Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

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Collection

Joseph Ralston Hayden Papers, 1854-1975

56 linear feet — 1 oversize folder

Online
University of Michigan professor of political science, specialist in Philippine Island politics and government, vice governor of the Philippines in the 1930s; correspondence, collected Philippine materials, course materials.

As vice governor of the Philippine Islands during the 1930s, and later as advisor on Philippine affairs to General Douglas MacArthur during World War II, Joseph R. Hayden was recipient of much substantive documentation relating to the American phase of Philippine Island history. Hayden was an astute and discerning scholar of Philippine life and history, and as such used the opportunity of his frequent trips to the Far East to collect materials (official and personal) that he knew would be of value in his teaching and research, and that he also hoped would prove useful to scholars following after him. Although the Hayden papers include some non-Philippine materials, such as his University of Michigan files and those records from his service with the Michigan Naval Division during World War I, the Philippine Collection is the heart of the collection. Comprising more than 75% of the Hayden papers, the Philippine Collection is testimony to Hayden's foresight in drawing together official documents (because of the positions he held) and other records (sent to him because of his known interest in the Philippines). This collection of official reports, minutes of meetings attended, memoranda with government officials, photographs, clippings, and published materials is unique, especially because of the devastation to Philippine public records and historical documents that occurred during the war.

Collection

James K. Pollock papers, 1920-1968

87 linear feet — 3 oversize folders — 2 film reels — 6 phonograph records (oversize) — 16.3 GB — 19 digital audio files

Online
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.

Collection

James G. O'Hara papers, 1958-1987 (majority within 1958-1976)

53.5 linear feet — 2 oversize volumes

Democratic congressman from Michigan, member of the House committees on Education and Labor, Interior and Insular Affairs, Budget, and the Joint Committee on Congressional Operations; and chairman of the Democratic Study Group, 1967-1968, and chairman of the Democratic Party Commission on Rules, 1969-1972. Congressional files, political files, Democratic Party materials; photographs; and post-congressional materials.

The James G. O'Hara Papers, 1958-1987, comprise 53.5 linear feet of material documenting his career as a member of Congress, his 1976 campaign for the Senate nomination, his service on various commissions and committees of the national Democratic Party, and his various activities and interests after leaving the House of Representatives. The collection has been organized in two subgroups: Congressional Papers and Post-Congressional Activities with most of the papers accumulated during his years in Congress. The papers include correspondence, staff memoranda and background papers, speeches, press releases, campaign brochures and literature, texts of bills sponsored or co-sponsored by O'Hara, transcripts of hearings and minutes of meetings, a diary kept by O'Hara from April to August 1969, newspaper clippings, photographs, audio and video tapes, and scrapbooks.

Collection

Jack Kausch collection, 1927-2002 (majority within 1976-1994)

5 linear feet — 1 oversize folder — 1 film reel — 5.6 GB (online)

Online
Jack Kausch was a photographer who specialized in family portraits and historical photography. The collection includes still and moving images created and collected by Kausch throughout his career.

This collection highlights a portion of the projects that Jack Kausch completed during his photographic career. A range of subjects is covered and both original and historical photography is included. The collection is divided into two series: Photographs and Other Visual Materials.

Collection

Institute for the Study of Mental Retardation and Related Disabilities (University of Michigan) records, 1963-1983

49 linear feet

Administrative files, conference proceedings, project proposals, research files, records, and photographs relating to continuing education conferences and workshops.

The records of the Institute consist of forty-nine linear feet of manuscripts and printed materials. The records date form 1965 to 1983. The record group is divided into four broad Series: Administrative Files (boxes 1-7), Research Files (boxes 8-18), Continuing Education (boxes 19-48), and Photographs (box 49). Of these, only the Administrative Files have been closely processed. The Administration Files are divided into several subseries, the most substantive of which are History of ISMRRD, Committees, Institute Reviews, and Projects, Proposals and Reports.

Collection

Housing Public Affairs (University of Michigan) records, 1965-2006 (majority within 1980-2000)

6 linear feet

The University of Michigan Housing Public Affairs office disseminated information and served as a spokesman for issues related to student housing. The files were collected or created by Alan Levy who was the director of Housing Public Affairs starting in the 1990s. Levy also held previous positions within the Housing Division. Included are topical files on campus issues and student life policies as well as national and international events impacting the campus community.

These files from Housing Public Affairs, were collected and created by Alan Levy in his roles with the Housing Division, primarily as housing spokesman. Documentation includes files on topics such as alcohol use, capital improvements, crime and safety, diversity in housing, and student deaths. Additionally, the university's response to external events, such as the outbreaks of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), the September 11 Terrorist Attacks, the Virginia Tech Massacre, and Y2K are also documented. Files on rate changes in university housing during the 1970s, and information of the university's purchase and sale of the Nu Sigma Nu medical fraternity house are also found in these records. The files are arranged into four series: Topical Files, University Housing Rate Changes, Nu Sigma Nu, and Audio-Visual Materials.

Collection

Harry A. Towsley papers, 1876-1990

9.0 linear feet — 1 oversize folder — 73 film reels — 26.25 GB

Pediatrician, professor and philanthropist, joined University of Michigan Dept. of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases in 1934, and served with the 298th General Hospital Unit during World War II. Papers include medical school lecture notes, class of 1931 files, medical research files; correspondence, histories, photographs and motion pictures relating to the 298th General Hospital Unit, family history materials including Frank A. Towsley's diary, 1876, and family correspondence, 1878-1926 and photographs.

The papers of Harry A. Towsley provide a broad overview of the many facets of his career, including his medical education at the University of Michigan, his service with the 298th General Hospital during World War II, and his professional career as a pediatrician and educator. The collection is arranged in eleven series as follows: Biographical Material; Correspondence; Family History; Foundation Relations Committee Files; General Files; Iodine and Goiter Research; Pediatric Files; Student Notes; Reunion Files; 298th General Hospital Records; and Films.

Collection

Harold Studley Gray Papers, 1896-1972

12.5 linear feet — 1 oversize folder — 2 oversize volumes — 6 film reels — 2 digital audio files

Online
Conscientious objector during World Wars I and II and founder of the farming cooperative Saline Valley Farms. Correspondence, diaries, notebooks, and other materials relating to all phases of his career, including his work as Y.M.C.A. worker in England, 1916-1917, and as teacher at Central China University, Wuchang, China, 1922-1926; also family correspondence of Philip H. and Almena S. Gray, 1874-1926; also photographs and motion pictures.

The Harold Gray papers have been divided into seven series: Correspondence; World War I era activities; Personal and Miscellaneous; Printed, clippings, and miscellanea; Family and genealogical; Saline Valley Farms; and Visual Materials (photographs and motion pictures). The great strength of the collection are correspondence, administrative files, diaries, and visual materials documenting the operation of the Saline Valley Farms. There is significant, though smaller quantities of papers detailing Gray's opposition to serving in the military during World War I and his career as a teacher in China in the 1920s.

Collection

Graduate Program of Medical and Biological Illustration (University of Michigan) Records and Illustrations, 1902-1991, 1950-1985

24.3 linear feet — 11 oversize boxes — 1 oversize folder — 4 film reels (16 mm)

Online
This record group contains original artwork, administrative materials, and audiovisual materials produced by the University of Michigan Graduate Program of Medical and Biological Illustration. The records represent the work of approximately 35 medical illustrators spanning the years 1902-1991. The material documents the work of the faculty of the program and other prominent illustrators.

The records are arranged in to two basic categories: 2 general series concerning program administration, and 17 series related to specific illustrators. The 19 series are as follows: General/Background, Gerald P. Hodge Illustrations, Alfred P. Teoli Illustrations, Evelyn Erickson Sullivan Illustrations, Max Brödel Illustrations, Emily Perry Illustrations, Elton E. Hoff Illustrations, Ralph Sweet Illustrations, Jeanette Young Illustrations, Neil Hardy Illustrations, J. McLaughlin Illustrations, Mary Lou Cummings Illustrations, Rictor S. Lew Illustrations, Grant S. Lashbrook Illustrations, Stephen G. Gilbert Illustrations, Denis Lee Records and Illustrations, Miscellaneous Illustrations, Unidentified Illustrators, and Audiovisual Materials. A small selection of illustrations displaying a variety of artists' work, techniques, and subjects has been digitized. The materials in each artist's series are predominantly arranged as received from the donor.

Collection

G. Mennen Williams papers, 1883-1988 (majority within 1958-1980)

843 linear feet — 42 oversize volumes — 147 audiotapes (3 3/4 - 7 1/2 ips; 5-10 inches; reel-to-reel tapes) — 46 audiocassettes — 30 phonograph records — 42.1 GB (online)

Online
Governor of Michigan 1949 to 1960, under-secretary of state for African Affairs from 1961 to 1965, and Michigan Supreme Court justice from 1970 to 1986 and leader in state and national Democratic Party. Papers document his public career and aspects of his personal and family life and include correspondence, subject files, staff files, speeches, press releases and news clippings, photographs, sound recordings, films and videotapes.

The G. Mennen Williams Papers consist of official and personal files arranged into six subgroups: 1) Gubernatorial papers, 1949-1960 (681 linear ft.); 2) Non-gubernatorial papers, 1883-1948 and 1958-1988 (107 linear ft.); 3) Visual materials, ca. 1911-1988 (ca. 25 linear ft.); 4) sound recordings, 1950-ca. 1988 (5 linear ft.) Scrapbooks, 1948-1987 (43 vols.) and State Department Microfilm, 1961-1966 (23 reels).

As part of its own control system, the governor's office maintained a card index to the correspondents in many of the subgroups and series within the gubernatorial papers. This card file is located in the library's reading room. In addition, Nancy Williams and her staff compiled an extensive and detailed run of scrapbooks covering the Williams years. There is a separate inventory to these scrapbooks in a separately bound volume.

Strategy for Use of the Gubernatorial Papers: Although the Williams gubernatorial collection consists of hundreds of linear feet of material, the file arrangement created by the governor's staff is a fairly simple one to understand and to use.

The bulk of the collection falls within specific functional groupings, corresponding to the various activities and responsibilities that Williams performed as governor. Thus, if the researcher is uncertain of what portions of the collection might be relevant to his/her research, he/she is advised to think in terms of gubernatorial function. Does the proposed research concern the workings or area responsibility of a state board? If so, the Boards and Commissions series would be the most likely place in which to find material. The election of 1954? Then Democratic Party/Campaign Papers should be first choice. The passage of a specific piece of legislation? Here, Legislative Files is an obvious choice. The possible choices (called subgroups and series) that the researcher has are listed in the Organization of the Collection section. A description of the contents of each of these subgroups/series is provided below.

If, at first, unsuccessful in finding material on any given topic, the researcher might consider these additional strategies:

1. Refer to the Williams card index (located in the library's reading room). Sometimes, the name of an individual associated with a subject provides the easiest point of access into the collection. This file is arranged alphabetically and lists the dates of letters between an individual and the governor's office. This file only indexes the larger series and subgroups in the collection. It does not index the staff files, or parts of the Democratic Party/Campaign subgroup. Nevertheless it is an invaluable tool, and can uncover important material otherwise buried.

2. Refer to the various series of staff papers. Staff members were often closely involved in a specific subject areas (Jordan Popkin and aging, for example) and thus their files are frequently rich in source material.

3. If only partially successful in locating desired material, the researcher should think of an alternative subgroup or series. The governor's office, for a variety of reasons, often filed related material in different locations depending upon the source of a document. Thus, information relating to a strike might be filed both under the Labor Mediation Board in Boards and Commissions, and Strikes in General Subjects. Furthermore, if the strike influenced a specific piece of legislation, there could be material in the Legislative Files.