Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

University of Michigan administrator; reports and other data relating to the budgetary and physical operation of University of Michigan.

The Williams collection consists entirely of reports, studies, and other documentation accumulated in his role as University of Michigan administrator. This includes notebooks containing reports and other data relating to the budgetary and physical operation of University of Michigan; reports with information on the financial status and characteristics of University faculty members; and statistical reports relating to students attending the University.

Professor of English at University of Michigan. Correspondence, diaries, and topical files relating to his interest in English grammar and usage, his evaluation of various dictionaries, his interest in Polish-American relations, and the controversy surrounding Henshaw Ward's denial of Peary's discovery of the North Pole.

The Wells collection is comprised of the following series: Subject file; Personal diaries; Robert E. Peary; and Other papers.

Professor of history and director of Michigan Historical Collections of University of Michigan. Personal and professional correspondence; class notes and lectures; Michigan Historical Commission files; research material on Thomas M. Cooley; material concerning Azazels, University faculty club; letters written as student at University of Michigan, 1912-1913, and at Harvard; and letters written as instructor at Culver Military Academy, and at Teachers' College, St. Cloud, Minnesota in the 1920's; also photographs.

The papers of Lewis George Vander Velde date from 1855 to 1975 and comprise 7 and 3/4 linear feet of material. The collection is valuable for its documentation of the life of an historian and teacher. Vander Velde papers show a constant attention to, and interest in, Michigan local history. The Collection is arranged into seven series: Biographical Materials; Professional Files; University Class Notes and Lectures; Research Materials (Thomas M. Cooley); Family Papers; Personal Correspondence; and Miscellaneous.

Photos of student and faculty activities, research, the campus, athletics, and individuals, used in University publications.

Dean's files of R. A. Stevenson, 1944-1960, with some earlier files of deans Edmund E. Day and Clare E. Griffin; dean's files of Floyd A. Bond primarily 1960-1979, but including earlier and later materials; administrative records concerning faculty matters, alumni activities, students, course offerings, conferences, and programs sponsored by the school, and the operation and construction of the school's building; records relating to special bureaus within the school, particularly the Bureau of Business Research, the Bureau of Hospital Administration, and the Bureau of Industrial Relations; miscellaneous files of Stevenson, including University of Minnesota records, speeches, and board of directors materials from Lear, Incorporated; miscellaneous personal files of Floyd Bond concerning other organizational activities; audiovisual material including photographs and negatives of faculty, conferences and meetings, buildings, and school functions; dean's files of Gilbert A. Whitaker, 1925-1991; architectural records; the Ross School of Business website, 1996-ongoing; and records of Development and Alumni Relations, primarily created by Frank C. Wihelme, including committee meeting material, information related to capital campaigns, and records of the William Davison Institute.

The records of the Ross School of Business (1916-2017), measure 143.2 linear feet, 154.33 GB, 21 oversize items, and 1 archived website. Materials include papers from deans of the business school, committee documents, The records also include audiovisual materials including photographs, slides, videos and sound recordings.

The Ross School of Business (University of Michigan) records documents the administration and operation of the Business School; its organizational structure; news and events; people including deans, faculty, and staff; educational program; fundraising and development; and physical spaces. The records include administrative records of committees, correspondence, topical files, audiovisual material such as photographs and audiotapes, architectural drawings, and the School's website.

Organizational records, correspondence, topical files, printed material, collected material regarding the careers of individual alumni of the University of Michigan School of Nursing; and photographs.

The records of the School of Nursing Alumni Association of the University of Michigan date from 1907 to 1993, and measure four linear feet. In addition to documenting the growth of the organization and the interests and activities of the alumni, the collection also includes information about the development of nursing as a profession. The records include organizational records, correspondence, topical files, printed material, collected material regarding the careers of individual alumni of the University of Michigan School of Nursing, and photographs.

Established as Department of Library Science; name later changed to School of Library Science, then School of Information and Library Studies. Materials relating to the teaching of library science at the university, including summer session and departmental files; administrative files of T. W. Koch, William W. Bishop, Rudolph H. Gjelsness, Wallace Bonk, Russell Bidlack, and Robert M. Warner; course materials and topical files; accreditation records, faculty minutes and photographs.

The records of the School of Information (formerly the School of Library Science and most recently the School of Information and Library Studies) include 51 linear feet of material dated between 1904 to 2014. The records document the development library education at Michigan from its beginnings as summer course to a full-fledged professional program that has, in recent years moved beyond traditional library science to incorporate a multi-disciplinary approach to information studies with a strong emphasis on the role of technology in the creation, dissemination and preservation of information.The records also document the decision to change the name of the school from the School of Library and Information Science to the School of Information Science, further emphasizing a focus on information and technology.

The records, including correspondence, reports, committee minutes, administrative files and course descriptions, came to the library in nine accessions. There is some overlap and continuation of series among the accessions.

The records are organized into ten series: Histories, Office Files, Dean's Files, Audiotapes, Photographs, Faculty Meetings, Course Material, Archived School of Information Website, Faculty Files, and Collaboratory for Research on Electronic Work Project.

Inaugurated in 1967 as a living-learning community within the larger university, planning for the Residential College began in the early 1960s. Records relate to the planning and founding of the Residential College, 1962-1967, and include materials concerning curriculum, educational policies, governance and student attitudes from the College's opening in 1967 through 2010. Research papers produced by the Social Science Program's Student-Faculty Research Communities are also present

The records of the Residential College relate to the planning and founding of the Residential College, 1962-1967, and include materials concerning curriculum, educational policies, governance and student attitudes from the College's opening in 1967 through to the present. Research papers produced by the Social Science Program's Student-Faculty Research Communities are also present. The records are arranged into the following series: Planning and Organization, Administration, Executive Committee, Triennial Reviews, Social Science Program, Photographs, Topical Files, Audiovisual, and Archived Website.

Central academic administrative unit of the University of Michigan which functions as chief executive assistant to the president, responsible for appointments and promotions with oversight for schools, colleges, educational units and programs; including budget planning, legislative relations, institutional research, and affirmative action policies. Supplemental Files subgroup includes material on a number of subjects that was filed separately from the vice presidents' or staff's papers when the record group was received.

The Supplemental Files subgroup of the record group Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs consists of 155 linear feet (in 159 boxes) and spans the years from 1953 to 2013. This subgroup consists of material that was not interfiled with the vice presidents' or staff's papers when the record group was received. The records generally were not created or maintained by any one staff member in the Office of Academic Affairs, but rather are the result of the examination of a particular issue or topic over a period of time by a variety of people.

There are 14 series of varying sizes which comprise this subgroup. For an alphabetical list of the series in this subgroup, please consult the Summary Contents List in the Arrangement section of the finding aid.

Central academic administrative unit of the University of Michigan which functions as chief executive assistant to the president, responsible for appointments and promotions with oversight for schools, colleges, educational units and programs; including budget planning, legislative relations, institutional research, and affirmative action policies. Central Files subgroup includes correspondence files of vice-presidents, associate and assistant vice-presidents, and other staff members within the vice-president's office.

The records of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs date from 1947 to 1997 and total more than 675 linear feet. The records are a rich source of information on the University of Michigan from the 1960s to the present. They contain a wide variety of material documenting the concerns of the administration and, to a lesser extent, the faculty and students regarding academic programs, student and faculty activities, and the administrative operations of the University of Michigan.

The records, which include the provost's files as well as the files of associate and assistant vice presidents, are arranged in three subgroups: Central Files, Staff Files, and Supplemental Files. The Central Files subgroup consists of the records maintained by the provost's office and is discussed in greater detail below. The Staff Files subgroup includes the records of assistant and associate vice presidents and of the assistants to the provost. The Supplemental Files subgroup contains material on specific topics to which a number of academic affairs staff contributed their efforts, including retreats, unit reviews, and searches. Each of the subgroups is fully described in a separate finding aid.

It should be noted that some of the records in the record group predate the founding of the Office of Academic Affairs. Such records were generally brought by vice presidents or staff members from previous positions or inherited from persons who formerly performed their duties.

The Central Files subgroup consists of 605 linear feet dating from the creation of the Office of Academic Affairs in the academic year 1961/1962 to 2012/2013. The records consist primarily of correspondence, minutes and other committee files, reports, and budget materials, reflecting the broad range of responsibilities and functions of the provost. Whereas the records of the Staff Files subgroup tend to document the process of policy formation and decision-making functions, the Central Files records more often contain finished products, such as reports and policy statements. For the researcher interested in the provost's views on a particular topic or issue, or the Office of Academic Affairs involvement in the academic and financial life of various schools and colleges, the Central Files subgroup is the single best starting point.

The records of the Central Files subgroup are broken into series by academic year, and each series consists of one or more of the following subseries: Alphabetical Files, Schools and Colleges Files, and Chronological Files. From 1961/1962 through 1973/1974 the series each consist of one subseries of Alphabetical Files. The Alphabetical Files are arranged alphabetically and include topical files as well as files regarding university academic, research, and service units.

From 1974/1975 to 1983/1984 the series are split into two subseries, Alphabetical Files and Schools and Colleges Files. The Alphabetical Files remain similar in content to previous years with the exception that files relating to academic units, namely schools, colleges, and their departments, now comprise the subseries Schools and Colleges Files. Records concerning centers, special libraries, museums, institutes, and interdisciplinary programs are filed in the Alphabetical Files subseries. The Schools and Colleges Files are arranged alphabetically by academic unit and contain materials relating to the annual budget requests, promotion and tenure decisions, internal and external reviews, dean evaluations, and changes in academic programs.

For the years 1974/1975 to 1981/1982, with the exception of 1976/1977, there is an "Index to Correspondence" located at the end of the Alphabetical Files which lists in chronological order the letters written by the vice president, the name of the recipient, the subject of the letter, and the heading under which it is filed.

From 1984/1985 to 1993/1994, 1998/1999-2008/2009 and 2010/2011-2011/2012 the series consist of three subseries: Alphabetical Files, Schools and Colleges Files, and Chronological Files. The Alphabetical Files and the Schools and Colleges Files, while becoming more voluminous over the years, remain similar in nature. The Chronological Files consist of all outgoing correspondence from the vice president and are arranged by month. The Chronological Files are useful if the researcher knows the date the vice president might have corresponded on a particular topic but is unsure of the heading used for filing in the Alphabetical Files.

The Alphabetical Files, as mentioned above, are a strong source of information on a variety of topics relating to the administration of a large university, including the university's relationship with state and federal governments, issues confronting institutions of higher education at various points in time (student unrest and affirmative action, for example), collaborative efforts with other Big Ten and area colleges and universities, and the creation and revision of university policies. The minutes of the Academic Affairs Advisory Council (AAAC) are an especially good source of information on the activities of the Office of Academic Affairs. The AAAC, composed of the deans of the schools and colleges, directors of institutes, centers, and special libraries, and the staff of the Office of Academic Affairs, was established to hold monthly meetings to discuss educational policy, planning for growth, and special studies.

Because folder titles on a particular subject may vary from year to year, researchers are advised to be imaginative in searching for information in the topical files. It should also be noted that information on any given subject can probably be found in various places in the collection.

The 2010 and 2011 series feature the addition of the Archived Website subseries. These were created to preserve the office's public website over time. The subseries document the mission, activities, policies, and individuals involved in the operation of the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs as they are presented on its public website. Content includes important news and announcements, publications (such as reports and administrative documents), and information about committees, initiatives, and events. This archived website will be captured on a regular, ongoing basis as part of the University of Michigan Web Archives, hosted at https://archive-it.org/organizations/934.

Central academic administrative unit of the University of Michigan which functions as chief executive assistant to the president, responsible for appointments and promotions with oversight for schools, colleges, educational units and programs; including budget planning, legislative relations, institutional research, and affirmative action policies. The Staff Files subgroup contains the files of individual of vice-presidents, associate and assistant vice-presidents, and other staff members within the vice-president's office.

The Staff Files subgroup of the record group Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs consists of 570 linear feet and spans the years from 1947 to 2013. The Staff Files subgroup is comprised of the records of the associate and assistant vice presidents for academic affairs. Whereas the records of the Central Files subgroup often contain finished products, such as reports and policy statements, the Staff Files subgroup tends to document the process of policy formation and other decision-making functions. Scattered through the associate and assistant vice presidents' papers, for example, are frank statements of opinion regarding various schools and programs, candidates for promotion, and the relationship between the branches of the university, as well as notes on meetings with faculty members, committee activities, and other subjects.

The Staff Files subgroup includes the records of the following past and current associate and assistant vice presidents, listed in the order in which their records first appear in the boxlist: Ernest R. Zimmermann, Carolyne K. Davis, Edward A. Dougherty, Richard A. English, Robert L. Williams, John H. Romani, Mary Ann Swain, Robert S. Holbrook, W. Allen Spivey, Robert B. Holmes, Niara Sudarkasa, Robin Jacoby, Robert Sauve, E. Kay Dawson, Susan Lipschutz, Paul Courant, Marilyn Knepp, Pamela A. Raymond, Katharine Soper, Karen Gibbons, John Godfrey, Nancy Cantor, A. Lawrence Fincher, Ralph P. Nichols, Valerie Castle, Glenda Haskell, Linda Gillum, Janet Weiss, Ben van der Plijm, Sharon Schmidt, Kathleen (Kati) Bauer, James Hilton, Stephanie Riegle, Catherine Shaw, Philip Hanlon, Teresa Sullivan, Anne Berens, Brian Konz, John King, Lester Monts, Martha E. Pollack, Lori Haskins, and Ron Fitzgerald. The records of an individual, while still in office, are received by the archives on an ongoing basis.

The University of Michigan's first professional school; the Medical School record group includes historical and administrative records related to the school and its faculty and administrators, 1850-2010.

The records of the Medical School span over 160 years, beginning in 1850 and continuing through 2010. They include 389.7 linear feet of material, 10 oversize volumes, 9 oversize folders of miscellaneous documents, and 3.3 GB of digital material stored online. The records include dean's correspondence and subject files, executive committee minutes, faculty minutes, annual reports of departments, school accreditation and review files, a variety of special reports and studies, and extensive files on the Replacement Hospital Project (Taubman Center). The record group also contains photo prints depicting faculty, students and facilities, including a remarkable series of photographs taken by J. Jefferson Gibson circa 1893.

The Medical School records have been organized into five subgroups: Dean's Records, Subordinate Administrative Officers, Faculty Records, Audio-Visual Materials, and Miscellaneous records. Within each subgroup there are a number of series and these series may be further subdivided to reflect the date span of the records received in each accession.

The Medical School records have been received in several accessions and the physical arrangement of the records (the number order of the boxes) reflects the various installments in which they were received. The accessions sometimes reflected the tenure of a particular dean or other administrator, but frequently appear to have been somewhat arbitrary transfers of files. Records from individual subgroups, series and subseries often continue across multiple accessions--sometimes with consecutive date ranges, but often with overlapping date spans.

In this finding aid the records are described in their intellectual order -- subgroups and series are brought together irrespective of the particular accession in which they were received. As a result, in the detailed contents listing the box number order will not always be consecutive.

Records of the Law School document the evolution of legal education at the University of Michigan as well as tenures of various deans and faculty. Documentation includes historical and class files; student organizations and activities; planning and construction of Law School buildings; information on William W. Cook and his bequest; topical files; deans' correspondence; reports and minutes. Also included are materials related to the Thomas M Cooley and William W. Cook lecture series and portraits of faculty and students, photographs of activities of the Judge Advocate General's School held at the Law School during World War II, the construction of the Law Quadrangle and Law Library addition, and student activities.

The Law School Records begin in 1852 and span the years through the end of the twentieth century. The records document the history of legal education at the University of Michigan, the administration of the Law School, and the lives of some of the scholars who have studied and taught there.

The physical arrangement of the records reflects the various accessions of material that have been received from the Law School over the years. This finding aid is structured to reflect the intellectual organization of the records - continuing series and like materials have been brought together regardless of when the records were transferred to the library. The Summary Contents List provides and overview of the organization of the records.

There are eight major series in the record group: Historical and Class Files (1865-1974); Deans of the Law School (1852-1999); Faculty Files (1859-1994); Student Files (1894-1996); Law Quadrangle and William W. Cook, (1919-1938); Law School Lecture Series; Committee of Visitors and Audio/Visual Materials.

Records generated by administrators and offices charged with the financial activities of the University, including Secretary and Vice-President Shirley W. Smith and Controller and Assistant Secretary John C. Christensen; include general University financial records; records of land; trust fund records; proposed development and construction projects; operating records of buildings, divisions and other units.

The records of Financial Operations date from 1837 to 1982, primarily after 1910. The 27 linear feet of manuscript material, 52 oversized volumes and one reel of microfilm reflect not only the financial records normally associated with an accounting office, but also the broad range of subjects which became a concern under the leadership of Shirley Smith. What would eventually become Financial Operations may have served as a records storage office for many of the other units under Smith's control. In any event, Financial Operations became the guardian of a wide variety of records, documenting the University in a number of ways not normally expected of an accounting service.

Of particular note, the collection contains a variety of different record formats. Bound materials, in the form of books, are included in the boxes and when numbering more than one, are listed in the finding aid as multiple volumes. The collection also contains oversized volumes, in the form of large accounting books. These oversized volumes are numbered and stored separately. They are listed in the finding aid where intellectually appropriate, and designated by volume number. Enclosed in this finding aid is an index of the oversized volumes, organized by number, and their contents.

The collection is divided into six series: General University Financial Records; Trust Fund Records; Records of Land, Proposed Development and Construction; Operating Records of Buildings, Divisions and other Units; Miscellaneous Reports, Studies and Volumes; and Accounting Office Records.

Records include administrative files, committee minutes, reminiscences of faculty members Wilfred Kaplan and Raymond Wilder, material relating to various undergraduate mathematics clubs, and photographs of faculty.

The records of the Department of Mathematics document the history and administration of mathematics education at the University of Michigan. The records consist of three series: Administrative, Minutes, and Photographs, including budget material, correspondence, lists of faculty members, reminiscences of several faculty members and files relating to student organizations.

Minutes, correspondence, audiovisual materials, and other records documenting the founding, public programs, research projects, day-to-day administrative activities, and individual staff members of the University of Michigan's Center for the Education of Women.

The Center for Education of Women collection consist of minutes, correspondence, audiovisual materials, and other records documenting the founding, public programs, research projects, day-to-day administrative activities, and individual staff members of the University of Michigan's Center for the Education of Women. It is divided into four broad subgroups: Central Office Files, 1961-2009; Individual Staff Files, 1919-1999; Audiovisual Materials, 1963-1997; and Website. The current CEW collection is the result of a major reprocessing project that combined several new accessions with the pre-existing record group--itself the accumulation of several accessions--and which has resulted in a re-figured collection nearly double the size of the original. The first three subgroups and their major series have been retained, but some of the lower-level organization has been updated to reflect the fuller picture of the Center that the combined set of materials affords.

Documents within folders may be arranged either chronologically or reverse chronologically, based on the existing arrangement of the majority of materials (in both the pre-existing collection and in the new accessions), and in some cases may adhere to the original filing order. Also, some files (e.g. most correspondence) were filed by calendar year (Jan-Dec.), while others (notably budgets, staff meetings, and program files) were filed by fiscal year. Unless otherwise noted, files arranged by academic year (indicated in the box list by dates such as '1990/91') run from July of the first year through June of the second year.

Researchers examining the CEW collection may also be interested in related files in the following other Bentley University of Michigan record groups: Institute on Gerontology, Michigan Initiative on Women's Health, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Additionally, researchers should note the following overlaps between the 'Topical' series in the 'Central Office Files' subgroup and the files of CEW staff members in the 'Individual Staff Files' subgroup:

1. Counseling: Myra Fabian, Dorothy McGuigan, Vivian Rogers, and Patricia Wulp
2. Evening Program (especially 1982 and later): Patricia Wulp
3. Group Counseling and Workshops (e.g., Career Decision Making, Assertiveness, the Step Before the Job Search, etc.): Myra Fabian, Barbara Anton, and Patricia Wulp
4. Programs by Academic Year: Patricia Wulp
5. Publicity: Louise Cain, Patricia Wulp and Dorothy McGuigan
6. Research (including: non-traditional student surveys, Women in Science (and Engineering) studies, participant data, and especially Ford Grants): Jean Campbell, Carol Hollenshead, Jean Manis, Hazel Markus, and Dorothy McGuigan
7. Sexual Harassment Implementation Team and other Sexual Harassment materials: Sue Kaufmann
8. Women's Initiative Group (WING): Myra Fabian, Sue Kaufmann, Vivian Rogers, and Patricia Wulp

Due to the decentralized nature of the CEW records, researchers are encouraged to check for headings in each of the subgroups and series, even for subjects not listed above.

Acronyms used frequently in the records and in this finding aid include:

1. CFW / COW -- UM Commission for Women (prior to 1972, the name was the Commission on Women)
2. CURIES -- Cross-University Research in Engineering and Science
3. GEO -- UM Graduate Employees' Organization
4. IOG -- Institute of Gerontology (Joint UM/Wayne State program)
5. LSA / LS&A -- UM College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
6. MAWDAC -- Michigan Association of Women Deans, Administrators and Counselors
7. MSA -- Michigan Student Assembly (UM student government)
8. NAWDAC -- National Association of Women Deans, Administrators and Counselors
9. NACME -- National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering
10. NSF -- National Science Foundation
11. OVPR -- UM Office of the Vice President for Research
12. UM -- University of Michigan (Ann Arbor campus unless otherwise noted)
13. WING -- UM Women's Initiative Group
14. WIS / WISE -- Women in Science / Women in Science and Engineering, originally a CEW project that later spun off into its own unit)

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.

Photos of University of Michigan alumni, faculty and staff collected by the University Alumni Association.

Alumni Association (University of Michigan),Individual Photographs forms part of the larger University of Michigan Alumni Association record group. As a convenience, it is described here in greater detail than in the finding aid for the full record group. The Individual Photographs includes portraits and activity photos of celebrities and other figures associated in some way with the University, including students (especially athletes), alumni, faculty, staff, and prominent visitors (especially honorary degree recipients).

University of Michigan staff photographer, 1913-1947 and commercial photographer in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Collection includes some manuscript material but is primarily photographic prints and negatives made by Swain. Photo subjects include university buildings, faculty, and student activities, archeological expeditions to the Near East and, Ann Arbor scenes and landscapes form his travels in the western United States and Canada.

The papers and photographs of George R. Swain mainly document Swain's accomplishments as university photographer at the University of Michigan from 1913 to 1947. Researchers should note, however, that this is only a sampling of the photographer's work during these years. The Kelsey Museum of Archaeology at the University of Michigan has an extensive collection of Swain's archaeological negatives and prints, and researchers interested in his full career will want to also look at the Kelsey collection. The Bentley Library material, while including several folders of fine photographs Swain made on his travels with Professor Frances Kelsey, for the most part documents Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan.

The collection at the Bentley Library consists of three series: Miscellaneous Papers; Photographers Log; and Photographs (prints; negatives; and lantern slides. Since the bulk of the collection is comprised of early twentieth century images of Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan, the materials will be of most interest to researchers searching for visual documentation of this part of the state in that time period. There are very few materials beyond the visual, although the lengthy captions attached to many overseas images and the essays, diaries, and letters, are extremely interesting and offer insight into how Swain approached his craft, both as a professional photographer and in his personal work.

Dr. Richard E. Smith is a Black University of Michigan alum, member of the Epsilon chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, a historically Black fraternity, and an obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN) who worked to enhance prenatal care for teenage and young mothers. He was also involved in efforts to commemorate the role that Detroit and its institutions played in the Underground Railroad. Includes award information, biographical and genealogical material, correspondence, publications, a scrapbook, and topical files.

The Richard E. Smith papers document Smith's personal and professional activities, particularly his involvement in the Epsilon chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, professional career as an obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN), and efforts to commemorate the role that Detroit and its institutions played in the Underground Railroad. Material is dated from 1969-2022 and includes award information, biographical and genealogical material about his family, historical material about St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, correspondence relating to his professional career and activities, publications, an Alpha Phi Alpha scrapbook, and topical files.