Collections : [University of Michigan Special Collections Research Center]

J. Herbert Newport was a designer of automobile bodies from the 1930s through the 1970s, employed designing custom bodies for Duesenberg automobiles as well as bodies and parts for companies such as DuPont, General Motors, Studebaker, and Nash. The collection documents his design work through drawings and photographs and the Duesenberg phenomenon, which continues to the present day with car collecting and restoration, through correspondence, photographs, advertisements, and ephemera, drawings, and various research materials.

The Newport collection has been divided into eleven series: J. Herbert Newport, Correspondence, The Duesenberg, Duesenberg Models, Ephemera and Print, Photographs, Albums, Drawings, Painting, Audio Materials and Realia.

Correspondence, manuscripts, A/V materials, journals, artwork, and realia from the life and works of Postbeat poet Jim Cohn.

The correspondence series is made up of letters Cohn sent and received throughout his career. Cohn sorted the correspondence according to the person he was corresponding with, making special room for his two primary correspondents, fellow poets David Cope and Randy Roark.

The ASL Poetry and Poetics, Beat and Postbeat Studies, and Disability series contain records of Cohn's research, writings, and work related to each subject. Similarly, the Research Notebooks contain materials related to Cohn's archival research about poets Paul Blackburn and Ezra Pound.

The Audio Files and Books in Print files series are papers relating to Cohn's recordings and publications, respectively. Related A/V materials were placed in the A/V series, while published books were separated for cataloging.

The Education, Juvenilia, and Photographs series contain papers, photography, and artifacts from Cohn's personal life from childhood through the 2000s.

The Editor/Co-editor and Publisher series consist of magazines that Cohn helped edit or publish, as well as files related to the same.

The Manuscripts series contains Cohn's manuscripts, organized by genre.

Fine Arts includes two of Cohn's art projects, making paper and printing poetry on Tibetan prayer flags.

The Promotional Materials series includes papers relating to Cohn's public career and self-promotion, as well as performance reviews from a former job. The Interviews series contains both interviews of Cohn and interviews with other poets conducted by Cohn.

The Teaching Guides series are papers related to poetry workshops Cohn has taught.

The Museum of American Poetics series consists of printouts of various sections and updates to the website over the years.

Finally, the A/V materials series largely consists of CD and tape recordings of Cohn's spoken word music poetry. Also included are CD backups of the MAP website, recordings of Allen Ginsberg, and Ann Waldman's 2003 film, "Makeup on Empty Space." Please reach out to the Special Collections Research Center for information about accessing these materials.

J. Louis Engdahl (1884-1932), editor and journalist, was an advocate for labor, socialist, and communist causes. The collection includes letters Engdahl wrote to his wife and daughter, trial transcripts, photographs; Engdahl's original writings; and published works in various formats. Also included are memorabilia, clippings, pamphlets, and other printed material, and artwork.

The J. Louis Engdahl Papers (6.5 linear feet) are divided into seven series: Correspondence, Writings, Chicago Socialist Trial, Scottsboro Trial, Photographs and Artwork, Personal and Memorabilia, and Printed Material.

Highlights of the collection include the letters Engdahl wrote to his wife and daughter, in which loving epithets and stories of day-to-day life mingle with accounts of his work and that of other prominent labor, socialist, and communist figures. The collection contains several pieces of Engdahl's original writings, along with numerous published works in various formats. Causes for which Engdahl fought, both on his own behalf and that of others, are documented through letters, clippings, trial transcripts, and images. Over sixty photographs, as well as various pieces of personal memorabilia, depict both family life and professional associations. Also of note is a portrait of Engdahl by the artist Mitchell Siporin.

A note on names: Throughout the collection, certain individuals are referred to by various alternate names and nicknames. Engdahl himself went by "J. Louis" or more informally, "Louis," rather than his given name of "John." Sophia Levitin Rodriguez is addressed variously as "Sophia," "Sophie," "Sonia," and even by her middle name, "Vera." As mentioned in the biographical portion of this finding aid, Pauline and Louis Engdahl's daughter is also named Pauline. To avoid confusion, within this finding aid, Engdahl's wife is referred to as "Pauline Levitin Engdahl" and their daughter as "Pauline Engdahl." Pauline Engdahl had the family nickname of "Chootch," with variants "Chootchie," "Chuche," etc.

Joan Blos is a writer of children's literature who lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She is best known for her novel A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-32, which in 1980 won the American Library Association's Newbery Medal.(1) Blos has written several other works of historical fiction as well as picture books for younger readers. The collection documents her career as a writer through items including development materials, correspondence, manuscripts and illustrations of both published and unpublished works.

The Joan W. Blos papers span the years 1971 through 2007 and are made up of some personal materials with the majority of the material. related to her literary works. The Personal series includes correspondence, manuscripts by students and others, and articles, announcements, events information, and awards not related to a specific literary work.

The remaining series are designated by book title and appear in publication order. Unpublished works follow published works and are listed in order of conception. Titles in the collection are: Just Think!; A Gathering of Days; Martin's Hats; Brothers of the Heart; Old Henry; Lottie's Circus; "Pioneers" (in Michigan Traditions); The Heroine of the Titanic; A Seed, a Flower, a Minute an Hour; Brooklyn Doesn't Rhyme; The Days Before Now; The Hungry Little Boy; Nellie Bly's Monkey; Bedtime!; Brother's of the Heart (a dramatization); Hello Shoes!; Letters from the Corrugated Castle; Bringing The Jackson Home; Thisca!; Brave Sisters, Fighting Women; When Times Square Was New; The Applesauce Tree; The Happy Park Day; Old Henry II; Samuel Foote's Nonsense; She's Busy!; The Scribble Scrabble Surprise; Rhymes and Reason; Bathtime; and Ker-choo! A Wintertime Story. Within each title series are several possible subseries:

Development Materials include items such as news clippings, photocopies of articles and stories, early handwritten and typed notes by the author, travel information, postcards, maps, brochures, and library request slips.

Correspondence is primarily with editors, publishers, and some illustrators. This section also includes corresponding manuscripts and drafts that have been edited by the author or editor.

Manuscripts are arranged chronologically and include correspondence from an editor or publisher.

Articles and Announcements include newspaper clippings, programs, announcements, reviews, advertisements for book signings and other promotional events, and interviews.

Events and Awards achieved by the author during her career.

Realia includes items such as playbills for the dramatization of Brothers of the Heart and a handmade quilt inspired by Brooklyn Doesn't Rhyme.

Illustrations, Artwork, and Publication Materials relate to the production of the corresponding title. Examples include mock-ups, color proofs, and unbound signatures for several of the picture books.

Audiotapes include a reading of A Gathering of Days , interviews, and Blos' Newbery acceptance speech for A Gathering of Days.

Study Guides include those associated with the dramatization of Brothers of the Heart.

The Blos papers provide a rich resource for scholars of children's literature along several different avenues. Blos' painstakingly thorough research process is evident in the almost two boxes of materials from her Letters from the Corrugated Castle. One is able to gain an understanding of Blos' creative process through the evolution of the manuscript for this piece of historical fiction. Nellie Bly's Monkey and The Heroine of the Titanic are longer picture books both researched and written as historical fiction. In addition to text, these materials, among other picture books in the collection, provide valuable insight into the collaborative process between author and illustrator. Correspondence between Blos and her editors and publishers provides a window into the business of children's book publishing over the span of Blos' writing career.

During the 1930s, and possibly longer, John E. Pokorny was employed by Ford Motor Company as an assistant to Harry Bennett in personnel and security matters. Whether as part of his job or on his own time, Pokorny collected information on supposed subversive organizations in the Detroit, Michigan, area and, for Ford, investigated Communist infiltration oflabor unions. John Pokorny collected most of the materials in this collection to document supposed subversive activities in the Detroit area and in the United States in general. This collection largely reflects Pokorny's collecting practices and not his personal papers; hence, the collection is arranged similar to a subject file. The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject or name with most of the material dating from the 1930s. Most of the original folder titles have been maintained from Pokorny's original arrangement. News clippings comprise a majority of the contents of the collection and most of these are photocopies of the originals. The collection also contains printed materials (leaflets, brochures, flyers), some manuscript material, and a few photographs.

John Pokorny collected most of the materials in this collection to document supposed subversive activities in the Detroit area and in the United States in general. This collection largely reflects Pokorny's collecting practices and not his personal papers; hence, the collection is arranged similar to a subject file. The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject or name with most of the material dating from the 1930s. Most of the original folder titles have been maintained from Pokorny's original arrangement. News clippings comprise a majority of the contents of the collection and most of these are photocopies of the originals. The collection also contains printed materials (leaflets, brochures, flyers), some manuscript material, and a few photographs. In a few instances, cross-references have been made within the collection, e.g. between the National Labor Relations Board and Edward Burke. Any reference was indicated on a piece of8.5"xl4" paper in the front of the folder. There are possibly even more cross-references than are formally indicated; however, the subject matter and organizations represented in the collection overlap to a degree and it would be very difficult to make note of every instance. Therefore, one who is interested in a specific topic is advised to look through other folders that may be somewhat related. A case in point is the American Coalition. Although the group has a specific folder heading under Aliens (meaning immigrants), more papers originating from the group can be found in folders such as Govermnent - Legislation, Politics (I). There are some materials that deem a specific mention or more explanation. The folder on Civil Liberties contains flyers/leaflets, letters, meeting minutes from various groups, such as the Professional League for Civil Rights, Civil Rights League, National Federation for Constitutional Liberties, and the National Emergency Conference for Democratic Rights. Much of this relates to Detroit-based activities. The third folder on Communism contains 2 lists of suspected Communists in the Detroit area in 1932. Each is about 40 pages long. This folder also has correspondence from 1931 to 1933 to and from the hnmigration and Naturalization Service on the activities of "aliens" and suspected Communists. In his position in the Personnel Dept. for the Ford Motor Company, Pokorny received a number of letters from men seeking employment, often after having served in the military. These materials are located in the first and third folders for the Ford Motor Company. The folder Government - Court Bill contains information on the 1937 idea to increase the number of U.S. Supreme Court justices from nine to fifteen. The folder entitled "Military" relates mainly to the Michigan Military Area of the U.S. Army and the reserves. The Michigan United Auto Workers folder contains 6 photographs of individuals, although only two of them are identified. An additional variety of photographs can be found in Box 2. These depict: fires in Detroit (8); Niagara Falls; a photo of two unidentified men; the crashed plane of Major Resonatti, Italian Ace; John Philip Sousa's burial, March 10, 1932; a 1932 fire at the National Soldiers Home (Dayton, OH); and several copies of the installation of officers of the National Sojourners picturing Pokorny and other members. A newsprint copy of this last photograph can be found in the folder Pokorny Personal. This folder also contains correspondence from organizations with which he was involved, greeting cards, his Army commission certificates, and programs from events.

John Frederick Finerty was an Irish-American lawyer who served as legal counsel for Pres. Eamon de Valera in the Irish Republican bond litigation, was active in various organizations in support of Irish independence, and served in defense of various causes and clients, including Sacco and Venzetti and the Rosenbergs.The Papers deal primarily with the Irish bond issue.

The Finerty Irish Papers reflect John F. Finerty's long-standing interest in and involvement with Irish political events and social movements, particularly during the 1920s when the Irish Free State was created by the British Parliament. Finerty supported the Irish cause in the United States on both a professional and personal level. He was strongly pro-Republican and his early associations with various Irish government officials resulted in close friendships that lasted for decades. Among the primary correspondents are Eamon de Valera, prime minister and president of Ireland, and Sean T. O'Ceallaigh, co-founder of the Sinn Fein organization and later president of Ireland. Finerty served as de Valera's legal counsel in the Irish bond litigation in the 1920s, records of which comprise a large portion of the papers (see Series I). He was also active with the American Association for the Recognition of the Irish Republic (AARIR), serving as president in 1922-23.

There is a fair amount of personal correspondence, most of which is filed in the Irish General Correspondence series and the Miscellaneous Subject series. Scattered issues of the Irish Bulletin and the Daily Bulletin, and single issues of magazines and newspapers that were of interest to Finerty are also present, in addition to published proceedings of the Dail Eireann, 1919-22 (3 vols.).

The papers include a variety of types of material--correspondence, memoranda, telegrams, legal documents and briefs, court transcripts, pamphlets, photographs, receipts, Congressional bills and resolutions, and newspaper clippings. Of special note are the matchbox and codes Finerty used to smuggle messages to de Valera when the latter was incarcerated in Ireland in 1923. The main concentration of materials in the 40-year span of the collection date from the 1920s and the 1950s. The intervening years are sparsely represented. The papers have been divided into four series: I. Irish Bond Litigation, 1919- 1935; II. American Association for the Recognition of the Irish Republic, 1920- 1923; III. Irish General Correspondence, 1921-1966; and IV. Miscellaneous Subject Files, 1921-1957. For the most part, the organization and folder titles used by Mr. Finerty have been retained, as has his chronological arrangement. Access to an individual correspondent's name is available through an alphabetical list.

The Finerty Irish Papers reflect only Finerty's professional involvement with de Valera and the Irish bond litigation, and on a personal level, his interest in Ireland and matters of Irish concern in this country. Other famous court cases in which he played a role are not documented in this collection. His American Papers are at the University of Oregon.

The John G. Claybourn Pictorial Review of the Canal contains 8,276 black and white photographs of the work done to build the Panama Canal, and its locks and infrastructure, under the jurisdiction of the United States government between 1907 and 1947. The photographs, taken by Ernest "Red" Hallen, official photographer of the Canal Zone for 30 years, also include images of workers, officials, foreign dignitaries, and numerous visitors.

The Claybourn photograph collection contains 8,276 black and white photographs of the work done to build the Panama Canal, and its locks and infrastructure, under the jurisdiction of the United States government between 1907 and 1947. The images capture the excavation and dredging of the Isthmus of Panama and the equipment used to accomplish these tasks; the construction of the locks; the development of the cities of Colón, Balboa and Gamboa; dignitaries, administrators, politicians, and visitors such as Samuel Gompers (Volume 12); infrastructure designed to improve the wuality of life; and events such as mudslides and fires. Photographs of barges, dredging boats, tugboats, ocean-going cargo and historical ships, naval vessels and submarines are also documented passing through the locks.

The 24 cloth-covered post binders that comprise the collection contain, in addition to photographs, maps and introductory typescripts written by John Claybourn. Each volume also opens with a "Table of Contents" listing the number of photographs, and brief or detailed caption information. As a supervising engineer, and later, Dredging Division Superintendent for the Canal, Claybourn compiled this material to complement his annual reports to Canal administrators. Despite the fact the Canal was considered complete in 1914, and that year is documented in volume 8, Claybourn continued compiling these binders for the remainder of his career, ending with a total of 24 volumes. Although the Canal was considered complete, for another 16 volumes, the photographs document the neverending tasks of improvements, disaster clean-up, and infrastructure development to handle a growing population.

Most, if not all, of the photographs were taken by the official photographer of the Isthmina Canal Commission, Ernest "Red" Hallen (1875-1947). In addition, there are a number of formerly classified aerial photographs taken by the United States Navy, a number of which show a munitions/armory location along the Canal.

Papers of John Gantt, microfilming pioneer and head of Photoduplication at the University of Michigan Graduate Library, including reference file on products and equipment used in the microfilming and other reproduction processes.

The John Gantt papers consist of product literature, equipment brochures and manuals, reports, articles, and scattered correspondence. A small amount of material concerns the work of the Photoduplication Service, but the bulk of the collection is a reference file on products and equipment relating to microfilming and other copying processes. Included is information on developing machines, printers, enlargers, film processors, exposure controls, cameras, readers, cabinets, boxes, filters, films, microfiche, and document retrieval systems.

Some of this material is arranged by company and some by subject.

Two typed reports by General John J. Pershing on his expeditions in the Philippines. The first is of an expedition along the West shore of Lake Lanao from Camp Vicars to Marshui (May 15, 1903). The second is a typed report on an earlier expedition along Lake Lanao on Febuary 20, 1902.

This collection consists of one folder containing typed reports, prepared by John J. Pershing. The first is of an expedition along the West shore of Lake Lanao from Camp Vicars to Marshui (May 15, 1903). The second is a typed report on an earlier expedition along Lake Lanao on Febuary 20, 1902.