Digital Commons Network^™

Laine And Buset Family Collection, 1916-1937, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

Finding Aids

The Laine-Buset Family Collection consists of 13 photographs, two news articles, a leather bound Little Blue Book, and an Abraham Lincoln pamphlet. Several hundred Little Blue Books, published in Girard, Kansas by Emanuel Haldeman-Julius, were also donated and added to the library’s Little Blue Book Collection.

Frank E. Laine (1909 - 1999) and Della Buset (1910 - 1992) grew up in the mining communities in Crawford County, Kansas, attending schools in Arma, Kansas. In 1938 they married. Della worked as a teacher in Crawford County schools, after attending what is now Pittsburg State University.

Kendell, David J., Collection, 1933-1974, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

Finding Aids

The David J. Kendell Collection consists of photographs, letters, diplomas, contracts certifications, pamphlets, new clippings, and other items all pertaining to Kendall’s time as a student at the Kansas State Teacher’s College, and his subsequent teaching career.

David Kendall was born to David E. “Al” and Lottie Kendall in 1929 in Pittsburg, Kansas. In 1933, his father opened a small grocery store (Al’s Grocery) on 112 E Williams St, where Hughes Hall on the PSU campus is now located. Kendall attended the Horace Mann School and the College High School, both run by the college. He then attended the …

Gibson Family Collection, 1913-1915, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

Finding Aids

A collection of photographs from the Gibson sisters' time at the Kansas State Manual Training Normal School, including Helen and Evva and their friends.

Helen C. Gibson Dubois (1894-1978) and Evva Louise Gibson (1896-1980) were sisters who both attended the Kansas State Manual Training Normal School (now Pittsburg State University). Evva received her first bachelor’s degree in 1918. She received a second in 1922, and a master’s degree in 1925, both from Columbia University in New York. She returned to Pittsburg in 1923 as an assistant professor at the college. In 1947, she became head of the Home Economics Department, …

Treble Clef Club Collection. 1922-2015, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

Finding Aids

A collection of the club’s meeting minutes, secretary and treasurer’s notes, programs, yearbooks, scrapbooks and music sheets.

The Treble Clef Club was chartered in Pittsburg, Kansas in 1904 by women interested in the study of music. The club originally agreed to have no more than 20 members who would meet twice a month to study composers and perform their works. In 1908 the club expanded membership due to increased interest. The first junior club, for high school girls, was started in 1922 but did not succeed. The club tried again in 1944, creating a club with 28 girls. By 1964, …

Stillings, Ellabeth Diggs, Collection, 1935-1987, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

Finding Aids

A collection of personal correspondence, Pittsburg State University material, photographs, and miscellaneous material.

Ellabeth Diggs was born in Lamar, Missouri in 1916. She graduated from Lamar High School and attended the Kansas Teachers College of Pittsburg (now Pittsburg State University). Following this, she worked as a teacher at Atchison County Community High School in Effingham, Kansas until 1947. In 1943 she married Robert M. Stillings (1915-1963). She worked at Atchison High School beginning in 1948 and continued for the next three years. Afterwards, she taught sporadically and worked in the business she and her husband owned, Stillings Hardware. Ellabeth and …

Coffeyville, Kansas Schools Collection, 1915, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

Finding Aids

Photographs of various grades in the Coffeyville, Kansas Schools from 1915 depicting students in classes and clubs.

Beginning in 1907, the National Education Association began a movement to combine industrial and commercial education with the present education systems to prepare students for jobs within their communities. By 1914, Kansas incorporated “Industrial Training” into the standardized Course of Study for Graded Schools Having Nine Month Terms. The classes were implemented at every grade level to “train constructive imagination” and “to prepare more directly for industrial efficiency.” Though schools in Coffeyville were not officially integrated in 1915, four African American students …

Krulish, Mabel A. (Edwards), Collection, 1935-1939, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

Finding Aids

A scrapbook containing newspaper clippings, photographs, programs, cards, and more related to Girard High School.

Mabel A. (Edwards) Krulish (1918-2010) was born and raised in Girard, Kansas. She graduated from Girard High School in 1936, and began working in the Crawford County schools. Krulish kept a scrapbook of her senior year and of her sibling’s high school experience. In 1946, she married Frank E. Krulish (1910-2003) of New York. Frank Krulish had served as a US Marine during World War II, fighting in Iwo Jima and was among the first occupying forces in Japan. Afterwards, they lived in New York …

Stafford And Claire Correspondence, 1969-1978, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

Finding Aids

The Stafford and Claire Letters includes one newspaper clipping, an invitation, two thank-you cards, and five letters of correspondence between William Stafford and William Clair regarding the publication of an interview between Claire, Stafford, and Primus St. John that would be featured in the National Literary Magazine’s book, The Voyage.

William Stafford was born in Hutchinson, Kansas in 1914 to Earl and Ruby Stafford. During the Great Depression he held a variety of jobs including work in beet fields, an oil refinery, and plowing. He received his B.A. from the University of Kansas in 1937. During World War II, …

Reed, Playford, Photographs, 1897-1945, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

Finding Aids

The Playford Reed Photographs includes photographs and self-made postcards ranging from portraits, family photos, and sports photos all pertaining to Playford Reed, his upbringing, his friends, and his family.

Playford Whittemore Reed was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1901 to William “Whit” and Birdie Reed. Playford grew up in Pittsburg, Kansas and attended the State Manual Training Normal School (now Pittsburg State University) in 1921, but finished his education at Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota. While in college, Playford played football and baseball. Reed married Marie Couts in 1930, and worked as a car salesmen in St. Paul. …

Fiddler's Fund Collection, 1970-1981, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

Finding Aids

The collection of the Fiddler’s Fund consists of letters, newspaper clippings; article, meeting minutes, IRS tax information, deposit checks, non-profit filings, scholarship applications, and bank account balance reports for a musical-support organization.

Created in 1970, the Fiddler's Fund of Pittsburg Inc. was a non-profit organization (501c3) dedicated to raising money and providing scholarships for K-12 students in need of musical instruments and lessons. In 1980, after its dissolution, the Fiddler’s Fund donated its remaining funds to the Pittsburg State University Music Department for scholarships.

Purcell, Arleen, Collection, 1919-1991, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

Finding Aids

A collection of documents and items related to Fort Scott and southeast Kansas, and Arleen Purcell’s travels and studies.

Arleen Purcell (1912-2001) was an elementary school teacher in Fort Scott, Kansas who collaborated in writing the musical Footprints on the Frontier. She was married to Ralph Emerson Purcell, with whom she had two sons. Purcell took great interest in local history and community organizations. In the 1970s, she took study abroad trips through Western Illinois University and the Kansas State College of Pittsburg (now Pittsburg State University) to South America.

Heady, Ray, Collection, 1958-1988, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

Finding Aids

A collection of magazines and scrapbooks from PSU alumnus Ray Heady.

Raymond Alex Heady (1908-1991) was born in Pittsburg, Kansas and was one of America's most respected outdoor writers. Heady graduated from the Kansas State Teachers College of Pittsburg (now Pittsburg State University) in 1930. He also received an M.A. from the school in 1938. Heady taught journalism for nine years in several Kansas high schools. He then taught for two years each at the University of Kansas and the University of Oklahoma before joining the Kansas City Star in 1942. Serving as the outdoors editor from 1958-1973, he won …

Marshall, Marguerite Mitchell, Collection, 1942-2001, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

Finding Aids

This collection includes information about the life and civil rights research by Marguerite Mitchell Marshall (1911-2002). It includes newspaper articles, family photos slides, programs, personal cards, correspondence, financial records, and scrapbooks relating to local and national African American contributors to the Civil Rights movement, Black History and politicians.

Marguerite Mitchell Marshall was born October 5, 1911 to Henry Levi and Emily J. Fonchoser Mitchell in Pittsburg, Kansas. Marguerite Marshall the attended Frederick Douglass School, a Pittsburg school for African-Americans, from 1917 to 1925; Pittsburg High School from 1925 to 1927; and College High on the campus of the Kansas Teachers …

Meiszner, Woody, Collection, 1890-1948, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

Finding Aids

A collection of approximately 190 black and white, tinted, and color postcards of places and buildings in Pittsburg, Kansas. Examples of the postcards include views of Broadway, Pittsburg State University, parks, and public buildings. The postcards donated were published by Souvenir Post Card Co., New York Souvenir Post Card Co., Acmegraph Co., and S. H. Kress and Co. A list of the postcards is included in the collection. Housed in the Kansas Collection, call number 741.683 P589.

Kabie Tour Collection, 1961-1962, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

Finding Aids

A collection of a schedule, magazine, programs, brochures, and other items related to the annual KABIE Study Tour in 1961.

The Kansas-Agriculture-Business-Industry-Education (KABIE) Tour was an annual tour, conducted from 1950 to 1967, sponsored by the Kansas State Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with the state universities and other Kansas businesses and associations. The two-week tour took teachers and students to forty communities in Kansas, travelling 2,100 miles. The theme or goal of this tour was to have Kansans see Kansas and all its attributes or a “free society in action” as Dr. M. C. Cunningham, past president of Fort …

Gastel, Dorothy, Collection, 1931-1983, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

Finding Aids

A collection of school notes and research, education materials, and other documents and books related to Dorothy Gastel and her teaching career.

Dorothy Andrews Gastel, born in 1913, grew up in Barton County, Missouri, attending rural schools. She and her sister, Alta, helped to raise their brother after both of their parents passed when he was seven. Dorothy graduated from Lamar High School (Missouri) in 1931, beginning her teaching career shortly after. She taught at many different schools in Missouri and California before marrying Gene Gastel in 1940. She took a break from teaching to raise six children, but returned …

Pittsburg Bicentennial-Centennial Collection, 1967-1976, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

Finding Aids

Contains correspondence, forms, lists, and newspapers related to the Pittsburg Bicentennial-Centennial celebration in 1976.

The Pittsburg Bicentennial-Centennial was the celebration of the 200^th anniversary of the United States and the 100^th anniversary of the city of Pittsburg, Kansas in 1976. The celebration was spearheaded by Edward T. McNally of McNally Pittsburg Manufacturing Corporation. He said the objective was “to celebrate our past in a unique town and instill a sense of pride in the past and the present.” A feature of the Centennial celebration was the Pittsburg Hall of Fame. This was a list of 100 people, approximately …

Johnson, Edith Winona, Collection, 1931-1940, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

Finding Aids

A collection of a high school scrapbook made by Winona Perry Johnson during her time at Girard High School (1931-1935), and a small photo album of southeast Kansas, friends, and family members.

Edith Winona Perry was born to Edwin and Emma Perry in Girard, Kansas on December 26, 1915. She was the third of five children. Using her middle name, Winona, over her first name, she grew up and attended school in Girard, attending Girard High School from 1931 to 1935. After high school, Winona completed two years of college and moved to Los Angeles, California. There, she met and …

Perry, Esther A., Collection, 1908-1978, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

Finding Aids

A collection of photographs, a program, and a newspaper clipping related to Esther Atkinson Perry, her family, and her friends from the 1910s to the 1970s.

Esther Atkinson Perry was born to John and Mary Atkinson on April 29, 1897. She grew up in southeast Kansas, and lived in Pittsburg, Girard, and Webb City, Missouri. In 1933, Esther married Thomas Hall Perry in Jackson County, Missouri. Afterwards, they moved to Webb City where Thomas was the manager of a café before working as a chemist at the Eagle-Picher Smelting Company in Joplin. Thomas passed away in 1947 of coronary thrombosis. …

Phillips, Pauline, Collection, 1921-1930, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

Finding Aids

A collection of a scrapbook, scrapbook items, and other papers of Pauline Phillip’s time at Kansas State Teachers College (1921-1925), now Pittsburg State University.

Pauline Phillips was born on August 30, 1899 and grew up near Columbus, Kansas. She attended the Kansas State Teachers College from 1921 to 1925. Pauline conducted the Commercial Department of Cedar Vale High School (Kansas) for two years before receiving her degree in 1925. She was a member of Alpha Sigma Alpha, the W.A.A., and the YWCA. Pauline passed away on October 8, 1987.

Mummert Family Collection, 1913-1955, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

Finding Aids

A collection of photographs of people and mining in southeast Kansas, publications about or from Kansas State Teachers College, and KSTC newspapers.

Jefferson Davis Mummert (1933-1993) was the son of Lysle Mummert (1903-1945) and Gertrude Robinson VanHercke (1905-1981). Jefferson D. Mummert attended high school in Pleasanton, Kansas, and later studied at the Kansas State College of Pittsburg (later Pittsburg State University), receiving a Bachelor of Science in Education (1960) and, later, a Master of Science in Mathematics. He was an electronics technician for the Coast Guard, a computer programmer and research mathematician for Western Electric and the Bendix Corp., and …

Proctor, Alvin H., Collection, 1944-1999, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

Finding Aids

A collection of speeches, newspaper clippings, correspondence, publications, and photographs of Dr. Alvin H. Proctor. Alvin. H. Proctor was born on July 29, 1912. He attended the University of Kansas from 1930-1931, and Kansas State Teachers College (KSTC) from 1932-1935 where he graduated with a double major in English and journalism. Alvin Proctor married Mary Faye Cooper in 1933. Proctor received his master’s degree from KSTC in 1936. He taught history, government, and journalism at Hot Springs High School in New Mexico before beginning studies at the University of Wisconsin for a Ph.D. from 1938-1939. He had various teaching positions …