McClusky span the years 1921 to 1982. They include correspondence, clippings, bibliographies, speaking notes, reports, teaching material, minutes, photographs, and sound tapes. The bulk of the-papers are the files he kept in his office in the Department of Community and Adult Education. Every important aspect of McClusky's professional career is documented. His non-professional interests--such as his work with religious groups--and his personal life are only lightly touched upon in the collection.

The arrangement has tried to respect the original order of the papers. However, in order to highlight McClusky's most important commitments, some material was removed from his "Topical File" and consolidated into separate series. Respecting original order meant, among other things, leaving correspondence scattered throughout the collection in different subject folders. Only loose letters or folders composed entirely of letters were grouped in the Correspondence series.

The papers have been divided into eleven series: Personal and Biographical; Correspondence; Writings; Teaching Materials; Department of Community and Adult Education; Adult Education Association; American Youth Commission; Topical File; Visual Materials; Sound tapes; and Miscellaneous.

Professor of economics at University of Michigan, referee with National Railroad Adjustment Board, member and chairman of various emergency and arbitration boards under Railroad Labor Act. Professional papers largely concerning his work toward the settlement of labor disputes, the publication of his books, his work on establishing a Zionist movement in Michigan, 1914-1918, especially in correspondence with Louis D. Brandeis and Horace M. Kallen; and photographs.

The Sharfman papers have been arranged into the following series: Correspondence; Professional activities; Writings; Addresses and Lectures; Other activities and interests; and University of Michigan.

University of Michigan professor of political science, special advisor to the U.S. Military Government in Germany after World War II, participant in numerous government commissions; papers include correspondence, working files, speeches, course materials, and visual and sound materials.

The James K. Pollock papers represent an accumulation of files from a lifetime of academic teaching and research and an extraordinary number of public service responsibilities to both his state and his nation. The files within the collection fall into two categories: types of document (such as correspondence, speeches and writings, visual materials, etc.) and files resulting from a specific activity or position (such as his work as delegate to the Michigan Constitutional Convention or his service with the Office of the Military Government in Germany after World War II).

The collection is large and of a complicated arrangement because of Pollock's many activities. When received in 1969, the files were maintained as received; very little processing was done to the collection so that an inventory to the papers could be quickly prepared. The order of material is that devised by James K. Pollock and his secretarial staff in the U-M Department of Political Science. Recognizing the anomalies within the order of the collection, the library made the decision to list the contents to the collection while at the same time preparing a detailed card file index (by box and folder number, i.e. 16-8) to significant correspondents and subjects. While there was much to be said for this method of preparing a finding aid expeditiously, it also covered up some problems in arrangement. Thus series and subseries of materials are not always grouped together as they were created by Pollock. Files on the Hoover Commission and the Michigan Constitutional Convention, for example, come before Pollock's work in Germany after the war. In 1999, effort was made to resolve some of the inconsistencies and obvious misfilings of the first inventory but because of the numbering system used in 1969 and the card index prepared for the files, there are still some problems. Researchers should be alert to these difficulties and take time to examine different parts of the collection for material on a similar topic.

Public health physician and director of the Division of Hygiene, Public Health, and Physical Education at the University of Michigan, 1921-1941, papers include correspondence, administrative reports and studies, working files, minutes of meetings attended, manuscripts of writings, and photographs.

John Sundwall was an important figure in public health education, and his papers reflect his broad interests in this area. As a University of Michigan administrator and educator and as an involved member of various professional groups, Sundwall was a thoughtful leader in discussions pertaining to the kind of education and course offerings individuals in various public health positions should receive. More an educator and administrator than a researcher, Sundwall was a responsible and dedicated thinker in the development of public health as a respected profession.

The John Sundwall papers, covering the years 1921 to 1944, consist mainly of records maintained by Sundwall in his capacity as director of the University of Michigan Division of Hygiene and Public Health. There are no papers prior to his coming to Michigan in 1921 and only scattered papers after 1941 when the School of Public Health was established.

The Sundwall collection consists of correspondence, administrative reports and studies, working files, minutes of meetings attended, manuscripts of writings, and photographs.

The collection has been grouped into the following series: Biographical/background information, Correspondence, University of Michigan Division of Hygiene and Public Health, University of Michigan Topical, Organizations, Topical file, Writings, and Photographs.