Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933, was a federal unemployment relief program designed to put single young men to work during the Great Depression. The CCC employed over 2.5 million men between 1933 and 1942, including 250,000 African Americans, who served in segregated companies. This collection is comprised of 60 photographs, 48 photographic negatives, and digitized images of CCC African American enrollees assigned to work in Michigan companies, including Company 670, Camp Bitely, Company 2695, Camp Free Soil, and and Camp Wahalla.

The collection is comprised of images of the Civilian Conservation Corps African American enrollees from 1933 to 1939. Materials were received by the Bentley in 2016 and in 2018.

The 2016 acquisition includes portrait-style photographs of predominantly unidentified men, assigned to work in Michigan company/camps including Company 670, Camp Bitely, project F-22 and Company 2695, Camp Free Soil, most likely, project F-7.

The title of each photograph was taken from the photograph's inscription, when applicable. All photographs titled "unidentified" had no identifying information, but may have been labeled with a date. After the photographs were digitized and became available online, some of the people depicted on the photographs have been identified by the public.

In 2018, Ray Lyons Jr. donated additional materials that were collected by his father, Ray Lyons Sr., a former member of the CCC. Mr. Lyons Jr. donated additional 30 photographs, 48 negative images, and a small number of clippings to the collection. The images depict African American members of the CCC at a number of locations, including Camp Bitely, Camp Free Soil, and Camp Walhalla. The pictures also document CCC projects such as the building of a Fire Lookout Tower, the clearing of fields and woods, and the construction of a stump fence.

Organization established in 1993 to research, collect, preserve and exhibit cultural and historical materials relating to the life and work of African Americans in Washtenaw County, Michigan. Record book, folder, and a scrapbook containing minutes, program files, correspondence, financial records, by-laws, publications, and clippings.

Record book containing minutes, program files, newsletters, correspondence, financial records, and constitution and by-laws; also scrapbook of clippings, programs, brochures, and other informational items.

James F. Coakley was an assistant professor in the Department of Speech at the University of Michigan from 1966 to1971. Focusing mainly in theatre and literary interpretation, he was responsible for directing and managing many of the plays that were put on by the University Players during his time at the University of Michigan. Notable productions include The Homecoming, Lysistrata, Much Ado About Nothing, and Arthur Miller's After the Fall. Includes photographs from a 1967 production of After the Fall where Arthur Miller was present. Also scrapbooks, photos, and slides from other productions by the University of Michigan's University Players during 1966-1971.

The collection provides some documentation of plays Coakley staged with the University Players, notably Arthur Millers After the Fall, and lecture notes for courses he taught. The collection is organized into three series: "After the Fall", Photographic Slides, Speech 230 "The Arts of the Theatre" and Scrapbooks.

Officially established in 1959, the Office of Research supports and administers large interdisciplinary projects called research centers and administers research institutes. The record group includes individual vice president's files, central office files, staff files, financial records, administrative files, committee and task force documents and reports, special event files, and project and institute files.

The records of the vice-president for research date from 1911 to 2013 and measure 323.5 linear feet, 1 oversize box and 157 MB of digital materials. The records document the activities of the office overseeing grant funded research at the University of Michigan and offer some insight into the range of research undertaken at the university. Records include administrative files of vice-presidents, including correspondence, memoranda, and budgetary material relating to research projects and grants of university units and departments; and photographs.

The organization of the records, particularly the early accessions, reflects the tenure of the successive vice presidents for research. Later accessions included files of associate vice-presidents and senior staff officers as well topically organized files that spanned the tenure of several vice presidents. The records are organized into the following series:

1. A. Geoffrey Newman -- Boxes 1-15, 70-71
2. Charles Overberger -- Boxes 15-69
3. Charles Overberger/Warren Sussman -- Boxes 72-87
4. Linda S. Wilson,-- Boxes 88-100
5. William C. Kelly -- Boxes 102-105
6. Central Files -- Boxes 108-127, 180-210, 266-275, Boxes 277-301, Boxes 311-322
7. OVPR Staff Files -- Boxes 128-134
8. Julie Ellison -- Boxes 135-136
9. Marvin Parnes -- Boxes 137-146
10. OVPR Financial and Administrative Files -- Boxes 147-148
11. Administrative Files -- Boxes 149-150, Boxes 323-324
12. Committees and Task forces -- 151-164
13. Michigan Memorial Phoenix Project and Ford Nuclear Reactor -- Boxes 165 --166, 218-219
14. Special Events, Symposiums, and Promotional -- Boxes 167-170, 275
15. Presidential Initiatives Fund -- Boxes 171-179
16. Contractual Restrictions Requests (PAF-R's) -- Boxes 213-216
17. Michigan Life Science's Corridor -- Boxes 216-218
18. Discretionary Fund -- Boxes 220-264
19. Indirect Waivers -- Boxes 265
20. Research Faculty Appointments -- Boxes 276, Box 322
21. Washington D.C. Office -- Boxes 302-310

Lecturer and consultant on aging, retirement planning, and related topics. Sound recordings of San Francisco television program, "A gift of time," that Kuplan produced and hosted.

The Kuplan collection consists of sound recordings of his television program "A Gift of Time." The collection has been arranged chronologically, dating from 1970 to 1978. The tapes are all 7 in. reel-to-reel and play at 7 1/2 ips. The topics of the programs relate to concerns of the elderly. Guests on the program included important experts in the field of gerontology.

Nurses' aide in the nursery of University Hospital, Ann Arbor, Michigan (1931-1956). Diaries describing daily life and work activities.

Diaries describing daily events, work activities, church attendance, weather.

This collection of Michigan-based trade catalogs dates from the 1870s and continues to the present. The collection is arranged alphabetically by broad product classification, for example agricultural machinery, furniture, etc. Within each category, the catalogs have been arranged alphabetically by the name of the company, and then chronologically. The researcher should note that there is a separate finding aid for the library's collection of commercial catalogs for automobiles and motor trucks.

The prints are illustrative of significant moments in the history of Michigan from pre-history to World War II.

The Institute of General History at the University of Turku, Finland (Turun Yliopisto. Yleisen Historian Laitos) microfilmed thousands of letters from Satakunta region in 1964. The letters were written by Finnish emigrants to their families and friends in Finland.

There are about 6000 letters in this collection. Most of the letters have been written by emigrants who used to live in Satakunta but there are also some from persons who lived in other provinces before emigrating. There are also post cards, diaries and passports in the collection. The letters were written to residents of Satakunta from 1880 to 1964. Although most of the letters were sent from the United States and Canada, there were a few letters from South America, Australia, New Zealand and Soviet Union.

The collection was arranged by towns (also known as parishes or municipalities). Within each town series the letters of each recipient were kept together. The owners of the letters are in chronological order according to the emigrating year of their correspondents.

Every collector of letters filled out a questionnaire for each writer. The questionnaire is at the beginning of the sender's letters. In the upper right corner of the questionnaire there is a code that includes the abbreviation of the town and the location of the sender.

Questionnaire used in collecting America letters:

1. The owner of the letters (name and address)
2. The writer of the letters (name and last address)
3. The relationship between the owner and the writer
4. When left for America
5. Who were they visiting in America
6. Why left
7. Home town in Finland
8. The occupation of the parents
9. How large was the family of the parents of the emigrant
10. Was the emigrant married when he left Finland
11. Did the wife and children emigrate, too
12. Did the emigrant get married in America
13. What year
14. The nationality of the spouse
15. The occupation of the emigrant when emigrated
16. Had the emigrant ever been working outside the home town before emigrating
17. How did the emigrant go to America (route and vehicle)
18. The first workplace in America
19. What kind of work
20. Where did the emigrant live the longest time in America
21. What kind of work
22. Other members of the group who emigrated at the same time: name, hometown, return to Finland
23. The later life of the emigrant: did/did not return to Finland
24. If applicable, why did the emigrant return
25. Return route and vehicle
26. Occupation after return
27. The number of the letters (photos, diaries etc.) in the enclosed questionnaire envelope
28. The owner donates the letters/loans them only for microfilming
29. The collector of the letters (name and address)
30. To be filled by the Institute of General History

Documents in this collection contain the following abbreviations for the names of the town or parish from an immigrant came:

1. AHL = Ahlainen
2. ALAS = Alastaro
3. EURA = Eura
4. E-KI = Eurajoki
5. HIN = Hinnerjoki
6. H-KI = Honkajoki
7. H-TI = Honkilahti
8. HUIT = Huittinen
9. HAM = Hämeenkyrö
10. IKA = Ikaalinen
11. JAM = Jämijärvi
12. KAN = Kankaanpää
13. K-KU = Karkku
14. KAR = Karvia
15. KIH = Kihniö
16. KIIK = Kiikka
17. KNEN = Kiikoinen
18. KOK = Kokemaki
19. KUL = Kullaa
20. KOY=Köyliö
21. LAP = Lappi Tl.
22. LAV = Lavia
23. LOIM = Loimaa
24. MEL = Mellilä
25. MER = Merikarvia
26. MET = Metsämaa
27. MOU = Mouhijarvi
28. NOOR = Noormarkku
29. PAR = Parkano
30. POM = Pomarkku
31. PORI = City of Pori and rural parish of Pori
32. PUN = Punkalaidun
33. RAUM = Rauma: city and rural parish
34. SIIK = Siikainen
35. SUOD = Suodenniemi
36. SAK = Säkylä
37. TYRV = Tyrvää and Vammala
38. VAMP = Vampula

AIDS Partnership Michigan is a Detroit-based organization that provides education about HIV/AIDS and also provides services for those affected by HIV. The organization was formed in 1996 through a merger between Wellness Networks, Inc. (founded 1983) and AIDS Care Connection (founded 1989). The record group is comprised mainly of board meeting minutes of Wellness Networks, Inc., but also included are annual reports, financial reports and educational pamphlets of AIDS Partnership Michigan and Wellness Networks, Inc.