The papers of Sidney Fine consist of correspondence, memos, and reports related to his professional activities at the University of Michigan and his association with many academic journals, professional societies, public committees, and other history-related projects. The collection has been divided in five series: Personal, University of Michigan, Other Professional Activities, Correspondence, and Visual Materials.
Dr. Sidney Fine was born in 1920 in Cleveland, Ohio. He received his B.A. from Western Reserve University in 1942, served in the Navy from 1942-1946, and earned both a M.A. (1944) and Ph.D. (1948) in history from the University of Michigan. Dr. Fine is a specialist in modern American history, with interest in the history of the labor movement, the New Deal, and the history of Michigan and its political environment. He has written and edited over fifteen books and articles.
Sidney Fine's first appointment at the University of Michigan was as a teaching assistant in 1946. He accepted a position as a UM instructor in 1948 and was subsequently appointed as an assistant professor, an associate professor, then a full professor in 1949 in the History Department. Dr. Fine acted as advisor to masters and doctoral students, served on many doctoral committees, and he was chairman of the department in the early 1940s. He was named the Richard Hudson Research Professor of History, the Andrew Dickson White Distinguished Professor of History, the Henry Russel Lecturer, and was named the "Professor of the Year" for the state of Michigan in 1986.
Dr. Fine was very active in the University of Michigan community, serving on numerous committees in the College of Literature, Science & the Arts (LSA) and the general university community. He was the advisor for student associations such as Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi, and he served on the executive and advisory committees of UM libraries, including the Bentley Historical Library, the Gerald R. Ford Library, and the Friends of University Library. Dr. Fine was very involved in library and archive issues nationally, serving on the Archives Advisory Council and the Public Documents Commission. He also consulted on several UM-related and private projects such as the Ford Corporate History Project, the UAW Oral History Project, and television series on labor history. Dr. Fine was a member of many professional societies and served on the editorial board of several history journals.
Sidney Fine in now retired from the University of Michigan, although he continues to be involved in many UM activities, library groups, and historical societies across the country. He married Jean Schechter in 1942 and has two daughters.
