Arts and Humanities Commons^™

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.

Mirriam-Goldberg, Caryn, Collection, Circa 1975-2022, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1959. Her early years were spent in Brooklyn and Manalapan, New Jersey. As a young adult she traveled west to study journalism at the University of Missouri, earning a degree in labor history. Caryn received her Ph.D. from the University of Kansas, and she has trained in organizational development and group process, grassroots organizing, poetry therapy, and teaching yoga. She is the recipient of Kansas Arts Fellowship in Poetry, the Rocky Mountain National Park artist-in-residency, and other honors.

Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg was the Kansas Poet Laureate from 2009-2013, and today is a …

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 …

Bradley, Fay, Collection, 1958-1974, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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The Fay Bradley Diplomas consists of four diplomas, two for the Independence Community College (Independence, Kansas), one for the Kansas State College of Pittsburg (now Pittsburg State University), one for Howard University (Washington DC).

Fay Bradley was born on January 13, 1938 to Henry and Irene Ransom Bradley in Independence, Kansas. Fay had three sisters and three brothers. His mother worked as a maid and his father worked as a mail router for the Union Gas Station, and as a porter at the Independence Train Depot. Fay started school at the Washington Grade School in Independence. After graduating from Independence …

Schick, Marjorie, Collection, 1962-2015, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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A collection and representation of the work and art of Professor Marjorie Schick. Included are photographs of her work; teaching materials; documents relating to her teaching career at PSU; correspondence; exhibits in which she appeared; and art journals.

Marjorie Schick taught in the Department of Art at Pittsburg State University for fifty years. She became known internationally as an artist of jewelry and wearable art. She attended the University of Wisconsin and Indiana University, where she developed her artistic style. In the late 1960s she began working at Pittsburg State University, along with her husband, Dr. James Schick, who was …

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, …

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 …

Reid, Joella, Collection, 1978-1980, 2011, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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This collection includes personal correspondence, newspaper clippings, poems, programs, & sheet music related to Eva Jessye and Joella Reid.

Eva Alberta Jessye was born in Coffeyville, Kansas on January 20, 1895. At age 13, she attended Western University in Quindaro, Kansas and graduated in 1914. In 1926 she formed a choral group in New York called the Dixie Jubilee Singers. This group would later become the world-renowned Eva Jessye Choir. They performed spirituals, work songs, ballads, ragtime, jazz, and light opera. Jessye was also the choral director for George Gershwin’s opera, Porgy and Bess. Eva was involved in many …

Hodgson, Owen, Collection, 1925, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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This collection consists of newspapers, bulletins, and photographs, particularly of Owen Hodgson’s college days at Pittsburg State University.

Owen Emry Hodgson was born in 1896 on a farm southeast of Parker, Kansas in Linn County. As a child Hodgson attended a rural school until he entered LaCygne High School, graduating in May 1917. Hodgson subsequently attended summer sessions at the Kansas State Training School in Pittsburg (today’s Pittsburg State University). During World War I, he enlisted in Company B, 353th Regiment, 89^th division. During his service, he was wounded by shrapnel and poisonous gas at St. Meichel, France. After …

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 …

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.

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 …

Ward, Earl R., Collection, 1939, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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A collection of correspondence to and from Earl R. Ward regarding the establishment, history of Kansas Normal Schools.

Earl R. Ward (1902-1941) was born in Harvey, Kansas. Ward graduated from the Kansas Teachers College of Pittsburg (now Pittsburg State University) in 1927, and taught in several Kansas schools, including in Rosalia and Auburn.

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, …

Ruff, Walter Glen, Collection, 1883-1962, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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A collection of sheet music, guides, books, and other materials related to W. Glen Ruff and his music shop.

Walter Glen Ruff (1904-1989) was born in Kansas and graduated from Fort Hays State Teachers College. He earned a master’s degree from the University of Kansas in 1940. Following this, he taught instrumental and vocal music on both the high school and college level. Ruff served with the American Red Cross in India and Ceylon during World War II. Afterwards, he was head of the music department at Western Carolina Teachers College. In 1950, he moved back to Kansas at opened …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

Timmons, Susie E., Collection, 1936-1998, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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A collection of correspondence and writings belonging to Susie Timmons.

Susie England Timmons was born on December 9, 1918 in Cassville, Missouri, the daughter of George and Minerva England. She graduated from Gaddis High School in 1938 and from Southwest Missouri State University in 1950. In 1949 she married James H. Timmons, who would teach in the Education Department at Pittsburg State University starting in 1959. As a teacher, Susie Timmons taught elementary school in Barry County, Missouri and Des Moines, Iowa, prior to moving to Pittsburg, Kansas. Susie was also a writer, publishing two volumes of poetry and writing …

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

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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. …

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

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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 …

Davis, Hiram S., Collection, 1946-1957, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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A collection of publications and works written by Hiram S. Davis and other authors covering wages, production, and unions in the 1940s and 1950s.

Hiram Simmons Davis, born on October 8, 1903 and brother of Edna Davis (see collection MS 180), grew up in Longton, Kansas. He was a graduate of the Kansas State Teachers College (1924), now Pittsburg State University. Hiram became a professor of economics and business at the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce at the University of Pennsylvania, and from 1945 to 1953 was the director of the Industrial Research Department at the school. He later …

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

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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.

Powell, William E., Collection, 1912-2011, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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A collection of documents, papers, and letters regarding William E. Powell’s research of mining and European immigrants in southeast Kansas.

Dr. William E. Powell received his Bachelor of Science in Geology (major) and Geography (minor) from Oklahoma State University in 1954. He went on to receive his Master of Science in Geology from the University of Arkansas in 1958 and his Doctor of Philosophy in Geography from the University of Nebraska in 1970. While earning his doctorate, Dr. Powell studied French and German. Later in his life he began to learn Italian, striving for complete fluency. He was a professor …

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

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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 …

Moore, David D., Collection, 1931-1959, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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A collection of photographs, news articles, and programs of shows directed by Dr. David D. Moore, a professor of speech and drama at Pittsburg State University.

David D. Moore (1906-1960) received his bachelor’s degree at La Crosse State Teachers College (Wisconsin) in 1929, and his master’s degree in 1932 from the University of Wisconsin. Moore taught secondary school for five years in Wisconsin and for three years at Southwestern State Teachers College (Oklahoma). He began teaching speech and drama at Kansas State Teachers College, now Pittsburg State University, in 1941 and was the theater director until 1959. He married Arabelle …