Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

Materials surrounding the career of Jewish American politician, women's rights advocate, and the University of Michigan alumna (1968) Maxine L. Berman who served in the Michigan House of Representatives between 1982 and 1996. The collection contains biographical information, correspondence, legislative documents, collected publications, speeches, an audio recording of an interview, and other materials on subjects such as women's health and reproductive rights, education reform, civil rights, election law, and fiscal concerns.

This collection primarily focuses on Berman's political career during her tenure with the Michigan House of Representatives from 1982 to 1996. Biographical materials include an audio interview of Berman discussing her experience as a delegate to the 1976 Democratic National Convention, materials pertaining to her book The Only Boobs in the House Are Men: A Veteran Woman Legislator Lifts the Lid on Politics Macho Style, photographs, and numerous articles highlighting her career, as well as women in politics.

The collection also includes correspondence, publications, reports, speeches, and other materials primarily focusing on civil rights, education reform, election law, fiscal concerns, and women's health and reproductive rights. Of particular note are materials pertaining to the death penalty and assisted suicide; the performance, curriculum, and operation of charter schools; legislative redistricting; voter registration and campaign finance reform; financial mismanagement at the House Fiscal Agency; the Balanced Budget Amendment; and issues surrounding women's health and reproductive rights including the legalization of abortion and related issues surrounding informed and parental consent.

Other materials in the collection touch upon issues surrounding informed consent for breast cancer treatment options, the accreditation of mammography facilities in Michigan, flag burning, and family values, including materials focusing on the Michigan Department of Social Service's (DSS) attempt to reunite incest victims with their offenders.

Founded in 2001 as the Center for Religion and Society at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, the Center houses and supports the interdisciplinary minor in Religious Studies, and advances research on religion and its relationship to American society. The Pluralism Project, developed by Claude Jacobs, focused on religion and religious communities in Detroit, Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties, Michigan. The Center's records primarily document the Pluralism Project and the files of the director, Claude Jacobs. The collection also contains publications and printed material from religious communities across Michigan.

The Center for Ethnic and Religious Studies records primarily document the Pluralism Project collaboration between the University of Michigan-Dearborn and Harvard University. The records highlight communities within the southeast Michigan and the greater Detroit area in particular, as well as the Pluralism Project itself.

Claude Jacobs' Director's files document his time as Director of the Pluralism Project and professor at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

The collection also includes Michigan religious communities material includes inspirational/instructional texts, pamphlets, fliers, newsletters, community outreach, and various programs.

Papers of Pun Plamondon, activist, writer, and journalist who in 1968 co-founded the White Panther Party with John Sinclair. Papers include material related to Plamondon's political activism in the late 1960s-early 1970s, material related to the White Panthers Party, the Rainbow People's Party, and Plamondon's relationship with John Sinclair, as wells as material related to law suits against Plamondon and his trials, most notably United States v. U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, et al. and the State of Michigan v. Craig Blazier and Lawrence R. (Pun) Plamondon. Also material related to his autobiographical writings.

The Pun Plamondon papers mostly include material related to his political activism in the late 1960s-early 1970s, legal trials, and imprisonment.

Republican member of the Michigan state legislature (House and Senate, 1971-1990); governor of Michigan (1991-2003); active member of the Republican Governors' Association and the National Governors' Association. The Engler collection consists primarily of materials created and maintained by Governor Engler and his staff during the period when he was governor, 1991-2003. Other records include papers from his several terms in the Michigan House and the Michigan Senate. The collection includes papers files, photographs, sound recordings, videotapes, memorabilia, and some electronic files. The gubernatorial files are arranged mainly by unit or functional responsibility within the governor's office. These series are Executive Office, Communications Division, Legal Division, State Government Affairs, Legislative Affairs Division, Operations Division, External Affairs, Scheduling, Washington DC Office, and Office of the First Lady. Topics extensively documented include state welfare and school funding reform, reorganization of state boards and commissions, notably the restructuring of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and Republican party politics.

The John Engler papers are the most important source available for the study of Michigan's state government from 1991 to 2002. The collection is particularly strong on the topics of welfare and school funding reform, state government reorganization and the rising impact of the National Governors' Association in state and national politics. Engler's efforts to attract commerce to Michigan are also well-documented. The materials are arranged into two main subgroups: Pre-gubernatorial Papers and Gubernatorial Papers. The bulk of the material relates to Engler's gubernatorial career, therefore, the analysis that follows focuses primarily on this subgroup.

The materials in the "Gubernatorial Papers" subgroup are arranged according to the offices and subdivisions of the governor's office that created them. This means that the governor's speeches and press releases, for example, may be found within a grouping or "series" called "Communications Division," within the "Gubernatorial" subgroup, while legislative histories for various public acts may be found within the "Legislative Affairs" series.

While some kinds of documents were produced uniquely by one division, other kinds were produced in several divisions of the governor's office. The governor's correspondence, for example, was drafted and approved by several different staff members. Letters to important business and political leaders may be found within the "Executive Office" series, the "State Government Affairs" series, and the "Washington DC Office" series in particular. There no comprehensive chronological correspondence file.

In using the collection, the researcher should think functionally and ask who would have created the information sought. For example, the policy advisors in the State Government Affairs Division created individual topical files which gathered together correspondence and research materials to support briefing memoranda which they presented to the governor, while the speechwriters in the Communications Division often gathered different types of materials to help them shape the presentation of the same policies to the public.

Ann Arbor, Michigan, radio personality and member of the Ann Arbor (Mich.) Board of Education, 1968-1973. Materials relating to his service on the school board; subjects covered include disruptions in the schools, teacher strikes, alleged racial and sexual bias in the school system, and the searches for school superintendents.

The papers of Ted Heusel relate to his tenure on the Ann Arbor Board of Education. While the dates of the collection are 1968-1974, the bulk of the material is from 1972-1973. The collection has been arranged into six series: Correspondence, Memoranda, Minutes and Notes, Topical Files, Reports, and Sound Recordings.

The Correspondence and Memoranda series consist basically of communications between board members and school administrators, but including also some communications with teachers and parents. These files are in chronological order.

Minutes and Notes have been arranged chronologically by type of meeting: briefing session, executive session, or regular meeting. There are no minutes and notes for 1971.

Topical Files are in alphabetical order. Included in these files are clippings, minutes and recommendations of various committees, curriculum guides data sheets, and surveys. many of the concerns of the Board at this time, such as discipline policy, a humaneness in education policy, multi-ethnic curriculum, and the formulation of goals and objectives for the school system, are documented in this series of the collection.

The Reports relate to both the educational program and to physical facilities of the Ann Arbor Public Schools.

The Sound Recordings were prepared in the early 1970's in conjunction with Heusel's radio program, and are not directly related to the Board of Education. They do, however, include the opinions of listeners who called in to express their views during the teachers' strike as well as news, interviews, and comments on other local events and personalities.

Soldier with C-Company, 307th Engineering Platoon, 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, in Vietnam, includes recorded letters sent home while stationed in Vietnam, 1968-1969; and photographic snapshots of Shepard, other members of his company, and the areas in Vietnam where they were stationed.

The Robert Shepard collection includes recorded letters (18, 3-inch reel-to-reel tapes) sent home while stationed in Vietnam, 1968-1969; and photographic snapshots of Shepard, other members of his company, and the areas in Vietnam where they were stationed. The Photogaphs consist of two photo albums and two envelopes full of loose photographs as well as scans of the photo albums created by the donor.

The recordings consist of 18 audio letters sent to his family from Vietnam. These were sent through the army mail's "Voices from Home" program using 3M's "Living Letters" brand.

Political organization supporting the Democratic ticket for President in 1968. Correspondence and financial records concerning the campaign; also papers and photographs concerning the pre-convention campaign for the nomination of Hubert Humphrey for President.

The record group consists of correspondence, memoranda, organizational papers, a financial report, and delegate material from the Democratic National Convention. There is, in addition, a folder of campaign photos and a reel-to-reel tape of a campaign message.

Program Director at the Ark, Ann Arbor, Michigan music club. The collection includes the Ark's financial records and select correspondence, printed materials such as concert calendars, flyers, and posters, sound recordings, photographs of Ark performances, informal snapshots and publicity photos of performers.

The Dave Siglin papers date from 1968-2008 and primarily document Siglin's management role at the Ark, an Ann Arbor music club. The papers have been arranged into four series: Administrative Records; Printed Materials; Photographs; Sound Recordings.

Detroit portrait painter and feminist activist. Correspondence, printed material, newspaper clippings, photographs, reports, speeches, articles and other papers documenting her career as an artist, and with the Michigan Women's Commission, the National Association of Commissions for Women, the National Organization for Women (NOW) and other civic, Republican, and feminist organizations.

While most of the material relates directly to Patricia Hill Burnett, the papers also relate to the more general women's movement during the 1970s and early 1980s.

Douglas Ross (1942- ) is a Michigan political figure. He has been active in many political organizations and the Democratic party and served as Michigan Director of Commerce and United States Assistant Secretary of Labor. He also ran, unsuccessfully, for governor of Michigan in 1998. Ross' main concerns are economic policy and education. He currently runs a charter school in Detroit, Michigan. The papers cover most of his career, especially as Michigan Senator and at the Department of Labor, and include his notes and articles, correspondence, publications, and videotapes.

Former member of the Word of God, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Catholic Pentecostal community. Reports, meeting materials, evaluations of the community's leadership, prophecies, printed materials, audiotapes of meetings, and photographs.

The collection consists of materials accumulated by Thomas Yoder and relating to the Word of God community. The collection consists mainly of paper files, sound recordings, and videotapes.

This record group pertains to the University of Michigan Department of Afroamerican and African Studies and to campus, regional, and national organizations devoted to political and civil rights causes from the 1960s to the 1990s. The collection includes print documents, photographs, and audio-visual material that document racial harassment incidents, political protests, scholarly conferences and symposia, MLK Day celebrations and black student life on the U-M campus. There are also materials about the civil rights movement of the 1960s and the anti-apartheid and divestment movements of the 1980s. Originally a Center, the unit was formally recognized as a department of the College of Literature, Science and the Arts in 2011.

The records of the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies (DAAS; formerly known as the Center for Afroamerican and African Studies, or CAAS) include correspondence, syllabi, clippings, publicity materials, photographs and audio and video recordings of campus speakers. The record group includes archival material that was originally collected and made available in DAAS's library relating to black activism and to organizations of interest to black students, faculty and staff, as well as DAAS's own organizational archives. Because these materials have been consulted and cited by researchers prior to their transfer to the Bentley in 2011, their original arrangement has been preserved so far as possible.

Paper and photographic records consist of three major series: Black student activism, 1969-2001 (5.5 linear feet), Blacks at U-M, 1969-2007 (4.5 linear feet) and Organizational archives of CAAS, 1962-2010 (17 linear feet) (formerly designated simply "Archives.") There is some overlap of subject matter. These categories reflect the organization of the materials imposed by CAAS librarians and archivists prior to transfer to the Bentley in 2011.

The following list identifies the greatest concentration of material relevant to some of the notable subjects in the collection:

1. The Black Action Movements (Boxes 1-2 and 55)
2. Incidents of on-campus harassment and responses (Boxes 1, 2, 4)
3. South Africa, apartheid, and divestment -- (Boxes 2, 3, 5)
4. Free South Africa Coordinating Committee (Box 3)
5. Washtenaw County Coalition Against Apartheid (Box 5)
6. United Coalition Against Racism and the Baker-Mandela Center (Boxes 1, 4, 5)
7. The Michigamua controversy (Box 3)
8. The Nelson Mandela Honorary Degree Petition (Boxes 3, 11)
9. Gulf War activism (Boxes 3, 4)

This record group also includes a large number of audio and video recordings of presentations, interviews, documentaries, and cultural performances from the 1970s to the 1990s. The recordings include several notable faculty members, visiting scholars, and activists, including Harold Cruse, Cornell West, Rita Dove, Jesse Jackson, Angela Davis, Marian Wright Edelman and Rosa Parks.

The audio-visual material in the collection is organized is organized in to six series by format: Audio recordings on cassettes, 1975-2001 (486 cassettes, 9 linear feet), U-Matic videotapes, 1971-1989 (91 videotapes, 9.1 linear ft.) VHS videotapes, 1971-2004 (131 videotapes, 7 linear feet), Open reel videotapes, 1971-1980 (12 videotapes, 1 linear feet), Reel-to-reel audiotape, 1971, 1980 and undated (4 audiotapes, 0.3 linear feet) and Mini DVDs, 1999-2000 and undated (24 Mini-DVDs, 0.2 linear feet).

Records of the Interfaith Council For Peace and Justice, a Washtenaw County-based interdenominational organization encouraging participation in social justice education and activism. The collection is divided into twelve series, Chronological Files, Topical Files, Hunger Task Force, Clergy and Laity Concerned, Photographs and Audiovisual Materials, Steering Committee, Religious Coalition on Central America, Middle East Task Force, Racial and Economic Task Force, Disarmament Working Group, and Posters.

The files of the Interfaith Council have been arranged into twelve series: Chronological Files, Topical Files, Hunger Task Force, Clergy and Laity Concerned, Photographs and Audiovisual Materials, Steering Committee, Religious Coalition on Central America, Middle East Task Force, Racial and Economic Task Force, Disarmament Working Group, and Posters.

Collection of correspondence, records of committees and organizations, legislation drafts, and research material on the subject of Special Education programs and services, created and used by Lynwood Beekman in his law practice and in drafting of the Michigan Special Education legislation.

The collection documents the work of Lynwood Beekman and legislative history of Special Education in Michigan. The papers are arranged in five series roughly following Beekman's original arrangement of papers and records. The collection consists primarily of records of the Department of Education and its committees and task forces, as well as Special Education organizations. Also included numerous drafts of legislation, generously peppered with Beekman's scrupulous handwritten notes, and working files.

Lawyer and Democratic candidate for Michigan Lieutenant Governor in 1966; campaign files.

The collection consists of a Campaign files series documenting his election to become state lieutenant governor in 1966. Included in the papers are correspondence, speeches, and campaign schedules. There are also various papers concerning political personages of the day: Zolton Ferency, George Romney, G. Mennen Williams and Robert Griffin.

Designer and automotive engineer with the General Motors Corporation; he later assumed increasing responsibilities within the company as president and chief operating officer and then chairman and chief executive officer. After leaving GM, he became chairman of Energy Conversion Devices (ECD). The Stempel collection documents his work with GMC and ECD and includes minutes of meetings, company memoranda and correspondence, speeches and other various presentations, publications, and photographs and other visual materials. Portions of the collection relate to other business and public service affiliations.

The Robert C. Stempel collection has been arranged into the following series: General Motors Corporation; Energy Conversion Devices; Speeches / Conferences / Presentations; Organizational Affiliations, Responsibilities, and Interests; Background / Personal information; Visual Materials, and Sound Cassettes.

Ann Arbor, Michigan civil rights activist known for his confrontational style and advocate of black economic development, welfare rights, affordable housing and other causes, and a founder of the Washtenaw County Black Economic Development League. Papers, primarily documenting his work with the WCBEDL, include correspondence, scrapbooks, trial transcripts, and photographs.

The Charles Thomas, Jr. papers relate mainly to the activities of WCBEDL, the organization founded by Thomas in 1970. Materials in the collection include scrapbooks, trial transcripts, newsclippings, photographs, and correspondence, (including four letters from Coretta Scott King located in the WCBEDL correspondence file).

Oral history interviews with residents of Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and other Washtenaw County, Michigan, locales largely concerning their remembrances of their lives and activities during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.

The sound recordings were received in different accessions depending mainly on the date of the interview. The first accession was largely made up of interviews conducted by the Ypsilanti Historical Society and related to the history of Ypsilanti and surrounding areas. The second accession is comprised of interviews with individuals relating to Ann Arbor business establishments. The later accessions were miscellaneous interviews on Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County history. Accompanying almost all of the interviews were summary sheets providing a condensation of the interview. The listing below notes the interviews which lack a summary.

The library has releases from about half of the interviewees. Interviews with releases are noted in the listing below.

Professor Emeritus of Music (Wind instruments) at the University of Michigan. Cavender served as the Assistant Director of Bands, Director of the Marching Band, Director of the University Bands. The collection includes video and audio recordings of the University of Michigan Bands practicing and performing during football games, including Rose Bowl games and Super Bowl VII.

The collection includes video and audio recordings of the University of Michigan Band's performance at Rose Bowls, Super Bowl VII, and at other events.

An international conference on Alternative Perspectives on Vietnam held at the University of Michigan, Sept. 14-18, 1965. Correspondence, minutes, clippings, printed materials, and sound recordings.

The record group consists of two series, Conference Papers and Sound recordings of the speeches and study group sessions at the conference. The papers series includes correspondence, minutes, papers read at the conference, and other administrative files. Correspondents (to and from) include:

1. Hannah Arendt, Sept. 17, 1965
2. Germaine Brée, Aug. 3, 1965, Aug. 9, 1965, Sept. 25, 1965, Oct. 11, 1965
3. J. Daniel Burke
4. J. Edgar Edwards
5. Jerome D. Frank, Sept. 9, 1965
6. Erich Fromm, Sept. 4, 1965
7. Herbert Kelman
8. Martin Luther King, Jr., Aug. 26, 1965, Aug. 31, 1965, Sept. 8, 1965, Sept. 17, 1965
9. Archibald MacLeish, Aug. 5, 1965, Aug. 13, 1965
10. Emil Mazey, Aug. 30, 1965, Sept. 7, 1965
11. Arthur Miller, Aug. 27, 1965, Sept. 30, 1965
12. Mary C. Wright, June 7, 1965, July 28, 1965, Sept. 5, 1965.

The sound recordings include speeches by Arthur Miller, Edwin T. Dahlberg, Lord Fenner Brockway, Makoto Oda, and Emil Mazey, among others.