Collections

The Tate Personal and Professional Papers document Vernon Tate's personal interests and activities along with many aspects of his professional career as a historian, librarian, and archivist between 1929 and 1989. Dr. Tate's papers contain correspondence, speeches, articles, meeting minutes, annual reports, newsletters, conference proceedings, press releases, dissertation research materials, and photographic and microphotographic research notes.

In December 1982, Dr. Vernon Tate donated a large collection of manuscripts and publications documenting the history of microphotography and his own career as a historian, archivist, librarian, and microfilm pioneer to The University of Michigan Libraries. This donation provided the impetus for the creation of the Power Collection for the Study of Scholarly Communication and Information Transfer in the Special Collections Library. The Power Collection is named in honor of Dr. Tate's long-time friend, Eugene B. Power, the founder of the micropublishing firm University Microfilms, Inc.

Dr. Tate's donations to the Power Collection contain over 140 linear feet of manuscripts, including his own personal and professional papers, an extensive collection of records of the National Microfilm Association (NMA), and the Microfilm Pioneers Collection which contains the papers of several of Dr. Tate's colleagues concerning microphotography and the activities of NMA. In addition, Dr. Tate donated an extensive collection of serials and monographs relating primarily to the fields of photography, microphotography, and archives.

The Tate Personal and Professional Papers document Vernon Tate's personal interests and activities along with many aspects of his professional career between 1929 and 1989. This group does not, however, include files from his work as Executive Secretary of the National Microfilm Association. Those materials can be found in the National Microfilm Association Records in this repository.

Dr. Tate's papers contain correspondence, speeches, articles, meeting minutes, annual reports, newsletters, conference proceedings, press releases, dissertation research materials, and photographic and microphotographic research notes. In addition, the collection contains log books (diaries), which contain his thoughts and notes on his personal and professional activities, although the log books will not be available for research until October 1, 2009.

Scattered materials concern Tate's activities between 1929 and 1935 as a student, researcher,and microfilmer for the Library of Congress. Included is correspondence, extensive research materials on the port of San Blas (his dissertation topic), and articles on maritime history and photography.

Large portions of several series concern the years between 1935 and 1946 during which Tate headed the photographic archives and research division of the National Archives and then served in the Navy during World War II. Almost two-thirds of the correspondence series and nearly half of Tate's speeches and writings date from this period. Besides these materials, the files contain inter-office memoranda, literature and notes on microphotography, and notes on his own experiments. Since Tate was the seventh professional staff member hired by the National Archives after its founding in 1935, the files include materials on the early development of the agency and the beginnings of the photographic laboratory and microfilm operation.

By the mid-1930's Tate was already one of the recognized authorities in the rapidly developing field of microphotography. In addition to his work at the National Archives, the files concern such topics as his work as editor of the Journal of Documentary Reproduction, 1938-1942; the early history of the American Documentation Institute and the Federation Internationale de Documentation; and his involvement in the work of the Microcard Committee. A small amount of correspondence concerns the establishment and early history of the National Microfilm Association, 1944-1946, before Tate became an officer.

The amount of material declines significantly for the years after 1946. Materials relating to his work as Director of Libraries at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and subsequently as Librarian and Archivist at the U.S. Naval Academy appear, but they are smaller in quantity and less complete than the materials on earlier years. Although the Tate Papers do not concern his work as an officer of the National Microfilm Association, they do document many professional activities not connected with NMA. Included is material on his various library and archival positions and his involvement with such organizations as the American Documentation Institute and the Federation Internationale de Documentation.

In addition to documenting many of Tate's professional activities, his papers concern family matters and personal interests. The correspondence series includes a small sequence of family letters exchanged between Tate and his wife, parents, and other relatives. The personal interests series contains information on his hobbies and interests, especially in naval history and other nautical matters, but also in such areas as antiques, art, books and printing, history, and libraries.

This collection is comprised of letters addressed to Ward Allan Howe (1900-1977), a New York Times travel writer, between the dates of 1936 and 1960. These letters have been saved for their noteworthy signatures. All of the letters are addressed to Howe except where noted. Acquired with 6,900 positive photographs, 4,289 color transparenices, and approximately 22,00 negatives. (The aforementioned visual material is housed separately as the Ward Allan Howe Photos.)

This collection contains two series of materials (1. letters to W. A. Howe; 2. various documents related to W. A. Howe) that were created between 1922 and 1972. The first series includes letters from Lucius Morris Beebe, Arthur Brisbane, James C Hagerty, Alfred Mossman Landon, and Elwyn Brooks White. The second series includes an article, crendentials, resumes, membership cards,

William Kaufman, M.D., Ph.D (Physiology), discovered that niacinamide (vitamin B-3) can effectively treat symptoms in arthritic patients. This collection documents Kaufman's niacinamide research, his work as an author of academic and popular medical articles, and his personal life. William's wife's, Charlotte (Schnee) Kaufman's papers are also included, especially those relating to the Family Life Film Center of Connecticut.

The William and Charlotte Kaufman Papers document many facets of both William and Charlotte Kaufman's professional and personal lives. The collection has been arranged into fourteen series: Niacinamide, Other Medical Topics, Other Writings, General Correspondence, Professional Organizations, Personal, Charlotte Kaufman, Patient Records, Computer disks, Artwork, Audiovisual, Slides, Photographs and Negatives, and Realia.

William Kaufman's research in the therapeutic use of niacinamide and its effect on arthritis is documented by professional correspondence, correspondence with interested members of the public, patient records, published and unpublished writings, notes, photographs and negatives, and relevant writings by others. Kaufman's involvement in various medical organizations and his work as an author of popular and academic articles are also well represented. Drafts of plays and poems, an autobiography, sketchbooks, and paintings show William's creative work as an amateur artist, playwright, and poet. Papers relating to Kaufman's personal life are also present in the collection.

Material relating to Charlotte Kaufman mostly stems from her work as Executive Director of the Family Life Film Center of Connecticut, Inc. A wide range of materials document the workings of the Film Center: correspondence, leaflets, memos, discussion notes, training materials, posters, newspaper clippings, and photographs. Charlotte's activity in other community organizations and her personal life are represented by photographs, schoolwork, biographical material, creative writings, invitations, newspaper clippings, and correspondence.

Series Level Scope and Contents Notes:

The Niacinamide series consists of approximately 4.5 linear feet and provides insight not only into Kaufman's research and writing on niacinamide as a therapy for arthritis but also into his research's impact and general reception. This series includes data such as charts and summary results, but please note that some niacinamide study data is in other parts of the collection: forms recording individual patients' joint measurements are in the Patient Records series and are mostly restricted due to the presence of personally identifiable health information; a significant number of photos, slides, and negatives of Kaufman's patients who participated in the niacinamide studies are part of the Photographs and Negatives series and many of these visual materials are also restricted.

Niacinamide correspondence constitutes the largest group of material in the Niacinamide series and this correspondence is subdivided into three groups: professional correspondence and name files (exchanges with doctors and other health care providers, companies, government agencies, etc.); requests for niacinamide or arthritis advice or treatment testimonials from members of the public; and simple requests and delivery confirmations for Kaufman's articles and books on niacinamide. The professional correspondence includes exchanges between Kaufman and important medical figures such as Linus Pauling, Abram Hoffer, Jonathan Wright, Andrew Saul, and others. Researchers interested in Kaufman's niacinamide work may also want to consult the General Correspondence series as it contains a small amount of correspondence mentioning niacinamide.

The Niacinamide series documents Kaufman's niacinamide work in several other ways: through drafts, publications, notes, press notices on Kaufman's two monographs, material related to Kaufman winning the Tom D. Spies Award, as well as material related to Kaufman's role in a 1942-1943 study at the Bridgeport Brass Company, in which workers were given vitamin supplements and the effect on their overall health and mental state was assessed.

The Other Medical Topics series is composed of roughly 2 linear feet of material directly related to Kaufman's medical writings (those not about niacinamide). The writings cover a wide range of topics, from electrocardiography to psychosomatic eating problems and are intended for a wide range of audiences, from medical specialists to members of the public. Drafts, copies of Kaufman's publications, and notes make up the bulk of the series. There is also correspondence, published background material, drafts, and notes related to the Béla Schick Festschrift (1958) , which Kaufman edited, and about the Lowenfeld Mosaic Test (the test, which consists of a set of colored plastic shapes that the subject is supposed to arrange into a pleasing pattern, is part of the Realia series).

Other Writings consists of about 6 feet of mostly unpublished material directly related to Kaufman's writings that are neither medical nor niacinamide-related in subject. They are divided into four subseries: creative writing, money, autobiography, and miscellaneous.

The creative writing subseries consists of drafts, publications, and notes and fragments of Kaufman's short stories, poems, plays, and novels. This subseries also contains a small amount of correspondence and other material related to Kaufman's efforts to publish and publicize his creative writings.

Kaufman's interest in money led to the publication of a few articles, most notably "Some Emotional Uses of Money," primarily about what Kaufman termed "psycho-economic behavior." The money subseries contains drafts, publications, notes, source material for Kaufman's articles, and an unpublished book on money. The subseries also includes letters expressing readers' reactions to Kaufman's money pieces, as well as requests for advice.

Two draft versions and some notes and fragments of William Kaufman's autobiography, Snippets , make up the autobiography subseries. The miscellaneous subseries consists of drafts, notes, and publicity on writings of Kaufman's that don't fall into any of the above categories (i.e. are neither medical, nor creative pieces, nor money-related), for example, an opinion piece on writing obituaries .

The General Correspondence series (roughly 3 linear feet) is divided into two groups: personal correspondence between William and Charlotte Kaufman and general correspondence (correspondence that doesn't primarily concern niacinamide, the business of William's professional organizations, or William's employment) between William and others.

The correspondence between William and Charlotte Kaufman spans their relationship from their first meeting in Ann Arbor in 1936 until just before William's death in 2001. The early correspondence also includes a fair amount of attachments, including creative writings by both William and Charlotte, letters from others, and some sketches by William. The bulk of the letters date from 1938 and 1939, the years just before Charlotte and William were married. Their correspondence is arranged chronologically by, but not within, year.

The general correspondence subseries ranges in subject from personal to medical and includes correspondence with: Dave Brubeck, Luke Bucci, Rodrigo Carozo, William Crook, Thomas Dorman, Carlton Fredericks, John Fulton, Anna Freud, Bernard Halpern, David Harley, Fred Hodges, Paul Kallós, Heinz Karger, Sam Kaufman, John Leonard, Marshall Mandell, Theron Randolph, Samuel Schnee, Béla Schick, Nicholas Spinelli, Frank Wilson, and White House staff members during the Franklin D. Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower administrations.

The Professional Organizations series (approximately 1 linear foot) details Kaufman's involvement with various medical organizations, including as American Editor-in-Chief of the International Archives of Allergy and Applied Immunology , President of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine, and in various posts in the American College of Allergists and other organizations. The series consists primarily of correspondence and memos. It also contains programs, menus, schedules, some newspaper clippings, and meeting minutes.

The Personal series consists of about 3 feet of papers that relate to William Kaufman's personal affairs. The material falls in nine groups: biographical, education, employment, family, finances, health, homes, inventions and copyrights, and articles and press releases.

A broad swath of material documents Kaufman's basic personal information. Included are passports, a diary, and Who's Who entry material. William Kaufman's academic achievements are well represented and span from Pottsville High to University of Michigan Medical School to continuing education courses. His academic life is reflected in grades, notes, yearbooks, newspaper clippings related to scholarships and honors, fraternity materials, student identification cards, financial records, graduation programs, and alumni correspondence and reunion materials.

Periods of William Kaufman's employment in hospitals and New York pharmaceutical advertising agencies are documented in memos, drafts of industrial writings (interpretation of FDA regulations, drug labeling, promotion and education, etc.), announcements and press about Kaufman's professional appointments, and other business papers. The family material documents particular episodes in the lives of the Schnee and Kaufman families. These papers were originally grouped together and have been retained in this order. Besides these few groups, all correspondence with members of the Schnee and Kaufman families is part of the General Correspondence and Charlotte Kaufman series.

The remainder of the Personal series is composed of two smaller groups: information related to the selling, buying, rezoning, taxation, and insuring of the Kaufmans' homes; and certificates of copyright, letters patent, legal paperwork, correspondence, and design plans related to the construction of Kaufman's joint measuring instruments.

The Charlotte Kaufman series is 7 linear feet of Charlotte Kaufman's files. The bulk of the series arises from Charlotte Kaufman’s role as Executive Director of the Family Life Film Center of Connecticut (established February 22, 1967). The Family Life Film Center papers overlap with Charlotte’s involvement with other citizens’ groups championing causes such as better schools and better police-community relations. Charlotte’s original topical folder organization, where present, was retained and most folder labels are hers. All dates assigned to the folders are rough bulk dates and not necessarily comprehensive. There is a significant amount of material related to a grant given to the Family Life Film Center by the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Social & Rehabilitation Service to conduct a pilot program designed to raise awareness of career options for handicapped individuals.

Also included in the Charlotte series are materials relating to Charlotte's other community activities (such as her involvement with the Alliance Française du Comte de Fairfield), correspondence between Charlotte and other individuals (not related to niacinamide--those letters have been included in the Niacinamide series), and personal materials, which include biographical material, papers relating to Charlotte's education, employment, family, and health. A highlight of the personal Charlotte material is a folder of material about her 1939 trip to Alaska and Charlotte's interest in Alaska becoming a place for resettlement of refugees from Hitler's Europe.

The Patient Records series (one linear foot) consists primarily of joint measurements of and case histories of patients, most likely collected as part of William Kaufman's niacinamide studies in the 1940s. A few patients have more extensive files that may include correspondence or additional charts. Due to the presence of personally identifiable health information, much of the material in this series is closed to researchers and consultation with Special Collections staff is required before accessing this series. Original binder and folder titles have been retained where present. This series contains a few photographs, but most patient photos have been transferred to the Photographs and Negatives series.

The Computer Disks consists mostly of 3.5 inch floppy disks that contain backups of emails and files the Kaufmans had on their home computer. The majority of the disks are indexed and organized in binders and their original order and housing has been retained. The series also includes 3 CDs.

The Artwork series is comprised of William Kaufman’s drawings, sketches, and paintings. This includes a series of mostly black-and-white drawings of imaginary creatures titled “Kaufman’s Kritters.” Documents complementing the artwork are also in this series and include Kaufman’s efforts get his artwork published and his entries into various shows and contests.

The relatively small Audiovisual series is comprised of cassette tapes, including a 1978 interview William Kaumfan did with Carlton Fredericks, and film in various formats including 16mm motion pictures reels, microfilm, and canisters of 36mm film. Among the films is a short film, A Day in the Life of P. T. Barnum, that Charlotte Kaufman produced.

The Slides series consists of a few thousand color slides, including a small number of glass-plate slides. The patient studies slides, which are mostly images of mouths, tongues, eyes, and, to a lesser extent, other body parts, make up the largest part of the series. It is very likely that these slides were produced as part of William Kaufman's niacinamide studies. The patient studies slides are divided into three groups: boxed, sleeved, and glass-plate. All three groups are organized alphabetically by patient name. Most of these patient slides are closed due to the presence of personally identifiable health information. Researchers interested in the slides should consult Special Collections staff. Additionally, there are a small number of personal and other slides.

The Photographs and Negatives series is divided into three subseries: Photographs, Negatives, and Photographs and Negatives (the Photographs and Negatives subseries, while redundant, is used because some photographs were bundled together with their original negatives and these were kept together). All three subseries contain a variety of sizes and formats. The Photographs subseries and the Negatives subseries both include a substantial number of patient images, mostly demonstrating the flexibility of a particular joint. While some of these photographs are restricted (please consult with Special Collections staff if interested), some do not contain personally identifiable information and are open for research. All three subseries contain personal images (which include portraits, images of homes and artwork, as well as travel and conference pictures). The Negatives subseries also encompasses color transparencies, many of which are images associated with the Lowenfeld Mosaic Test .

Finally, the Realia series contains three dimensional artifacts, mostly metal medical instruments that William Kaufman invented and used in his niacinamide studies. In particular, many of the objects are goniometers, or instruments for measuring flexibility. The Lowenfeld Mosaic Test , in its original green case, is also part of this series.

William Reuben is an investigative reporter and author who wrote, most notably, about the Rosenberg espionage case and the Alger Hiss-Whitaker Chambers libel and perjury trials. The Collection includes correspondence, research and interview notes, drafts of books and articles, published and unpublished, on the trials of the "Trenton Six," Morton Sobell and Robert Soblen, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, and Alger Hiss, with much research on Whittaker Chambers.

In general, most of the series consist of similar kinds of material: Reuben's research notes, drafts of his writings, correspondence, clippings, and reviews of other writings about the case or individual. Some of the series have further value because they include Reuben's collection of printed material about the case. For example, Reuben was particularly active in the Committee to Secure Justice in the Rosenberg Case, and the Rosenberg series includes some of the printed matter put out by this organization. Reuben also collected correspondence of the Civil Rights Congress, a major organization lobbying on behalf of the Trenton Six.

In many ways, the Reuben papers are an assemblage of secondary material. Reuben had little first-hand dealings with either the Rosenbergs or the Trenton Six. Nevertheless, the files have value for their documentation of the manner in which this one investigative reporter worked. Reuben was a meticulous and persistent researcher, who tracked down a variety of leads in a story, first analyzing the available court transcripts and other official records, then corresponding as much as he was able with the people involved in the case (including other writers like himself), and finally monitoring the amount and kind of press coverage given to the case. Unfortunately, Reuben did not gain as much first-hand contact with the principals in his investigations as he would have liked, and thus the collection is not as substantive as the researcher might like. Reuben 's correspondence, furthermore, is often superficial and anecdotal in character. Another disappointment of the collection are Reuben 's notes and drafts, which because they are fragmentary or unidentified, are difficult to use and of questionable research value.

This collection personal correspondence, legal documents, and publications related to Finnish-American labor organizer William Kaino Heikkila's struggles for US citizenship under anti-communist immigration policies.

The records, which measure one linear foot, cover the dates from 1951 to 1966 and are divided into seven series. These are as follows: Correspondence (1952-1966), Publicity and Activities (1958-1961 and undated), Legal Proceedings and Documents (1952-1964 and undated), Legislation (1958-1962 and undated), Personal (1958-1960), Subject Files (1951-1960 and undated), and Miscellaneous (1958-1960 and undated).

The Correspondence series, (1952-1966), is rich in materials relating to both the public (esp. legal) and private sides of William Heikkila's deportation ordeal. It contains letters from Heikkila's attorneys, the general public, friends and family of the Heikkilas, and from William Heikkila himself to his wife, Phyllis, in the midst of his deportation stay in Finland. The letters illustrate both the ongoing struggle for Heikkila's citizenship and freedom, and the extent to which individuals and groups offered their support to his cause.

The Publicity and Activities series, (1958-1961 and undated), is the largest series in the records collection. The materials in this series help to illustrate the great amount of attention his deportation and the following proceedings received in the national, regional, and in particular local media. Included are a variety of materials from the NCCPFB, which played a central role in supporting both Heikkila's case and cause throughout the years. The organizational records of the NCCPFB, also in the Labadie collection, are a similar but somewhat less abundant source of materials of this nature. The bulk of the Publicity and Activities series consists of news clippings from around 1958, which provide a valuable means of understanding the deportation and proceedings from the perspective of the general public, and offers a generally detailed chronological progression of events in the case.

The Legal Proceedings and Documents series, (1952-1964 and undated), includes briefs from Heikkila's citizenship and deportation cases from 1952 to 1959. Also in this series are several items relating to Phyllis Heikkila's legal battle to win William's Social Security Lump Sum Death Benefit.

The next series, Legislation (1958-1962 and undated), contains informational sheets about bills published by the NCCPFB and other regional divisions of the American Committee for Protection of Foreign Born (ACPFB). It also contains copies of some bills and notes and publications relating to bills.

The Personal series (1958-1960) includes two groupings of materials: those relating to Heikkila's deportation and related travel (1958), and those relating to his death and funeral (1960).

The Subject Files (1951-1960 and undated) contains two folders. The first concerns William Niukkanen (a.k.a. William Mackie), another Finnish-born man residing in the United States who encountered citizenship battles similar to those of Heikkila, and who was sometimes discussed in relation to Heikkila. The second relates to the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC), which was intimately involved with the battle against Communism in the 1950s onward which Heikkila found himself inadvertently involved with.

The final series, Miscellaneous (1958-1960 and undated), contains some photographs, some Finnish language materials of undetermined nature, and some general items which do not fall within the series structure but which nonetheless have a place in the records collection.