Collections

The Organizational Records, 1900-2014, undated (including undated, late nineteenth century images), documents part of the history of CMU Athletics Track, Field and Cross-Country (TFCC) programs, athletes, coaches, staff and alumni and a few items documenting other CMU athletes or teams in textual and audio visual materials, including moving image film.

The Organizational Records, 1900-2014, undated (including undated, late nineteenth century images), documents part of the history of CMU Athletics Track, Field and Cross-Country (TFCC) programs, athletes, coaches, staff and alumni and a few items documenting other CMU athletes or teams in textual and audio visual materials, including moving image film. The collection is incomplete, but provides the earliest documentation of the CMU men’s track field and cross country (TFCC) clubs, later teams and documentation pre- the 1900, which predates surviving Central Michigan University (CMU) publications about TFCC. The first documentation of what became Central Michigan University (CMU)’s men’s cross-country teams is in October 1929 when a cross country class began practicing under coach A. U. Nowak, with plans for a track 2.5 miles long to be laid soon (Central State Life, Oct. 9, 1929). This collection also documents CMU Women’s TFCC at CMU beginning in 1981 although the Women’s TFCC formally began at CMU in 1971. TFCC were originally divided by gender.

Included in this collection are formal and informal athletic, athletic alumni, social and family events, collected and donated, and sometimes personally created, by athletes and coaches, all of whom were proud of the history of their programs and wished to preserve it. Formal events include training, TFCC meets and competitions, award ceremonies, and athletic dinners. Informal events including time spent in hotels, eating, traveling, the Ten Mile Breakfast Run, Christmas cards and wedding images of alumni athletes. Some major coaches, staff, and athletes are documented. A racist photograph of a female student in a fake Native American costume is included.

Formats include images, still photographs, including Mugs (mugshots style portraits) and negatives, photograph albums, moving image films; scrapbooks; communications (emails, letters, notes, memos), statistics, clippings; CMU publications and public relations materials (brochures, newsletters, programs, sport cards, news releases, newsletters); a plaque; certificates; architectural drawings of the CMU Outdoor Track, 1998 and the Athletic Facility Renovation, 1995, 1997. CMU Track and field coach Don Sazima (1970-1984) documented the history of the combined programs and his career (2 folders, 2014 in Box 1). A list of Men’s CC coaches, 1910-1950 includes names of coaches which predates surviving CMU publications. The First Annual Alumni Luncheon was held in 1979. Alumni provided directory information on forms, later documentation of this is in the separate CMU. Athletics Organizational Records collection.

Oversized materials include a Women’s team photograph plaque, 1999; numerous oversized photographs of Ed VanderHeuvel, track star, 1958; three unidentified CMU Women’s TFCC athletes and a team photograph, 1980 and undated. Architectural drawings of the CMU Outdoor Track, by All American Track Corp. Engineering Division,1998 and the Athletic Facility Renovation, by Foresite Design, Inc.1995, 1997.

Materials documenting non TFCC CMU athletes includes: CMC and CMU Varsity football team group photographs, 1947-19548, 1965; photograph of Dennis Yeates, CMU gymnast, 1960-1962; Oversized materials include: five football team photographs; 1952, 1955, 1956, 1966, undated; CMU Men’s basketball team photograph, 1949; and CMU Men’s Tennis team photograph, undated.

Researchers may also be interested in other collections in the Clarke including: the CMU. Athletics, CMU. UComm (University Communications) and CMU. Information Services collections, all of which include some materials mostly documenting CMU athletes and athletic events and to a lesser extent, CMU coaches and staff. Also at the Clarke is a 1930s CMU Cross Country uniform worn by Neil Hoover who attended CMU during the 1932-1934 school years and one term during 1937, he was a cross-country runner who also played football for CMU.

Film Description: Three 16 mm polyester films, in 2 archival film canisters. The film was funded by a grant from the CMU Creative Endeavors Committee.

Film ID Number: 76748-1 Format: 16 mm color and silent, but includes smaller sections in various combinations of black and white, negative images, color, silent and sound (magnetic). Date: 1972-1973. Size:330 ft. (plays for 13 minutes) Information off of original can: final, edited copy of "the Distance Runner," compiled by Omnicron Productions, Lansing, a division of Omnicron Corporation, on June 12, 1973, Information off of original film leader: "the Distance Runner," Overview of scenes: The film documents Central Michigan University (CMU) Cross County male student athletes running through campus, cornfields, on roads, and through forests in fall and winter, 1972, and perhaps spring 1973. Athletes discuss why they love to run, when and why they began running, what they think about while running, including "girl trouble" with their girlfriends, memorizing tax formulas for their accounting classes, and their running schedules. Physical information: .4 film shrinkage, .5 out of 3 on the AD strip acidity scale - by Marian Matyn, Aug. 2020. Miscellaneous information: none.

Film ID Number: 76748-2 and 76748-3 (spliced together are raw footage from which parts were taken to create Film ID Number 76748-1) Format: 16 mm color and silent, but it includes smaller sections in various combinations of black and white, negative images, color, silent and sound (magnetic). Date: 1972-1973. Size: 150ft. Information off of original can: "the Distance Runner," compiled by Omnicron Productions, Lansing, a division of Omnicron Corporation, on June 12, 1973, Information off of original film leader: "the Distance Runner," Overview of scenes: Raw footage of Central Michigan University (CMU) Cross County male student athletes running through campus, cornfields, on roads, and through forests in fall and winter, 1972, and perhaps spring 1973. Athletes discuss why they love to run, when and why they began running, what they think about while running, including "girl trouble" with their girlfriends, memorizing tax formulas for their accounting classes, and their running schedules. Physical information: .4 film shrinkage, .5 out of 3 on the AD strip acidity scale - by Marian Matyn, Aug. 2020. Miscellaneous information: none. The film both documents CMU cross country runners, 1972-1973, and served as an inspirational film for other runners. Stylistically, the film has many obvious similarities to an earlier inspirational cross-country running film, The Harriers, 1960, created by Humboldt State University.

Processing Note: During processing approximately 1 cubic foot of duplicates and CMLife newspaper clippings were withdrawn. Newspaper clippings from beyond campus were photocopied and the copies were retained.

The collection includes correspondence, 1982-2003, and undated, concerning the planning, financing and construction of the Student Activity Center (SAC) at Central Michigan University (CMU).

This collection consists mainly of correspondence dealing with the planning, financing, and construction of the SAC. Key people involved in the process and correspondences were Jerry Scoby (Director of Business Services and Assistant Vice President for Business Affairs), Kim Ellertson (Vice President of Business and Finance), and Tim Jones (Director of Campus Recreation).

Box 1 in this collection contains documents generally focusing on the immediate planning and building of the recreation center, 1983-1990.

Phase I of the SAC Project began in 1983 and focused on proposals for and the planning of the campus’s recreation building, and the renovation of several other buildings on campus, including: remodeling the President’s house, the physical plant building, and a library addition.

There are numerous correspondences between the University and the Nuveen Co., which was chosen to be the senior manager of the projects and the financial advisor. The letters discuss different funding avenues for the projects, including the use of student bonds.

In addition, there is documentation of several other capital projects that the university was planning and funding in conjunction with the SAC. One such project was the Biomass Wood Fuel Plant and Telephone Systems Project (aka Woodchip).

Phase II of the project began in 1987 and comprised the final approval of designs and schematics of the building, and topographical surveys of the land. Most of the letters are between Anthony Paparella, the University Architect, and TMP Associates, the firm chosen for design development.

Included are a sampling of Construction Invoices, 1986-2000, that show areas of main concern in the building, as well as issues that arose during construction and additions and subtractions that were made due to budgetary limitations. There are documents discussing if a student membership fee should exist and how it should be implemented, tuition-based or as an outside fee. Also included are financial records documenting the University’s attempt to raise $25 million for the multiple projects, Bond Revenue Statistics, 1987-1989.

Box 2 contains documents pertaining to after the recreation center was opened, 1990-2003, as well as other properties that the University owned.

Letters discussing food services that should be offered in the new building are part of the collection, including the mission statement of FAST BREAK, a healthy food store. The internal audit of 1992 listed the weak points of the SAC, such as the definition of outside users and funding for equipment replacement, and offered recommended solutions.

In the ‘Budget and Finance’ folder there are letters that address the financial structure of the SAC. This was a main concern because the SAC was originally funded entirely from the General Fund, which meant that all of the money its services made would automatically go back into the University and be equally divided among other campus institutions. There was also concern that under this structure the building would continuously be in a state of financial default. In order to avoid this, administrators of the SAC wanted it to be listed as an auxiliary institution of the University.

There is also a folder of issues that the SAC faced. Issues included, how encompassing the University’s insurance was in relation to unauthorized access of children and teams granted by current employees, and illegal entry by students using fake or duplicate IDs. There is a response written by Kim Ellertson concerning an article titled, “Staff ignored threat pools of blood posed.” There was also concern over improper videoing and photographing of people working out, as well as the loss of intramural sports fields due to the new football stadium and the expanding network of new facilities related to the SAC. An unusual issue that arose was the public protest following an Anheuser Busch visit. According to the letters, Anheuser set up their tent in the SAC on the same day as the Isabella County United Way was hosting a Red Hacker carnival for children. The matter worsened because a one-day liquor license was purchased for the SAC and the famous “Bud Girls” were allowed to freely walk around the building. Employees of the SAC felt that by allowing this to happen, especially during a children’s day, the University was living up to its party college name instead of dispelling it.

This box also contains several plans to try to offset the building costs of the SAC, including: a market plan to attract more outside donors and the selling of numerous University-owned properties.

Interesting documents to note are those concerning Riverwood Golf, which document the University’s desire to purchase a golf course, and those concerning the Ann Arbor Railroad Company when the University attempted to purchase the tracks that run through campus.

Processing Note: During processing approximately 0.25 cubic feet of duplicate materials were withdrawn from the collection and shredded.

Transcriptions (copies) of oral history projects created by Central Michigan university faculty and students mostly of Central Michigan University (CMU) faculty, staff, students, and alumni, documenting their diverse experiences at Central Michigan University, in Mount Pleasant.

Transcriptions (copies) of oral history projects created by Central Michigan university faculty and students mostly of Central Michigan University (CMU) faculty, staff, students, and alumni, documenting their diverse experiences at Central Michigan University, in Mount Pleasant. One oral history is of a Michigan Native American woman discussing her memories of her family members who were forced to attend the Mount Pleasant Indian School, her experiences of the school's impact on her family and the tribe, and memories of one family member who graduated from eighth grade at a Michigan Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp. Currently, all of these transcriptions CLOSED to researchers unless permission is granted by Professor Jay Martin. The collection is ongoing.