Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

Papers of several generations of Laramy and DeBlonde families of Grand Rapids, Mich. Correspondence constitutes most of the collection. Of special interest are Richard C. Laramy Sr. World War II-period letters written to his family, as well as letters written by James E. Laramy as a Univeristy of Michigan student in 1969-1972. Also included family photographs and photos of the members of the Grand Rapids Central High School Class of 1902, WWII regimental reunion materials and military papers, blank postcards depicting locations in Michigan, as well as a small amount of University of Michigan miscellanea.

The collection includes correspondence, photographs, and other materials that document the lives of two Grand Rapids, Mich. families. The Laramy family materials are more prominent in the collection.

University of Michigan administrative office, established as the Dean of Student Affairs in 1921, responsible for overseeing many aspects of non-academic student services and activities including at various times: counseling, financial aid, student housing, student activities and organizations, health services, student discipline, and fraternities and sororities. Records provide extensive documentation of student life.

The records of the Vice President for Student Life provide a unique perspective to the extracurricular life and customs of students at the University of Michigan and an insight to the development of the office of the Vice President. The records span the years 1908-2005 with the bulk of the material covering 1941-1995. The material from the early years is especially rich in documenting student life from the 1920s to the 1950s. The strongest feature of this collection is in documenting the administration's response to the needs and to the demands of student, ranging from disciplining drinkers during Prohibition, dealings with fraternities up to 1960, reacting to student protests in the 1960s to the 1988 debate over the Student Code for Non-Academic Conduct, and the 2000 protest against Michigamua. The records also contain materials related to students' health, housing, organizations, and activism. The coverage of these areas varies across administrations as office reorganizations altered the focus and functions of Student Services.

This uneven documentation reflects the fact that, over time, different offices were created to handle more narrowly-defined areas of responsibility. Areas which had originally been handled by Dean Bursley under his broad conception of control over non-academic student life came to be administered by separate offices. Frequently the records of these administrative units were not included with the Vice President for Student Life records. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of student life, as refracted through the lens of University Administration, one should also refer to the records of the Housing Office and Student-Community Relations Office, and the papers of Peter Ostafin, director of housing.

The Vice President for Student Life collection consists of correspondence, reports, memos, minutes, and financial reports generated by both the University Administration and students. These materials are arranged in chronological series by the administrative head in charge of students' extracurricular affairs. Nine series represent records of Vice Presidents of the office: Joseph A. Bursley, 1913-1950; Erich A. Walter, 1925-1959; James A. Lewis, 1908-1964; Richard L. Cutler, 1950-1969; Barbara W. Newell, 1965-1970; Robert L. Knauss, 1962-1973; Henry Johnson, 1950-1985; Mary Ann Swain and Maureen Hartford, 1990-2005; and E. Royster Harper, 2000. In addition, the collections includes a Topical Files series, 1953-1995 (records of several Vice Presidents that have been received by the Bentley in various accessions); as well as a Printed Materials series. This organizing scheme required some manipulation of the files, but it best enables the researcher to trace the changing nature of the student body concerns and the development of the office itself.

The researcher should note that the strict chronological sequencing of the series was not possible. This was due in large part to a series of office reorganizations which resulted in some files created during Bursley or Walter's tenure ending up in later series. The most significant move here resulted in Lewis' series containing a good deal of Bursley and Walter materials on fraternities and student organizations. Lewis created the fraternities subseries in 1959 and compiled the student organization subseries during a May 1963, office reorganization. The researcher should also be conscious that early series contain a variety of materials which may not reflect the full scope of Bursley, Walter, or Lewis' responsibilities. Gaps are also discernible in the later series, but these are more readily fleshed out by referring to other University collections.

University of Michigan chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity for Black college students. The Epsilon chapter was founded in April 1909. History, administrative records, topical files, reports, and photographs largely relating to the chapter and activities of African American students at the University of Michigan. Also included is some material related to the chapter's 2009 centennial celebration.

The records of the Epsilon Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha include correspondence, minutes, photographic material, publications, reports, and topical files.

The records—which document the activities and experiences of African Americans at the University of Michigan—also provides a rich source of information about the history, activities, and administration of the Epsilon Chapter, particularly during the 1920's, 1980's, and 1990's. Also documented is the chapter's centennial celebration in 2009.

Catholic chapel (later parish) ministering largely to University of Michigan students. Council minutes, correspondence, topical files, chapel bulletins, and financial records; also files relating to the Gabriel Richard Foundation, the Newman Club and the Newman Student Association; and photographs.

The records of St. Mary Student Parish are divided into seven series: (1) St. Mary Chapel administrative files; (2) Gabriel Richard Center records; (3) Newman Club records; (4) Topical files; (5) Newsletters; (6) Photographs, Scrapbooks, and Albums; and (7) 2011-2014 Accessions.

James Edward Davis is a teacher who has worked within the Dearborn Public School District, Michigan since he graduated from the University of Michigan. He has been active politically, especially in regards to teacher's rights, and within Michigan churches. The collection contains series of personal biographical papers, family papers, as well as his collected materials from local churches and schools.

Materials include Davis family history, his father's reminiscences of life in Clinton, Michigan, and relating to the United Church of Christ of Clinton, and some personal and biographical papers; pamphlets and flyers relating to student political activities at the University of Michigan; collected materials about local Michigan churches, many of them in Dexter, Mich.; collected materials about Dearborn Public Schools system and schools in Michigan.

The Inter-Cooperative Council at Ann Arbor is an organization established to coordinate the activities of cooperative houses founded and operated by University of Michigan students. Their records are comprised of minutes, office files, and newsletters, as well as organization-level topices and related research. The collection also contains records of student cooperative, the Socialist House.

The records of the ICC at Ann Arbor cover the years 1932 to 2012 and are divided into ten series: Minutes, Office Files, Printed Materials, Events and Programs, Organizational Topical Files, Correspondence Files, Collected Research Materials, House Records, External Organizations, and Audio-Visual Materials.

Researchers should note that because of the differences between ICC office organizational systems and the individual processing archivists working on the collection, topics and materials might be found in multiple series.

Harry B. Benford was professor and chair of the department of naval architecture and marine engineering at the University of Michigan. The Benford collection includes professional correspondence and topical files relating to his work, teaching, and research.

The Harry B. Benford Papers consists of correspondence and topical files relating to his work, teaching, and research.

The records of the University of Michigan Panhellenic Association contain meeting minutes, annual officers' reports, newspaper clippings, presidents reports, scrapbooks, photographs, printed materials, posters and broadsides. The records document the administration and history of the Panhel at the University of Michigan.

The records of the Panhellenic Association (Panhel) measure 7.5 linear feet and include one outsize scrapbook and an outsize folder. The records date from 1945 to 1991 and consist of meeting minutes, annual officers' reports, newspaper clippings, photographs, printed materials, and posters. Despite the range of years covered by the collection as a whole, no one time period is completely documented. For additional information on the history of Panhel, the researcher should consult the folders under the heading "Sororities" in the University of Michigan Library Clipping File and the folder "Panhellenic" in the Vertical File at the Bentley Historical Library.

The records of Panhel are divided into six series: Topical Files, President's Reports, Scrapbooks, Photographs, Printed Materials, and Posters and Broadsides.

Ten series of negatives, slides and copy prints documenting all aspects of University of Michigan life and activities, includes prints used in the University Record.

The News and Information Services Photographs document many aspects of university and community life, particularly activities of the administration, faculty, departments, and students beginning in 1946 and continuing into the early 1980s. Photographs were, for the most part, made by the staff of the News Service (later Information Services and now News and Information Services) for use with university press releases, or upon request of individuals with the university, or for outside media with special interests in university personnel or activities.

The record group presently consists of 10 series (A-J).

The series are comprised primarily of black and white negatives and contact sheets, although Series E includes six linear feet and one oversize box of prints, most of which are 8" x 10" black and white images, and Series H includes color transparencies. There are also prints in Series I, Series J, slides in Series E and I, and a 16 mm film in Series I. Color negatives become more frequent in the late 1980s.

The original order and file headings created by News and Information Services have been retained wherever possible. Thus, the several lettered series reflect various organizational schemes used in the past.

University of Michigan professor of political science, research scientist at the Mental Health Research Institute, and pioneer in the interdisciplinary and quantitative approach to conflict resolution. Administrative papers of Center for Research on Conflict Resolution, Correlates of War Project, and the Journal of Conflict Resolution, topical files on numerous organizations and subjects, and research papers from disarmament negotiations study.

The J. David Singer papers document the career of a leading political science researcher, teacher, and peace activist. The bulk of the materials span the 1950s to the year 2000 and are arranged into nine distinct series:

1. Biographical Materials
2. Topical Files
3. Correspondence
4. Lectures and Conferences
5. Publications
6. Grant Proposals
7. Teaching
8. Programs
9. Later materials
10. Audio-Visual Materials