Search

Camp files, 1935-1945, consists mainly of Maddy's correspondence concerning the administration of the Camp, as maintained by Maddy and whoever happened to be his secretary at the time (his first wife Marie until 1937, John M. Lewis until 1938, Helen Hollingsworth until 1941, and Margaret "Peg" Stace thereafter). Its organization reflects the various filing systems of their creators and the seasonal nature of the Camp (with the office being located in Ann Arbor most of the year and then, transferred to Interlochen for the summer). A good overview of decisions regarding the Camp can be found in the correspondence of Giddings and Tremaine. Items of a personal nature on Maddy are usually filed under his name.

Matters covered in this subseries involve students, parents, staff, faculty, and guest conductors as well as the courses and programs offered, acquisition of instruments and music (including relationships with manufacturers and publishers), maintenance and improvement of facilities, and use of advertising and promotion. Documentation is provided on the introduction of instruction in dance, drama, broadcasting, and art and in such instruments as the saxophone and accordion. Information is also supplied on Maddy's dispute with the publishers association on gifts of music to educational institutions.

Problems of the Depression are highlighted along with the wartime difficulties of operating the Camp with government controls and limited enrollments (especially the shortage of college age males). Camper and former Camper correspondence provides personal experiences with economic hardship and military service. Pre-war faculty applications reflect the immigration to America of European musicians, many of them Jewish, while wartime files refer to the substitution of women musicians for men, including the development of "all girl" orchestras.