Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Bureau Of Labor Education (University Of Maine) Records, 1847-2018, Special Collections, Raymond H. Fogler Library, University Of Maine

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The Bureau of Labor Education (BLE) at the University of Maine is a state-funded department of research and advocacy for Maine laborers and their issues. First established in 1966 by the Maine Legislature, the original aim of the Bureau was to foster education about the history and current issues of labor in today's techno-capitalist society, as well as advocate on behalf of labor. The Bureau teaches courses in Labor studies, contributes to and facilitates publications in labor studies and economics, and has retained robust relationships with some of Maine's most important labor allies, like Maine AFL-CIO. Some remains of this …

Lavoo, E. M., Collection, 1922-1923, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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The E. M. LaVoo Collection contains research material on education and public schools mostly in Missouri, Kansas, and Iowa, conducted by an “E. M. LaVoo” of Kansas City, Missouri in the early 1920s.

Raising Ourselves Up: Oral Histories From First Generation College Students At Bcc, 2016-19, Cynthia Tobar, Oscar Zamora Flores

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Finding aid for Raising Ourselves Up: Oral Histories from First Generation College Students at BCC, 2016-19, prepared by Bronx Community College Archives

Simpson, E. Leroy, Playbook, 1954-1956, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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A Pittsburg State University football players’ playbook from the mid-1950s, a football program from 1951, and a newspaper clipping.

Edward LeRoy Simpson was born in Miami, Oklahoma in 1934, to Eddie and Ada Simpson. From 1952-1956 LeRoy attended the Kansas State Teachers College (now Pittsburg State University). He played several positions on the football team, including quarterback, and lettered all four years. He went on to receive a master’s degree from the Kansas State Teachers College in 1961. After earning a doctorate, Dr. Simpson joined Wayne State College in Wayne, Nebraska in 1968 as an associate professor of human performance/leisure …

Davidson, Lallah S., Manuscript, 1939, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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Typed manuscript of “Children of Lead,” published in 1939 as South of Joplin: Story of a Tri-State Diggin’s (W.W. Norton). This manuscript was donated by Lallah Davidson Blanpied to Pittsburg State University in 1975. This copy belonged to famous literary agent, Marion Saunders, who was also Margaret Mitchell’s agent for Gone With the Wind. This copy does show some changes from the published version, notably in the Introduction, and the original title.

Lallah Sherman Davidson Blanpied was born in 1897and grew up in Southeast Kansas and Southwest Missouri. She attended the Kansas State Teachers’ College in Pittsburg, Kansas (today’s Pittsburg …

Barnard, Gerald, Photographs, 1936-1938, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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Five photographs of the football team of the Kansas Teachers College of Pittsburg (now Pittsburg State University) from the 1930s, taken by student photographer Gerald Barnard.

Gerald W. (Jerry) Barnard was born in Oswego, Kansas in 1918. Barnard attended the Kansas Teachers College of Pittsburg (now Pittsburg State University) from 1936-1940 and after graduation, worked as an accountant. He worked with the Deming Investment Company and then the First National Bank of Oswego. He also served as the president of Oswego Industries, chairman of Mid-America, Inc., vice-president of the Kansas Bankers Association, chairman of the Kansas Development Credit Corporation, and …

Progressive Study Club Collection, 1949-2018, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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Bylaws, constitutions, certificates, collects, correspondence, financials, newspaper clippings, photographs, records, scrapbooks & yearbooks related to the Progressive Study Club of Pittsburg, Kansas.

The Progressive Study Club, part of the Third District of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs of Kansas, was organized in 1949. The goal of the club, as stated in its constitution, is to “promote civic, social, philanthropic, cultural, and educational movements, and thereby gain more knowledge.” The club, comprised of only women, would meet regularly and take on special projects. These projects included donating items and their time to the community. Dorothy Resnar (1924-2013) was a long-time …

Thuenemann, Margaret, Collection, 1988-1999, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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This collection consists of music and teaching resources relating to the career of PSU music professor Margaret Thuenemann.

Margaret Thuenemann (1919-2002) was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. She attended the Cincinnati public schools, graduating from West Night High School. She went on to study music at the Cincinnati College of Music. There, she received her Bachelor of Degree in 1946, and later the Post-Graduate Diploma and the prestigious Springer Gold Medal of Honor for outstanding achievement in voice. Opportunities for further study were made possible by a Fulbright Grant which took her to Munich in 1953. After a successful performance career …

Vanlandingham, Nada Pauline, Collection, Circa 1937-1988, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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The collection consists of photographs, music books, and personal documents relating to the life and career of PSU alum Nada Pauline Vanlandingham.

Nada Pauline Vanlandingham (1916-2002) was born in Olathe, Kansas. She graduated from Ottawa High School in Ottawa, Kansas. After Attending Ottawa University for two years, Vanlandingham transferred to Kansas State Teachers College of Pittsburg (today’s Pittsburg State University), where she graduated with her Bachelor of Music degree in 1938. Her principal instrument was the double bass. She went on to earn her Master of Music degree from University of Kansas. Vanlandingham began her public school teaching career in …

Vollen, Gene, Papers, 1968-1990, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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This collection consists of letters, photographs, lectures, programs, audio recordings, and newspapers primarily relating to the life and career of Eric Vaughn.

A native of Michigan, Dr. Gene Vollen (1933-) attended Michigan State University, where he earned degrees in music education and theory/composition. His doctoral studies were completed in 1970 at North Texas State University, focusing on musicology with a minor in composition. Listed among his academic honors is a Fulbright Fellowship to the Sorbonne in 1965-66.

Prior to his appointment at Pittsburg State University (PSU) in 1970, Dr. Vollen taught in the music departments of Union University in Jackson, …

War (University Of Maine) Records, 1897-2001, Special Collections, Raymond H. Fogler Library, University Of Maine

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The University of Maine saw approximately 1,000 students and alumni serve in World War I and 3,900 serve in World War II. Both wars had a strong effect on the university and its students; the desire to honor those who had served and to memorialize those who had died led to various activities on campus. After the end of World War I, funds were raised to erect the Memorial Gymnasium and Armory and after World War II, those who had died were honored in a volume titled "University of Maine, World War II: In Memoriam." The Alumni Association sent questionnaires …

Hart (James Norris) Correspondence, 1910-1975, Special Collections, Raymond H. Fogler Library, University Of Maine

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James Norris Hart was dean emeritus of the University of Maine and professor emeritus of mathematics and astronomy. He was born in Willimantic, Maine, in 1861 and died in 1959. He received a B.C.E. degree from the Maine State College in 1885 and a C.E. in 1890. In 1897 he earned a M.S. degree from the University of Chicago.

Hart was an instructor in mathematics at the University of Maine starting in 1887 and dean of the University in 1903. Hart was awarded for his service to the University of Maine with a degree of doctor of science in 1908. …

Howard (Michael) Papers, 1955-2001, Special Collections, Raymond H. Fogler Library, University Of Maine

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Michael W. Howard (Ph.D., Boston University, 1981; M.A., Boston University, 1977; B.A., University of Chicago, 1974) came to the University of Maine in 1981 as an assistant professor of Philosophy and went on to chair the department from 1993-1998 and from 2008-2009. Professor Howard retired from the University of Maine in August 2022.

Professor Howard specialized in social and political philosophy and taught courses on justice, political and economic democracy, the history of philosophy (ancient and modern) and formal logic and was involved with various peace and justice organizations, including the Maine Peace Action Committee Peace and Justice Center of …

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

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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

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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 …

Harmon, Stephen, Collection, 1960-2020, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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The Stephen Harmon Collection consists of the career and professorial works of Stephen Harmon consisting of his papers, classes, bibliographies, journals, magazines, leading up to his career at Pittsburg State University.

Stephen A. Harmon was born on June 15, 1945 in St. Louis, MO to Jim and Alice Harmon. In 1968, after marrying Fritzi Drosten, Harmon and Drosten moved to San Francisco. Dr. Stephen Harmon received his B.A. from San Francisco State University in the Spring of 1979 and he received his Master’s degree in June 1981. At SFSU, he spent a year in Madrid, Spain, studying at the Complutense …

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

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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, …

American Association Of University Professors Collection, 1956-1975, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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This collection includes personal correspondence, membership lists, accounting forms & records, receipts and other miscellaneous materials related to the Pittsburg State University chapter of the AAUP.

The AAUP was founded at an organizational meeting held at the Chemists’ Club in New York City in January 1915. The mission of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is to advance academic freedom and shared governance; to define fundamental professional values and standards for higher education; to promote the economic security of faculty, academic professionals, graduate students, post‐doctoral fellows, and all those engaged in teaching and research in higher education; to help …

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

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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

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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 …

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

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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

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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, …

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

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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

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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

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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

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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 …

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

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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

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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

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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 …

Killingsworth Inauguration Documentation: Finding Aid, Bethany Latham

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This collection contains documentation and a pop-up exhibit (banners relating to presidential history) created for the inauguration of JSU’s 13^th President, Dr. Don C. Killingsworth, Jr. (appointed president 2019), which occurred on 9 April 2021. Killingsworth attended JSU as a student, graduating in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in geography and in 2001 with a master’s in counseling. He received his Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Alabama in 2016.

Killingsworth began working at JSU in 2002 as Coordinator of Academic Advisement. He was appointed Director of Government Relations and later Chief External Affairs Officer. He …