Collection ID: C363
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Collection context

Summary

Creator:
Gering, William M. (William Marvin), 1923-
Abstract:
William Gering was an associate professor of speech and theater at Indiana University South Bend from 1964 until his retirement in 1988. Beginning with his academic career as a graduate student at Indiana University in the early 1960s, Gering displayed an interest in researching the life and career of David Starr Jordan, Indiana University's President from 1885 to 1891. The collection consists of Gering's research notes and writings on Jordan. The research itself primarily focuses on the period of Jordan's life from his time enrolling as a student at Cornell University in 1869 to his 1891 departure from Indiana to become Stanford University's first President.
Extent:
4.4 cubic feet (5 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English
Preferred citation:

[Item], William M. Gering's David Starr Jordan research, Collection C363, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.

Background

Biographical / Historical:

William Gering displayed an interest in researching the life and writings of David Starr Jordan beginning with his career as a doctoral student at Indiana University from 1961-1963. Gering, who received his bachelor's degree from Bethel College in 1951 and his master's degree from Indiana in 1961, was strongly interested in speech and theater and was drawn to Jordan's oration and prose, as well as the affect that he had on the entire speech-making profession. During his subsequent career as an associate professor in speech and theatre at Indiana University South Bend, Gering continued his efforts to research and write on Jordan, resulting in his doctoral thesis and numerous articles. Gering also delivered several speeches related to Jordan and his Indiana University career, including a 1970 speech delivered at IU South Bend, and a 1980 Honors Day address delivered at several of Indiana's campuses.

David Starr Jordan was born in Gainesville, New York on January 19, 1851 to Hiram J. and Huldah Lake (Hawley) Jordan. He received his BA and MS degrees from Cornell University in 1872. In 1879 Jordan was hired as professor of Natural History at Indiana University, and in 1885 he was elected as the seventh president of IU. Jordan held that position until 1891, when he left IU to become Stanford University's first president. Jordan died in 1931.

Scope and Content:

William Gering's research records on David Starr Jordan comprises 4.4 cubic feet and spans the years 1855-1987. In addition to Gering's research, this collection also includes Gering's publications about Jordan and his research correspondence. The series are arranged alphabetically, and the collection is divided into three series: Research, Correspondence, and Publications.

The first series, Research, is by far the largest of the three series. This series contains the vast bulk of Gering's research on Jordan, omitting only those published works by Jordan and some information contained in Gering's personal correspondence. It is divided into four subseries, which in turn are organized thematically by the format of the records within them. These four subseries are Note cards, Books, Research notes, and Photocopies.

The first sub-series, Note cards, consists of three boxes that hold a few different sizes of note cards. The boxes are labeled by the general theme of the cards. The note cards, which are both typewritten and handwritten, consist primarily of bibliographical citations of works related to Jordan and notes about Jordan's life and travels. Additionally, some of the note cards include quotations from the works being cited, which are typically newspapers.

The second sub-series, Books, consists of the published secondary and primary source monographs and pamphlets that Gering used to support his research on Jordan's life and activities. These texts cover a wide range of topics, although there is a general focus on the state of Indiana and on Indiana University and Jordan's tenure with that institution. Among the texts are several by former IU President William Lowe Bryan reminiscing about his time at the University and his own personal memories of Jordan.

The third sub-series, Research notes, consists of multiple files of handwritten or typed notes recorded by Gering during his research. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by folder title. Of particular interest is the lecture itinerary of Jordan constructed by Gering as a result of his research. This itinerary, which focuses on Jordan's tenure at Indiana, helps reconstruct his daily movements during this time period as well as the topics he spoke on.

The fourth sub-series, Photocopies, consists of photocopies of materials related to Jordan that were found primarily in other archival collections or from microfilmed records, particularly newspapers. This series is arranged alphabetically at the folder level. Of particular import are the photocopies of Jordan's correspondence during his time at Indiana. The newspaper articles for the most part are articles about Jordan during his professional career at Indiana and elsewhere, such as at the Appleton Collegiate Institute and Stanford.

The second series, Correspondence, consists of the correspondence written by Gering both during his research, and as part of the Jordan Centennial Commission in 1979 and 1980. Of particular note are his requests for information from libraries and academic institutions and the responses to them, some of which contain research information about Jordan. This series is arranged alphabetically at the folder level.

The third series, Publications, consists of both drafts and final copies of the works Gering wrote about David Starr Jordan, including his doctoral thesis, several of his speeches, and his 1966 journal article. The series is arranged alphabetically by folder title.

Acquisition information:
Accession Information: 2009/066
Appraisal information:

Duplicated materials discarded, including duplicate drafts of Gering's publications, as well as financial records related to Gering's grant applications to perform his research and Gering's travel documents. The discarded travel documents consist of maps from the places he traveled to in performing his research, some brochures from speech and drama conventions, and an airplane ticket. Also discarded and removed from the collection were mid to late twentieth century Indiana University newspaper articles that made cursory mention of Jordan and his role in the University's history and were not written by Gering. Also discarded was a guidebook to the Smithsonian Archives. A folder of correspondence about Matthew Campbell, a professor at Indiana University during the mid-nineteenth century, has also been discarded and removed from the collection.

Custodial history:

Research compiled by William Gering and transferred to University Archives, July 2009

Processing information:

Processed by Adam D. Heien, 2009.

Arrangement:

The collection is organized into three series: Research, Correspondence, and Publications. The Research series is further organized into four subseries: Research notes, Photocopies, Note cards, and Books.

Access

RESTRICTIONS:

Collection is open for research. Advanced notice required.

TERMS OF ACCESS:

The donor(s) of this collection have not transferred their copyrights for the materials to the Trustees of Indiana University. For more information, please contact the Indiana University Archives staff.

The Indiana University Archives respects the intellectual property rights of others and does not claim any copyrights for non-university records, materials in the public domain, or materials for which we do not hold a Deed of Gift. Responsibility for the determination of the copyright status of these materials rests with those persons wishing to reuse the materials. Researchers are responsible for securing permission from copyright owners and any other rights holders for any reuse of these materials that extends beyond fair use or other statutory limitations.

Digital reproductions of archival materials from the Indiana University Archives are made available for noncommercial educational and research purposes only. If you are the copyright holder for any of the digitized materials and have questions about its inclusion on our site, please contact the Indiana University Archivist.

PREFERRED CITATION:

[Item], William M. Gering's David Starr Jordan research, Collection C363, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.

CAMPUS:
Indiana University Bloomington
LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
Herman B Wells Library E460
1320 East Tenth Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47405-7000, United States
CAMPUS:
Indiana University Bloomington
CONTACT:
812-855-1127
archives@indiana.edu