Collections

The Wilson mss., 1891-1983, consists of the papers of William Edward Wilson, 1906-1988, Indiana University James A. Work Professor of English at Bloomington, Indiana, author, and newspaperman.

The Willkie mss., 1934-1945, consist of correspondence, diaries, political memorabilia of Wendell L. Willkie.

The Williams, K.P. mss., 1820-1958, consists of letters and papers of Kenneth Powers Williams, 1887-1958, professor of mathematics at Indiana University and author of Lincoln Finds a General.

Willie A. Whitten completed his Ed.D. from Indiana University in 1966. He made several trips to Liberia throughout the 1960s and 1970s as a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) worker in order to gather research for his dissertation. His research interests include education in Liberian villages with an emphasis on adult education and the conducting and planning of town meetings. This collection consists of newspaper and magazine articles from Liberia, government reports, and materials from the Voinjama School District, as well as 11 open reel tape recordings of town meetings and music from Liberian tribes. Also included are a collection of color transparencies showing images of tribal villages and culture, as well as a set of 86 artifacts containing items such as musical instruments, household tools, textiles, and decorative figurines.

The Weatherwax mss., 1915-1975, consists of the papers of botanist Paul Weatherwax, 1888-1976.

William V. S. Tubman (1895-1971), Liberia's longest serving President, served from 1944–1971. Tubman's presidency was marked by great changes in the economy, politics and social environment of Liberia. The materials in the collection include papers from the years of Tubman's presidency, his personal correspondence and memorabilia from Tubman's family.

E. Reginald Townsend (1917-1980) is best known as the man who built Liberia's Information Service. He served as Press Secretary and Chief of the Bureau (now the Department of Information, Culture and Tourism) to William V.S. Tubman, President of Liberia from 1944 to 1971, and as Minister of State for Presidential Affairs to William R. Tolbert, President of Liberia from 1971 to 1980. Townsend's wife, Evelyn Diggs Townsend (1932-2004), was involved in and led several church and women's organizations. After a coup brought down the Tolbert government and resulted in her husband's execution in 1980, she worked to attain peace in Liberia. The materials in this collection include papers from the years of Reginald Townsend's service during the Tubman and Tolbert presidencies and those from Evelyn Townsend's work in many service organizations, as well as personal correspondence and memorabilia from the Townsend family

Thompson, S. mss., 1911-1976, consists of the papers of Stith Thompson, 1885-1976, including correspondence; writings by Thompson; biographical and autobiographical materials such as travel files and diaries; materials relating to professional societies and conferences to which he belonged and attended; and family genealogies on which he worked over the years.

The Benns mss., 1914-1996, consists of the correspondence and papers of the F. Lee Benns family, and particularly of Kate Lee (Benns) Robinson Sturgeon, 1916-1997.

William Siegmann was the leading expert on the arts in Liberia and Sierra Leone. His collection contains an exhaustive lists of resources, both primary and secondary, pertaining to the arts, culture, language, and history of Liberia and Sierra Leone. Also included are materials from his various projects, espeically those from his "Aesthetics of Power: African Art Along the Windward Coast." Correspondence with various museums and universities, personal and teaching materials are also in this collection.

The materials in the Peter Sevareid Papers include correspondence, one of Sevareid's publication drafts, and conferences programs and papers. It also consists of research materials, including publications, reports, news clippings and interviews from the Liberian Customary Law Project.

James H. Rudy was an Indiana University alumnus who was granted an AB in English in 1932. In his will Rudy left the bulk of his estate to Indiana University, which was used to begin and fund the Rudy Professorships to attract and retain outstanding faculty. Collection consists of papers brought together after Rudy's death by the Owensboro, Kentucky law firm Wilson and Wilson, who represented Rudy's friends and lawyer when his sister, Sarah Gray Rudy McNulty, contested his will. Collection includes notes, correspondence, journals and ledgers, depositions, and legal papers. The depositions include Rudy's family and friends in addition to Indiana University Vice President and Treasurer Joseph A. Franklin. Prominent correspondents include Rudy's mother-in-law Grace Blair, his mother Katherine F. Rudy, his sister Sarah McNulty, and family friends Linda and Charles Boswell.

The Muller mss., 1910-1967, consists of the papers of Hermann Joseph Muller, 1890-1967, geneticist and Nobel prize laureate, including correspondence; writings and reprints; research and data from his work as well as from his students and colleagues; materials related to conferences; and work with various professional organizations.

Effa Funk Muhse was Indiana University's first woman to earn a Ph.D. at Indiana University, bestowed upon her in 1908 (Zoology). Prominent scientists Carl Eigenmann and Charles Zeleny advised Muhse's doctoral dissertation, "The Cutaneous Glands of the Common Toad," which was published in the American Journal of Anatomy in 1909. After obtaining her Ph.D., Muhse entered the lecture circuit speaking on topics from the Mendelian laws of heredity to rural sanitation to eugenics, before settling in Washington, D.C. Muhse's laboratory notes and drawings are included in this collection, as well as copies of the papers she published and laboratory slides.

Sarah Parke Morrison became the first woman admitted to Indiana University in 1867. Collection consists of personal papers of Sarah Parke Morrison in three series: Correspondence, 1897-1913, consisting primarily of outgoing correspondence. Frequent correspondents include former Indiana University President William Lowe Bryan and Registrar John W. Cravens. The correspondence all dates from the years after she left IU and much of it discusses her desire that women become members of the various University boards. Schedules, 1855-1856, consists of a single schedule of a typical day for Morrison at the Western Female College; and Writings, 1911-1912, includes a handwritten account of Morrison's entrance and experience as the first female student at IU and a small pamphlet of Morrison's poetry published in 1912.

The collection consists of documents pertaining to the Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) issues in Bloomington, Indiana and Monroe County.

The Miller mss., 1890-1990, consists of the papers of Indiana University professor of sociology and business administration Delbert Charles Miller, 1913-1998.

William Hammond Mathers attended Bloomington (Ind.) High School in the early 1930s before attending Indiana University where he graduated in 1938 with his BA in Chemistry with High Honors. Mathers fell ill during his last few years at I.U. and passed away on September 5, 1938 after a long battle against cancer. This collection consists of William Mathers education related papers, notebooks, textbooks, and various coursework completed both at Bloomington High School and at Indiana University. Also included are a few travel journals kept by Mathers from 1936-1937.

Papers and audiovisual materials from the career of documentarian and Indiana University professor Michael T. Martin.

The Married Students' Club was a social club for married students and faculty members of Indiana University. The ledger includes the Constitution of the club, amendments, meeting minutes, and financial statements.