Education 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.

Hart, Robert W., Papers, 1924-1966, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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Personal documents, correspondence, and financial records of Robert W. Hart, former professor at Pittsburg State University.

Robert William Hart was born in 1896 to William and Sarah Hart and grew up in Crawford County, Kansas. In 1916 he graduated from the State Manual Training Normal School (now Pittsburg State University), and found early work as an engineer. Robert served as an ensign in the navy during World War I. He taught in the public schools in Fort Scott and Pittsburg from 1916-1918; 1921-1923. In 1920 he married Retta Statler and they had two children. In 1923 he was hired as …

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 …

Lafferty Family Collection, 1886-1976, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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This collection includes correspondence, newspapers, newspaper clippings, certificates, Sunday school lessons, photography, miscellaneous materials related members of the Lafferty, Jenkins and Massingill families.

The materials in this collection are largely centered on the Lafferty, Jenkins, & Massingill families. Common names among the materials include, Dr. Harry Earle Jenkins, James Jerome Lafferty, and William Massingill. Dr. H. E. Jenkins (b.1899 - d. 1983) was president of Tyler Junior College from 1946-1980. Prior to his going to Tyler, Texas, Dr. Jenkins, a Pittsburg, Kansas native, graduated from the Kansas Teachers College of Pittsburg (today’s Pittsburg State University) taught school in McCune, Kansas …

Sullivan, Vic, Collection, 1923-1974, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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This collection consists of collection of documents and reports on the planning and construction of the Kansas Technology Center; slides of university trips and family; and miscellaneous.

Frank Victor Sullivan was born in Wichita, Kansas in 1931. He became fascinated with airplanes and flying growing up in Wichita, and was a member of the Boy Scouts. He would go on to earn a private pilot’s license. He received his bachelor’s degree from Friends University (Wichita). He met his wife, Mary-Kate Larson, while he was in graduate school at the University of Northern Colorado, in Greeley. After they married, they moved …

Kriegsman, Helen F., Collection, 1939-2006, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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This collection consists of newspaper clippings, papers, awards, certificates, and school memorabilia of Dr. Helen F. Kriegsman, a professor who taught at Pittsburg State University.

Helen F. Kriegsman was born on February 27, 1924 in Pittsburg, Kansas. She attended the Kansas State Teachers College of Pittsburg (now Pittsburg State University) where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Education in 1944 and a Master of Science degree in 1947. Helen Kriegsman went on to receive a PhD in Philosophy of Math Education from Ohio State University in 1964. Dr. Kriegsman taught at Labette County High School, Chanute Senior High School …

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 …

Martin, Pepper, Collection, 1910-1918, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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This collection includes publications, and a panoramic photo from 1910-1918. Harold Pepper Martin is a resident of Pittsburg, Kansas.

Poole, Dorothy, Collection, 1924, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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This collection includes essays, short stories, notes, and tests results, apparently taken while a student at State Manual Training Normal School in Pittsburg, Kansas.

Dorothy Ann (Hicks) Poole was born in 1894. She married William Harvey Poole (b. 1892 - d. 1980) in 1916 in Columbus, Kansas. They had one son. Dorothy attended the State Manual Training Normal School (now Pittsburg State University) around 1924. William worked in the oil business and also served as the mayor of Galena, Kansas. Dorothy Poole passed away in 1982.

Muller, Samuel B., Collection, Circa 1970, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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This collection consists of the medical equipment used by Dr. Samuel B. Muller in the Nursing Department during his stay at Pittsburg State University.

Dr. Samuel B. Muller was born in 1905 in Kansas City, Missouri. In 1932, Dr. Muller received his Bachelors of Science, and in 1934, a Doctor in Medicine from the University of Kansas. In 1934 he married Cordelia White. He practiced medicine in Southeast Kansas following the marriage. In 1941, Dr. Muller began working at the Royal Oak Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan. In 1942, Dr. Muller became a Lieutenant Commander in the Naval Reserve and …

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.

Mckee, Ronald R., Collection, 1995-2000, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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The Ronald R. McKee Collection consists of textbooks, instructor guides, student guides, and lesson packages relating to industrial arts and technology.

Ronald R. McKee was born January 17, 1942 in Mason City, Washington, and grew up in Green Acres, Washington. He graduated from Central Valley High School in nearby Spokane Valley in 1960. Ronald married Patricia Taylor in 1962 and they had four children. In 1969, McKee earned a B.S. and an M.S. at Eastern Washington College (today Eastern Washington University). In 1970, he earned his Ed.D at Utah State University. He began work at Kansas State College of Pittsburg …

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, …

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 …

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

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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 …

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.

Cormack, Herbert, Collection, 1926-1988, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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A collection of photographs, yearbooks, and newspaper clippings related to Herbert Cormack, his college years, and his career as a coach in Iowa.

Herbert Cormack (1900-1994), was born on June 2 in Kinsley, Kansas and grew up in Garden City, Kansas. He graduated from the Kansas State Teachers College of Pittsburg (now Pittsburg State University) in 1928. During his time at KSTCP, Cormack lettered in basketball for the 1926-1928 seasons. In 1928 Herbert and Elizabeth Cornelius were married on September 29. After graduating, Cormack coached for one year in Mound City, Kansas and five years at Pleasanton, Kansas before moving …

Pittsburg Board Of Education Collection, 1871-1987, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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A collection of financial records and Board of Education minutes from 1871 - 1987 for School District No. 49 and USD 250 in Pittsburg, Kansas.

School District No. 49 of Pittsburg, Kansas and the surrounding area was organized in January of 1877. Beginning with a two-story wooden building, the school district either made renovations or added new schools every few years. District 49 grew from one classroom, requiring just one teacher, to needing 32 teachers to accommodate its 32 classrooms by 1891. The enrollment of students increased from 100 to 1,800 in eleven years. It was not until after 1962 …

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 …

Andrade, Audrey B., Collection, 1862-2014, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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A collection of genealogical records, school records, work documents, music, photographs, and books related to Audrey Andrade and her friends and family.

Audrey Beatrice Edge Andrade was born in Stockton, Missouri on January 15, 1917 to George W. and Maud Ritter Edge. Andrade grew up in Pittsburg, Kansas, attended Lakeside Elementary School, and graduated from Pittsburg High School in 1934. She received her two-year education degree from Kansas State Teachers College (now Pittsburg State University) in 1936. She married John F. Andrade who served as a staff sergeant in the US Army during World War II. They had five children. …

Chambers, Gene, Collection, 1952-2013, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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The Gene Chambers Collection includes personal and professional papers and documents, including work from his time as a professor at Pittsburg State University and consulting work he did on engineering matters.

Stilwell Heritage And Educational Foundation Collection, 1891-1997, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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The Hotel Stilwell Hotel collection contains documents regarding the original establishment of the hotel, the history of the building, blueprints, architectural plans, proposals, financial records, legal matters, press releases, newspaper clippings, magazines and other publications, board and agenda notes from meetings of the Hotel Stilwell Board, historical registry papers, loans, grants, correspondence, and information from similar corporations including Camptown and the Little Balkans Foundation.

Nokes, Larry Collection, 1965-2008, Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

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A collection of PSU Gorillas including statues, plushies, photographs, and other PSU memorabilia.

Larry Nokes, born March 20, 1945, graduated from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1967 and a Master of Science degree in 1969. While trying to earn his M.S., he worked as an Assistant to the Dean of Men. After serving in the US Army from 1969 to 1971, Nokes began working as the Director of Housing at Pittsburg State University (then KSCP) while working as an Instructor in Business Management from 1971 to 1972. In 1974, he was promoted to Director …

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 …