Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

Founded in 1916 by Osias Zwerdling, Philip Lansky, and other members of the Jewish Community, Beth Israel was the first formally established conservative Jewish congregation in Ann Arbor, Mich. The record group chronicles the history and activities of the congregation over a period of 78 years, from 1938 to 2016. The collection includes materials pertaining to the congregation's history, its leadership, as well as the social, philanthropic, and civic endeavors surrounding Jewish history and immigration, education, civil rights, and the advancement of Jewish women in society. The collection also contains historical data on the Jewish population of Ann Arbor.

The records of the Beth Israel Congregation (Ann Arbor, Mich.) document the history, organizational structure, programs, and outreach activities of the congregation between 1938 and 2016. The bulk of the collection dates between the late 1950s and 2016 and comprises of Beth Israel administrative files, materials relating to the Women's League for Conservative Judaism (WLCJ), the Beth Israel Sisterhood, and various publications. This includes board and membership records, materials on committees and WLCJ conferences, correspondence, Beth Israel's Hashaliach newsletter, newspaper clippings, honors from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and a certificate from the National Women's League of the United Synagogue of America.

The remainder of the collection is dedicated to the history of the congregation, its leaders, civic and philanthropic endeavors, and affiliate organizations. This includes the biography, eulogy, and Last Will and Testament of Osias Zwerdling as well as his digitized audio recording on the congregation's founding. Also included are materials relating to the history of the congregation's locations along Hill Street and Washtenaw Avenue, as well as the first Jewish cemetery in Ann Arbor.

Materials pertaining to the congregation's leadership comprise of but are not limited to the writings and correspondence of the congregation's rabbis. This includes the installation and resignation ceremonies of Rabbi Allan Kensky, and a digitized 1997 video recording of the congregation's first woman president, Gerda Seligson receiving the Jewish Theological Seminary's Second Century Award. Materials regarding civic and philanthropic endeavors cover the reports and background information on the Arab-Israeli conflict, correspondence and programs pertaining to Jewish history and immigration, as well as document acts of vandalism of Jewish institutions.

Materials regarding affiliate organizations highlight Beth Israel's relationships with the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (BBYO), the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTSA), the United Synagogue of America (USA), the National Women's League of the United Synagogue of America, The University of Judaism (UJ), and the United Jewish Appeal (UJA). This includes UJA membership records, a UJA award of honor, BBYO convention materials, JTS and UJ program materials, and USA and National Women's League administrative records. The remainder of the collection's publications encompass several press releases from the Ann Arbor News, and the Detroit and Washtenaw Jewish News, booklets on the history of the congregation, and pamphlets pertaining to the WLCJ and the Beth Israel Sisterhood. Additional materials within this collection include, color slides, standard and oversize photographs, and oversize newspaper clippings, as well as and accolades.

Ann Arbor Congregation founded in 1916. In anticipation of its 100th anniversary in 2016, Beth Israel initiated an oral history project to help tell the story of Jewish life in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Recordings were conducted in April 2013 by StoryCorps, a national non-profit organization dedicated to recording and collecting stories of everyday people. Includes digital recordings of interviews, transcripts, and digital photographs of participants.

The Beth Israel oral history project records consist of 18 interviews of congregation members that were facilitated and recorded by StoryCorps, a national non-profit organization dedicated to recording and collecting stories of everyday people. The interview participants were of a range of ages and experiences with subject matter centered on their experience of Jewish life in Ann Arbor. Common themes ranged from their life stories, their participation in Ann Arbor Jewish life, how they became involved in Jewish communal life, discussions of their Jewish identity, and any anti-Semitism they encountered.

This collection primarily includes the Beyster Land Company records and the John Beyster & Sons Company records. Both companies were primarily active in the late 1800s to the mid-1900s. The Beyster Land Company was responsible for developing manufacturing and industry properties in the Detroit, Michigan area. The John Beyster & Sons Company was a business for lumber, lath, shingles, and box manufacturing. Record types include correspondence, tax documents, architectural plans, and business ledgers. The collection also includes a small number of materials related to the Beyster family, such as a family tree, photographs, and estate papers.

This collection primarily includes records from the Beyster Land Company and John Beyster and Sons Company. The records present in the collection begin in the 1880s, shortly after the end of the Industrial Revolution. The Beyster Land Company was involved in land and property acquisition, as shown by the volume of property records in the collection. At least one of the property documents includes a racial covenant, which restricted certain racial groups from buying or occupying land. Other business records include correspondence, tax documents, property information (including deeds and mortgage records), private and business ledgers, audits, patent information, building plans, and automobile records. Along with the business records, the collection encompasses a small portion of family records, including a family tree, photographs, and the will and estate records of John Beyster.

Scrapbooks of the University of Michigan students Betty Lou Bidwell Morris (Literature, Science, and the Arts, Class of 1947), and her parents Howard King Bidwell (Engineering and Architecture, Class of 1924) and Ruth Loella Kinney Bidwell, (Literature, Science, and the Arts, Class of 1924). The scrapbooks contain photographs, dance cards, grade reports, identifications, membershipn cards, and registration cards, announcements, certificates, invitations, programs, newsletters, and letters. Also, Betty Lou's scrapbook of alumnae and reunion material having to do with the Betsy Barbour Buds. Materials relate to the Bidwells' student lives, family lives, and social activities, as well as World War II.

Scrapbooks of Howard King and Ruth Loella Kinney Bidwell, 1909-1940; and Betty Lou Bidwell Morris, 1936-2015. Scrapbooks primarily focus on the academic, family, and social lives of Howard and Ruth Bidwell and their daughter Betty. This includes photographs of their family life, close friends and associates, as well as social activities both on and off campus. Also included are dance, identification, grade report, membership, postal, and school registration cards; announcements of births, engagements, and weddings; honors certificates; invitations and programs for commencement activities, special events, and student organizations. The collection also includes several newspaper clippings from the Michigan Daily (primarily focusing on campus activities and World War II); student and alumnae publications; and other ephemera.

The University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS) was established in 1909 as a teaching and research facility located in the tip of the lower peninsula of Michigan. It preserves several habitats for study. The main areas of research are field biology and ecology. The records of the UMBS focus on evaluations of the program, research, and educational programs.

The records of the University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS) include materials used to evaluate the benefit of continuing the program during a university budget crisis in the early 1980s, and materials focused more generally on the research and educational programs of the UMBS. The records are divided into six series: Administrative, Program Review, Research, and Education Programs, Publications, and Photographs.

Organization created by Baptist minister Reverend Edward Pinkney to fight economic and social injustice in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Includes correspondence, news articles, court documents, protest fliers, protest signs, religious writings, website captures, and photographs. Also contains a copy of the 2006 documentary, "What's going on in Benton Harbor? : The Trial of Reverend Pinkney."

The Black Autonomy Network Community Organization records (1 linear feet, 1 oversize box and 3.41 GB) contains correspondence, news articles, court documents, protest fliers, religious writings, and photographs. The collection also includes a box of protest signs supporting Reverend Pinkney and digital files containing email correspondence, website pages and a copy of the 2006 documentary, "What's Going On in Benton Harbor: The Reverend Pinkney Story." The materials focus on the voter fraud charges against Reverend Edward Pinkey and the protests in response to his conviction.

Student organization at the University of Michigan established in 1968 for students of African descent. The materials in the collection include minutes, correspondence, agendas, officer reports and topical files on issues including the Michigan Mandate and the 2000 Michigamua protest. The collection also contains photographs, audio/visual recordings, Twitter posts, and event flyers.

The Black Student Union (University of Michigan) records document the various activities of the Black Student Union at U-M. Materials in this collection include agendas, budgets, correspondence, event flyers, minutes, officer reports, photographs, topical files, Twitter posts, and audio/visual recordings.

The Blanchard family papers document the lives and careers of several members of the Blanchard, Cobb, and Proctor families from the mid-nineteenth century through the late twentieth century. Includes visual materials, publications, personal writings, and extensive correspondence files.

The Blanchard Family Papers document the professional achievements and personal lives of several generations of a scientifically minded and artistically gifted family. The papers focus heavily upon the eminent plant pathologist and nematologist Nathan A. Cobb, his wife Alice Vara Cobb, their daughter, biologist Frieda Cobb Blanchard, and her husband, herpetologist Frank Nelson Blanchard (the latter two of whom were professors at the University of Michigan). In addition to the photographs, drawings, correspondence, journals, and writings of these four individuals, the collection is rich in family correspondence, diaries, and personal papers from other members of the Cobb and Blanchard families (and their forebears and branches, including the Bigelow, Proctor, Ross, White, and Randall families). The Blanchard Family Papers will be of value to researchers interested in a variety of topics: scientific endeavors and methodologies (and in particular those related to agronomy, nematology, botany, and herpetology); the visual arts and the development of photography in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; colonial and provincial life in Australia and Hawaii (respectively); and the daily affairs of American (and Michigan) families throughout the twentieth century. The Blanchard Family Papers consist of seven series: Nathan A. Cobb, Alice Vara Cobb, Frieda Cobb Blanchard, Frank Nelson Blanchard, Blanchard and Cobb Family Letters, Other Family Members, and Isaac G. Blanchard.

BMC Media Services (formerly Biomedical Communications) is an in-house graphics and marketing production service for the University of Michigan. The collection is comprised of visual materials, including photographic prints, negatives, slides, and contact sheets, as well as videotapes, a few films, and digital files. The records reflect BMC's biomedical origins and document the history of the medical school, health science, hospitals, and related departments at the University of Michigan.

The records of BMC Media Services (formerly Biomedical Communications) measure 31.65 linear feet of visual material in a variety of formats. The records consist of seven series, largely different photographic categories: Faculty and Staff Portraits, Group Portraits, Class Photographs, Building Photographs, Topical Photographs, Films, and Videotapes.

The Board for Student Publications was founded in 1903, as the Board in Control of The Michigan Daily, with the authority over all operations ofThe Michigan Daily, including content and editorial issues. Its authority was extended to all student publications in 1908, and its name changed to The Board in Control of Student Publications. In 1969, the Board name was changed to the Board for Student Publications. It retained financial control over student publications, but only serves in an advisory capacity on editorial issues. The records mostly consist of the Board's minutes, and also include correspondence of board chairmen and staff, materials pertaining to various student publications, financial materials, U-M directories, and blueprints and drawings of the Student Publications Building during its various renovations. The collection also contains numerous photographs and audiovisual materials focusing on alumni, staff, and events.

The records include minutes, topical files, photographs, and audiovisual materials. Includes materials related to events, applications for senior staff positions, and files relating to the operation of The Michigan Daily and other student publications. Also included is information on the renovation of the Student Publications Building.

Six linear feet of material was added in May of 2018:

Box 7: Board Documents 1919-2017, contains Board meeting materials including a Board in Control of Student Publications bound book of meeting minutes from 1956 to 1958; policies and procedures; legal documentation (Articles of Incorporation and bylaws); Year-End financial statements; Michigan Daily photographs; miscellneous publications; U-M directories; and Board appointment letters.

Box 8: Board Documents 1992-2002, contains Board meeting materials; Year-End financial statements; Board retreat packages; legal documentation (bylaws); reunion photographs; and Board reappointment letters.

Box 9: Board Documents 1997-2006, contains Board meeting materials; University Audits reports; Board nomination letters, photographs of the board; Board Retreat packages; and Student Publications building infrastructure reports.

Box 10: Board Documents 1945-2006, contains Board meeting materials; University Audits reports; photographs of the Gargoyle 90th Anniversary reunion and other Student Publications staff and alumni. Additional materials include a December 1945 Gargoyle cover and accompanying letter; and building renovation documents.

Box 11: Board Documents 1958-2014, contains Board meeting materials; building renovation documents; Year-End financial statements and outside audit reports from PricewaterhouseCoopers. The box also includes additional publications; Board retreat packages; notes and letters to incoming staff; Student Publications building as well as Michigan Daily alumni and staff photographs.

Box 12 contains one volume of Board meeting minutes, 1981-1992; a Photo album, undated; and the following VHS tapes:

1. Michigan Daily Centennial Celebration (1990).

2. Michigan Daily alumni and staff interviews (2003).

3. The Michigan Difference (2004).

Included in the collection is 12.52 GBs of digital images and interviews of Student Publications noteable alumni, staff (at the time the materials were created), and special events.