Collections : [Center for Documentary Research and Practice]

This project is a compilation of interviews of subjects with strong ties to and memories of Indiana University, primarily at the Bloomington campus. The interviewees include former students, faculty, and staff, among others. The information contained in the interviews generally spans a little more than the first half of the twentieth century and often deals with the administrations under presidents William Lowe Bryan and Herman B Wells. The project is a survey of Indiana University's history as a whole including information about various academic departments, athletics, student organizations, campus growth, university development, living conditions, segregation and the treatment of African-Americans, the administration, and the importance of jazz at Indiana University. In addition, the impact of specific events, such as the Great Depression, World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War, and water shortages, is detailed in many of the interviews in this project.

Congressman Lee Hamilton (1931- ) was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Indiana from 1965-1999, and worked as a Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee. His scope of work allows him to draw poignant connections between the social and political upheaval of the 1960's Vietnam War and Civil and Women's Rights Movements with the challenges of the first decades of the 21st Century. He describes the shift of the American experience from post-WWII exceptionalism to the cynicism of the Watergate Scandal and 9/11. His anecdotes about Presidents from Johnson to Obama (including Christmas Day games with Bush) offer quirky, insider perspectives about each of their idiosyncrasies. He is now a member of the U.S. Homeland Security Advisory Council and is the Director of the Center on Congress and a professor at Indiana University, encouraging youth to improve on the flaws and structural issues of Congress he saw while working there.

The American Foundations Oral History Project consists of a series of interviews with prominent American philanthropists, each of whom relates their background, the development of their values, and their philosophies of philanthropy. The purpose and state of American philanthropy, including those family foundations and corporate foundations, form a central topic, as do the recent trend of increasing diversity and opinions on grant evaluation and philanthropic assessment. In addition, many interviewees comment on the role of government in philanthropy and the system of ethics at play in American philanthropy.

The interviews contained in this project revolve around the life of Melvyn Douglas and include information about his biographical history, his family, his theatrical, motion picture, and television acting career, and his efforts during World War II. The interviewees include fellow actors and actresses, the man himself, former employees, and others who came into contact with Melvyn Douglas throughout his life.

This collection of interviews focuses on the political career of John E. Hurt. The bulk of the collection consists of Mr. Hurt's interviews where he speaks about his role as a leading Democratic fundraiser and political advisor to several gubernatorial candidates and governors in Indiana from the late nineteen forties through the early nineteen sixties. The other interviews offer background and specifics about Hurt's political career and actions.

This project depicts Jewish life in Indiana in the twentieth century through descriptions by Jewish people of various backgrounds. The interviewees discuss their faith, community involvement, anti-Semitism, and Jewish-owned businesses.

This collection primarily covers Roush's time spent as United States Representative (D) from the 5th District of Indiana between 1959 and 1969, though his education and history prior to national politics are mentioned. Major topics of discussion include his campaigns, work on the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and the flood control reservoirs in northern Indiana, as well as his position on the Committee on Science and Astronautics.

The central focus of this project is the life of William Fortune, who lived from 1863 to 1942. Interviewees are the daughters of Indiana businessman William Fortune, a friend and father-in-law of Eli Lilly. They tell about their life in Indianapolis at the turn of the century and offer recollections of associations with famous people like the Lillys and James Whitcomb Riley.

Malcolm A. Hoffman discusses his relationship with Morris L. Ernst, best known for his defense in the censorship case against Ulysses by James Joyce.

This collection of interviews offers some insight into Dr. Martin Luther King's character and strength as a leader. It also provides some information about the role of adult education in the Civil Rights Movement and how that facilitated social change.