The majority of the collection is comprised of folders on individual participants. They are arranged by academic division (I: Biological and Health Sciences, II: Physical Sciences and Engineering, III: Social Sciences and Education, IV: Humanities and the Arts) and within division, alphabetically by last name of participant. The materials include incoming and outgoing correspondence between the individual and Bentley Library archivists; the negative image, from which the exhibit photograph was made; and a copy of the caption used in the exhibit. When the positive image, from which the negative was made, was a copyrighted one, credit to the photographer was given at the bottom of the caption and the folder includes correspondence between the library and the photographer regarding permission to use the photograph in the exhibit. The researcher who is interested in reproducing images of exhibit participants is urged to review the respective folder materials carefully to insure proper compliance with copyright laws.
The remaining folders in the collection include materials from individuals who sent information after the exhibit deadline and therefore could not be included in it, and those who either declined or were unable to participate. The researcher will also find the nominations submitted by schools and departments, and the text which introduced the exhibit.
In 1988, the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies of the University of Michigan celebrated the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the Rackham building, which houses the offices of the graduate school on the Ann Arbor campus. As part of the celebration, an exhibit was compiled which highlighted the careers of distinguished men and women who had received their Ph.D. from the University of Michigan during the previous fifty years. Names of such persons were submitted by deans and department chairpersons to the associate dean of the graduate school. Nominees were contacted by the Bentley Historical Library and requested to provide biographical materials. Those who responded were included in the exhibit.
The exhibit consisted of 11 x 14 photographs and 8 1/2 x 11 captions for each participant. The captions included a summary of the individual's professional career and a paragraph in which he or she discussed the value of graduate education at the University of Michigan. The exhibit also included photographs of Horace and Mary Rackham, images of the building under construction and shortly after its completion, and architectural blueprints.
