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.