Pittsburg State University Digital Commons

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  15th Kentucky Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, Company F, Records, 1862-1864

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of volunteer enlistments, payroll accounts, certificates of release, company descriptive book, company clothing book, quarterly return of clothing and camp garrison equipment for the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th quarters of 1863, ordnance and ordnance stores reports for the 3^rd quarter of 1863 and the company muster roll for the 15^th Kentucky Volunteer Cavalry, Company F.

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  Alderman, Barbara J., Collection, 1998-2008

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of personal materials and various research materials related to the author and historian Barbara J. Alderman. Barbara J. Alderman (1948- ) was born in south central region of Kansas. She attended and graduated in 1970 at Pittsburg State University when it was still under the name of the Kansas State College of Pittsburg. She has been working as a freelance writer and a photographer for local, regional, and national publication since 2002. Alderman has been also working as a researcher-for-hire since 2010. She is known for her book “The Secret Life of the Lawman’s Wife.” She has also published multiple books on the Kindle and articles in various magazines.

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  Allan, Glenn, Scrapbook, 1944-1946

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A scrapbook of Mr. Glenn Allan’s World War II years training in the United States, and service in Guam and Saipan. Newspapers (Wichita Eagle) from May and August 1945 dealing with the surrender of Germany and the bombing and surrender of Japan.

  Floyd Glenn Allan (1918-2007) was born in Wichita, Kansas. He grew up in Hutchison, Kansas and Neosho, Missouri. Prior to the war he worked as a sheet metal worker for Beechcraft in Wichita. He joined the United States Army Air Force in 1944 and trained in the United States before being assigned a post in Guam and Saipan, where he was a member of the 500^th Bomb Group of the 881^st Air Crew (AKA “Rogers Crew”), flying B-29 bombers. He flew in eight missions over Japan. After the war, Allan married Hermeone Gherke in 1946 but they divorced several years later. In 1949 Allan married Dorothy Lee Chitwood. Both he and Dorothy passed away in Pittsburg, Kansas in 2007.

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  Allegro Music Club Collection, 1937-1967

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  This is collection consists of newspaper clippings, yearbooks, photographs, and organization documents related to the Allegro Music Club of Parsons, Kansas

  The Allegro Music Club was a women’s musical organization formed in 1937 in Parsons, Kansas. Their intent was to “bring together lovers of music and to maintain an interest in all music forms.” Often meeting in the home of one of the members, the club presented multiple music programs throughout the year, both privately and for the public. The club mainly focused on classical music, however they did present other genres of music on certain occasions. The Allegro Music Club worked closely with the Parsons Junior College (now Labette Community College) in order to foster and support music students hoping to subsequently attend four-year colleges, especially those who intended to major in music. After several decades of active work in Parsons, the Allegro Music club eventually disbanded due to aging members and a lack of availability of new individuals able to devote the needed time to the club’s mission.

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  Allen Family Collection, 1883-1976

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Clifton Ellis Allen Sr. (1883-1980) born in Wayne County, Indiana. He married Myrtle S. Redmond and together they had two sons, William Redmond Allen (1905-1914) and Clifton Ellis Allen Jr. (1912-1963). Clifton Sr. and his family relocated to Pittsburg, Kansas in 1921. While living in Pittsburg, Clifton Sr. opened a company by the name of the “Allen Plumbing and Heating Company.” Clifton Jr. married Emma Lee Redding and together they had a son and a daughter, Clifton Ellis “Trip” Allen (1951- ) and Jean Louise Allen (1952- ). Clifton Jr. was in the Navy during World War II where he served as a pipefitter Petty Officer 2nd Class. “Trip” was able to collect the personal correspondence that had been sent between various family members and friends through the years of 1883 to 1975.

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  Altrusa Club Scrapbook, 1966-1967

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A scrapbook of activities, photographs, clippings, programs, minutes, and other documents related to the Altrusa Club of Pittsburg, Kansas, 1966-1967. Altrusa International is an organization committed to community service. It was founded in 1917 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Pittsburg Club was active in the 1960s but is no longer active today.

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  American Association of University Professors Collection, 1956-1975

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  This collection includes personal correspondence, membership lists, accounting forms & records, receipts and other miscellaneous materials related to the Pittsburg State University chapter of the AAUP.

  The AAUP was founded at an organizational meeting held at the Chemists’ Club in New York City in January 1915. The mission of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is to advance academic freedom and shared governance; to define fundamental professional values and standards for higher education; to promote the economic security of faculty, academic professionals, graduate students, post‐doctoral fellows, and all those engaged in teaching and research in higher education; to help the higher education community organize to make our goals a reality; and to ensure higher education's contribution to the common good.

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  American Association of University Women, Pittsburg Branch, Records, 1926-1973

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Records of the Pittsburg, Kansas, branch of the American Association of University Women. The records consist of newsletters, scrapbooks, membership lists, programs, histories, correspondence, financial records, photographs, by-laws, and related materials.

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  American Business Women’s Association

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Contains newsletters and meeting minutes of ABWA (American Business Women’s Association), newspaper articles about the group and women’s fairs, ABWA yearbooks and advertisements, workshop information and speakers, photographs of members, meetings and celebrations 1968-2002, guest books of members and visitors to meetings.

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  Anderson, Bill J., Collection, 1880-1986

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Contains late 19th century bank checks, biographical information on Bill J. Anderson, and the history of the National Bank of Pittsburg.

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  Andrade, Audrey B., Collection, 1862-2014

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of genealogical records, school records, work documents, music, photographs, and books related to Audrey Andrade and her friends and family.

  Audrey Beatrice Edge Andrade was born in Stockton, Missouri on January 15, 1917 to George W. and Maud Ritter Edge. Andrade grew up in Pittsburg, Kansas, attended Lakeside Elementary School, and graduated from Pittsburg High School in 1934. She received her two-year education degree from Kansas State Teachers College (now Pittsburg State University) in 1936. She married John F. Andrade who served as a staff sergeant in the US Army during World War II. They had five children. Mr. Andrade worked for product distribution companies like Milhender and sold household appliances. Mrs. Andrade had an interest in music including piano, violin, and singing. John Andrade passed away in 1978 and Audrey Andrade passed away in 1996. The couple are buried in Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery, in Exeter, Rhode Island.

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  Angwin, Maynard, Collection, 1932-1977

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Maynard Angwin (1903-1980) was a prominent businessman in the Pittsburg, Kansas area. His collection consists of bound publications and athletic programs (of Pittsburg State University and other school teams), magazines, clippings, and photographs. The collection contains programs and magazines of various sporting events.

  Maynard Angwin was born on July 30, 1903 in Ozark, Missouri. He married Marjorie Coles in Fort Scott, Kansas, on Oct. 10, 1928. After Marjorie Angwin passed away in 1958, Angwin married Mary Deane Jones in 1962. Angwin had two daughters, named Marjorie Dean O’Hara and Carol Sue Heflin, a son, Frederick B. Angwin, and a stepson, Roy Jones. Angwin graduated from Kansas State Teacher’s College, now Pittsburg State University, in 1933. On June 5 of that year, Angwin and his brother, Gordon, started the Gordon Transit Company, which was a city (Pittsburg) bus service. In 1950 he purchased the Jack G. Cherry Insurance Agency, that eventually became known as Angwin Ryan Stanley Inc. After his retirement, Angwin maintained an office on the third floor of the National Bank Building in Pittsburg. He served as president on the Pittsburg Insurance Board and the Kansas Association of Independent Insurance Agents. Angwin was an active and supportive alumnus of Pittsburg State University. He offered his busses for the transport of athletic teams at PSU as they traveled to games around the country. He was the president of the Alumni Association, and of the PSU Endowment Association. In 1970, he received the PSU Alumni Meritorious Achievement award.

  Angwin was also active in the Pittsburg community. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church and also held memberships in Masonic orders including the Pittsburg Masonic Blue Lodge, the York Rite bodies and Scottish Rite. He was a member of Mirza Temple of the Shrine, and the Royal Order of Jesters. He was a president for the Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce, MoKan Area Boy Scout Council, and the Elm Acres Home for Children. Angwin passed away on March 11, 1980 in Pittsburg, Kansas.

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  Arcadia Christian Church Collection, 1894-1994

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  This collection consists of history papers, photographs, handouts newspapers, a letter, and a plat map all in relation to the Arcadia Christian Church, Arcadia, Kansas.

  The original Arcadia Christian Church was built in 1893, although the congregation surrounding the church was started in the 1880s as a Sunday School class. In 1892, the State of Kansas granted the congregation a charter which resulted in the building’s construction. The church cost $1,600 and had an organ, a church bell (installed in 1897), and a seating capacity for 300 people. The Sunday School held at the church brought about the most participants. For its first ten years, the church had difficulty in finding a regular pastor. One traveling pastor that was briefly appointed was popular writer and pastor Harold Bell Wight (1872-1944), who held bible studies on Friday nights and occasionally a Sunday service. In 1909, Arcadia saw an early revival of Pentecostalism or “holiness people.” In 1914, after 21 years, the church became the First Church of Christ. In August 1915, G. W (George William) Corporon (1887-1969) became pastor, holding the position until 1919. By 1918, the Sunday School had reached 300 attendees and the yearly average of conversions and ascensions were approximately 200. After Corporon’s first resignation in 1919, the church went through a series of pastors, and saw a decline in membership. When G. W. Corporon returned in 1925, the church began to uptake home mission work, and the church once again saw an increase in members. In 1929, Reverend Corporon resigned for a second time. After a brief period of temporary pastors, Reverend. H. G. Kenney became pastor from 1930-1932. The church saw another brief period of steady growth. In 1933, Reverend Corporon returned for his third and final tenure, and was the church’s minister until his final retirement in 1943.

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  Ascension Via Christi Hospital Collection, circa 1940-2004

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of documents, photos, scrapbooks, and other items regarding Mt. Carmel Hospital and Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg, Kansas.

  In 1903, the Mt. Carmel Hospital was opened to the public in Pittsburg, Kansas by the Sisters of St. Joseph, of Wichita, Kansas, serving local citizens and miners. The hospital was operated by the Sisters, who performed the cooking, cleaning, nursing, and other tasks while doctors donated their services and time. Throughout the years, many additions were added to the hospital. Though the final expansion was finished in 1951, by 1960 it showed signs of needing its own doctor and was having trouble accommodating the needs of the community with much-needed repairs and often being over capacity. This led to the 70-acre location on Rouse and Centennial Streets where a $6.5 million hospital was built and opened in 1971. The hospital became a part of Via Christi Health Systems in 1995 and added an $18 million surgery center in 2014.

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  AuBuchon, James M., Collection, 1968-2007

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  James AuBuchon was an administrator at Pittsburg State University for the majority of his professional career. He obtained two of his degrees at PSU before going into the Army, where he served for 36 years. This collection contains correspondences, resumes, university policies and other related materials, materials on the colleges and buildings within the university, the Veteran’s Memorial, materials related to organizations, committees, businesses that AuBuchon was involved with.

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  Bailey, Jessie, Collection, 1950-1985

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Contains replica American Revolution and American flags, Confederate flags, English, French and Spanish flags; era of Columbus and other American Colonial flags along with information cards for most of the flags; books about the history of flags; American State flag description cards; Native American flag description; and other flag histories.

  Jessie Marie Bailey was born in El Dorado Springs, Missouri in 1897 and died in Pittsburg, Kansas in 1983. She taught in the Pittsburg, Kansas public school system for forty years. After her retirement she restored, researched, and gave presentations about flags.

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  Banzet, Warren K., Letters, 1915-1946

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  This collection is comprised of personal correspondence, two newspapers, and a typewritten copy of a poem. The correspondence makes up the majority of the collection and consists of 74 letters written by Warren K. Banzet to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Gus Banzet, from February 1945 through August 1946, while serving in occupied Japan following World War II.

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  Barnard, Gerald, Photographs, 1936-1938

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Five photographs of the football team of the Kansas Teachers College of Pittsburg (now Pittsburg State University) from the 1930s, taken by student photographer Gerald Barnard.

  Gerald W. (Jerry) Barnard was born in Oswego, Kansas in 1918. Barnard attended the Kansas Teachers College of Pittsburg (now Pittsburg State University) from 1936-1940 and after graduation, worked as an accountant. He worked with the Deming Investment Company and then the First National Bank of Oswego. He also served as the president of Oswego Industries, chairman of Mid-America, Inc., vice-president of the Kansas Bankers Association, chairman of the Kansas Development Credit Corporation, and president of the Tri-County Bankers Association. Barnard married Jane Weeks in 1939 and she passed away in 2002. They had three daughters and one son. Gerald Barnard passed away in Oswego in 2007.

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  Barnes, Debra Dene Collection, 1965-2008

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of materials relating to Debra Dene Barnes, a native of Moran, Kansas and student at Kansas State College of Pittsburg, who was chosen as Miss Kansas 1967 and then went on to win the Miss America 1968 Pageant. The collection consists of newspaper clippings, scrapbooks of news clippings, photographs, various pageant programs, and other papers and photographs relating to the time she spent as a student at Kansas State College of Pittsburg and her tenure as Miss Pittsburg State 1967, Miss Kansas 1967, and Miss America 1968.

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  Barney, Louie, Collection, 1984-1989

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Louie Lee Barney was born in 1943 at Pittsburg, Kansas. He attended Pittsburg State University (then Kansas State College of Pittsburg), University of Kansas, and Washburn University School of Law. He practiced law in Cherokee and Crawford counties in Kansas throughout his career. A police supporter, Barney served as a volunteer police reservist for twenty years. His interest in police work is reflected in his fascination and creation of Dick Tracy material. He passed away in 2003 at the age of 60.

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  Baron, Frank, Collection, 1903; 1955-2011

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Frank Baron was a professor in German Studies at the University of Kansas. He was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1936 and immigrated to the United States with his parents. This collection contains correspondence, educational materials, papers, newsletters, publications, programs, travel materials, catalogues, photographs, clippings, CDs, cassettes, DVDs and VHSs.

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  Bartolini, R. Paul, Collection, 1918-1975

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  The R. Bartolini Collection is primarily related to Nolie Mumey’s works and the history of Colorado. The contents of this collection consist of correspondences, bibliographies, biographical material, magazines, journals, articles, clippings, research and ordering material, and some miscellaneous papers and objects.

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  Baxter, Frances, Collection, 1912-1981

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  This collection gives an overview of Baxter’s education at Pittsburg State University, her professional positions, and organizations she in which she was involved, and her many travels. The collection includes materials that Baxter saved over the years and reflect life and culture of both Mexico and Southeast Kansas from the late 1910s to the 1980s.

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  Bays, Bertie Cole (1899-1972), Collection

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of records relating to Bertie Cole Bays that includes correspondence, poetry manuscripts, newspaper clippings, programs, and miscellaneous materials.

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  Bean, Kenneth E., Collection, 1949-2002

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Biographical materials, research reports, lists of patents and publications, certificates, awards, and photographs of Kenneth Bean, a 1950 graduate of Pittsburg State University, engineer for Eagle-Picher and Texas Instruments corporations, and pioneer in silicon technology.

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  Beasley, Francis A., Collection, 1977-2007

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Francis A. “Bud” Beasley was born June 2, 1923, in Chase, Louisiana, and died September 21, 2010, in Pittsburg, Kansas. After graduating from high school in 1941, Beasley found work at the Southern Pacific Railroad in south Texas, working until 1943. In 1943, he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps. During World War II, he was a Staff Sergeant and flew thirty-nine missions in the European Theater with the 8th Air Force, 492nd Bomb Group, 856 Bomb Squadron, 2nd Air Division. He was awarded the Air Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters, Good Conduct Medal, Victory Medal, and European African Middle Eastern Campaign Ribbon with four Battle Stars. He served until 1945. After the war, he enrolled in Texas A&I University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 1949. Beasley worked in the railroad industry, and with the Farmers Insurance Group, where he stayed until he retired in 1984. This collection includes personal, military related materials, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and miscellaneous items.

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  Beeler, Joe Neil (1931-2006) Collection, 1958 – 2006

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Joe Neil Beeler was an illustrator, painter and sculptor for most of his life. He helped bring international attention to Western art when he rose to fame during the 1960’s. He co-founded the Cowboy Artist of America and held several art shows. The papers in this collection include correspondences (personal and professional), news clippings, magazines, articles, photographs, and programs.

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  Bender Crimes Photographs, 1873

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Three photographs taken in rural Labette County, Kansas in 1873 at the Bender family house and property shortly after the discovery of the murders of approximately 12 individuals.

  Roger O’Connor (1941-2006) ran a bookstore, Mostly Books, in Pittsburg, Kansas, selling books, papers, and photographs. He previously had bookstores in Lawrence, Kansas and Omaha, Nebraska before coming to Pittsburg. He previously had attended Pittsburg State University, where he received a master’s degree. The Bender Family crimes occurred in 1872-1873 where a mysterious family going by the name of Bender (aka “Bloody Benders”) murdered, apparently for their money, approximately a dozen travelers in remote Labette County, after they had stopped at a make-shift inn they operated. The family escaped shortly before their crimes were discovered and were never caught nor brought to justice. In 2022, Roger O’Connor’s daughter, Shannon O’Connor, donated the three photographs to Pittsburg State University that had been in her father’s possession, from his own research on the Benders.

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  Benelli Family Business, Collection, 1919-1963

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  The Benelli Family Business Papers cover the business lives of Desiderio Pompey Benelli, a Pittsburg, Kansas jeweler and optometrist, and his son David P. Benelli, an optometrist. This collection consists of ledgers of expenses, correspondences, certificates, legal documents, receipts, clippings, a photograph, and miscellaneous items.

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  Berkey, Vernon A., Collection, circa 1940-1960

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of medical equipment of Dr. Vernon A. Berkey, who worked in the medical field from 1943-2000.

  Elizabeth Berkey Moore, daughter of Dr. Vernon Atkeson Berkey, donated the collection. Dr. Berkey (1918-2012) studied at Kansas University and graduated from KU Medical School in 1943, joining the US Army Medical Corps shortly after. He worked at a field hospital in the Philippines before being transferred to Fort Devin, Massachusetts as a Hospital Commander. Afterwards, he completed a fellowship in radiology at Washington University, St. Louis. Dr. Berkey then began working at Wadsworth Hospital in Leavenworth, Kansas during which he met his wife, Suzanne Anderson. In 1954, Dr. Berkey began working at Mt Carmel Hospital, where he would work for nearly 50 years, and the Ft. Scott and Chanute Radiology Departments for the first seven years. He retired in 2000. Elizabeth B. Moore followed in her father’s footsteps to pursue a career in the medical field, becoming a Family and Marriage Counselor.

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  Bezinque Family Collection, 1989

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Contains family trees and information for the Bezinque, LaSalle, Gomez, Chiolino, Merciez, Souply, and DeGruson families.

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  Bissell, Jewell Myers, Collection, circa 1907-1923, 1970

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of materials relating to Jewell Bissell, a native of Cherokee County, Kansas. The collection consists of a memoir of her childhood, artwork, photographs, letters, and a graduation announcement.

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  Black, Bob, Photographs, 1978

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  The Bob Black Photographs are polaroid photographs showing the immediate aftermath of the July 1978 fire in Girard, Kansas which destroyed the former Haldeman-Julius Publishing Company building.

  Bob Black was born in 1943 in Nashville, Tennessee, to John and Mary (Collins) Black. Bob graduated from Ottawa High School (Kansas) in 1961 and went on to earn a Computer Science degree from Kansas State University in 1972. In 1972 he began his career at Missouri Pacific as a programmer analyst. Shortly after this, he moved to Pittsburg, Kansas to start the first ServiceMaster franchise in Pittsburg. He later formed Alternate Systems, initially a mail distribution service and later a cleaning company. He would go on to own and operate several other small businesses throughout the years. Bob married Judy McLain in 1969, and they had three children, Michelle, Tim and Belinda. Bob "Blue" was known for his vintage Harley motorcycles. He enjoyed traveling to blues festivals and motorcycle events. Bob served in the U.S. Marine Corp from 1964-1967, with 13 months of foreign service during the Vietnam War. He was decorated with multiple medals and badges. For years Bob lived in Carona, Kansas (Cherokee County) in the old historic Gay Parita Ballroom building, which had been renamed the Blue Parita. He passed away in 2021.

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  Black Jack, Kansas Scrapbook, 1930-1974

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  The Black Jack, Kansas Scrapbook includes newspaper clippings telling the account of the battle and town of Black Jack, as well as some history of Black Jack-area families including O’Neil, Von Tries, Black, and Pearson. Most clippings are from the Wellsville Globe and the Ottawa Herald. Photographs are included.

  The Battle of Black Jack was the first armed conflict between proslavery and antislavery forces in the United States. The battle near Baldwin City on June 2, 1856, had implications far beyond Kansas Territory. Some call it the first battle of the Civil War. The Kansas-Nebraska Act had opened Kansas Territory in 1854 and allowed citizens to determine whether Kansas would be a free or slave state. The territory soon became a battleground between those who supported slavery in the territory and those who opposed it. On May 21, 1856, Sheriff Samuel Jones, the first sheriff of Douglas County, and a posse of 750 proslavery men raided Lawrence. In retaliation, John Brown and a small group of men—including some of his sons—violently murdered five men living on Pottawatomie Creek on May 24, 1856. Accompanied by a proslavery militia, Henry Pate set out to find Brown. He captured two of Brown's sons and held them prisoner. On June 2, Brown's free-state militia attacked Pate's men encamped on the grounds. About 100 men engaged in a three-hour battle, which led to Pate's surrender. The battle further divided the nation’s already-polarized abolitionist and proslavery factions. As politicians, newspapers, and citizens watched the story of “Bleeding Kansas” unfold, hints of a larger potentially violent conflict to come became increasingly evident. The Battle of Black Jack is significant for its association with abolitionist John Brown. Both the battle and the coverage of the battle in the nation’s newspapers introduced John Brown, who called for armed insurrection to end slavery.

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  Blunk, Robert and Katie, Collection, 1890-1930, 1951

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of magazines from the 1890s and 1900s.

  Robert Blunk was born in Salyard, Kansas on December 14, 1923. He attended multiple colleges but received his Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Kansas City Institute of Arts in 1950 and a Masters of Fine Arts in Sculpture at the Kansas Teacher’s College of Pittsburg (now Pittsburg State University) in 1952. Robert worked as an art professor at colleges for 40 years and taught at Pittsburg State University from 1962 until his retirement. While teaching, Robert painted and sculpted many works, taking inspiration from landscapes, seascapes, Egyptology and art, and inventors like the Wright Brothers. His website http://www.robertblunkartist.com/ showcases his work from the 1940s to 2017. Katie Blackwood Blunk was born on January 14, 1923 in Buffalo, Kansas. She received a Bachelor of Arts from Pittsburg State University and became a teacher and director of adult education for Pittsburg Public Schools. She was active in many local organizations and worked in Africa with Robert teaching kids to read English. Katie passed away in 2007. The magazines and periodicals in this collection were published in the 1890s and 1900s. Most of the magazines stopped publishing around the 1920s, although a few published for longer. A few like the Frank Reade publications are dime novels which are weekly or monthly printed stories following a certain character or theme. Others are home and fashion magazines like the Delineator which was published by Butterick, known for its sewing patterns.

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  Booklover’s Club, Pittsburg, Kansas, Records, 1921-1988, 2000

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Minute book, history, by-laws, membership lists, financial records, and related materials of a women’s reading club in Pittsburg, Kansas, organized in July 1921.

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  Bowen, Sarah R., Ledger, 1897-1908

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  The Sarah R. Bowen Ledger consists of a ledger book, three loose ledger sheets, three deposit receipts, five new clippings, three photograph negatives, and a letter.

  Sarah R. (Baird) Bowen was born in 1843 in New York. She married Thomas C. Bowen (1841-1875) in 1867. They ran a shipping company together in Colfax, Illinois. Sarah died in 1919.

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  Box, Richard M. (1837-1902), Papers, 1863-1905

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Papers of Captain Richard M. Box, a Union veteran of the American civil war who served in the Seventh Cavalry regiment of the Missouri State Militia from 1862 to 1865.

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  Bozick, Frank J., Collection, 1927-2008

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Frank J. Bozick was born February 11, 1903 in Frontenac, Kansas. Frank was one of six children born to Frank and Teresa (Yartz) Bozick. At age 38, and at the beginning of the United States’ involvement in World War II, Frank volunteered for the US Army. He joined an Ordnance Battalion mostly made up Kansas volunteers. After the war, Frank return to Frontenac, Kansas. He was a member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church and the Frontenac American Legion. He was an avid fisherman, and outdoorsman, and traveled to locations such as Alaska, and to Slovenia and Croatia, to visit his parents’ birthplace. On February 11, 2008 he was awarded Proclamation from the Kansas Governor, Pittsburg, Frontenac, and the Frontenac American Legion for being the oldest living WWII veteran in Kansas at the age of 105. Frank Bozick died August 9 2008 at 2:40 a.m. at the Sunset Manor Nursing Home in Frontenac. A collection of biographical information, World War II correspondence, financial documents, education material, photos, books, newspapers, textiles, and other media relating to Frank J. Bozick (1903-2008) of Frontenac, Kansas, and his family, especially John Bozick.

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  Bradley, Fay, Collection, 1958-1974

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  The Fay Bradley Diplomas consists of four diplomas, two for the Independence Community College (Independence, Kansas), one for the Kansas State College of Pittsburg (now Pittsburg State University), one for Howard University (Washington DC).

  Fay Bradley was born on January 13, 1938 to Henry and Irene Ransom Bradley in Independence, Kansas. Fay had three sisters and three brothers. His mother worked as a maid and his father worked as a mail router for the Union Gas Station, and as a porter at the Independence Train Depot. Fay started school at the Washington Grade School in Independence. After graduating from Independence High School, he then began attending Independence Community College in 1956. Fay developed an interest in medicine and helping others. Fay subsequently enrolled at Kansas Teachers College of Pittsburg (today’s Pittsburg State University) in 1958 on a track and field scholarship. During college, Fay was involved in the Biology Club, Alpha Psi, and the track and field team. In 1958 and 1959, Fay won the CIC high hurdle championship, and the KU relays in 1958. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts, Fay joined the Army in January, 1960. He was sent to Atlanta, Georgia where he would eventually be sent to Fort Benning, also in Georgia. At Fort Benning, Fay worked as a laboratory technician inside the Martin Army Hospital. After the Army, Fay returned to Kansas to work at a laboratory at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis Hospital in Wichita, Kansas. He also attended Wichita State University and became certified to teach. Fay taught biology at Wichita Heights High School, and at John Marshall Middle School from 1961-1962, becoming that school’s first African American teacher. After leaving the school systems in 1967, Fay and his brother were offered scholarships to go to graduate school at the Howard University School of Law in Washington D.C. Fay started working as a teaching assistant and as a laboratory technician in the laboratory in the Howard University Hospital. After graduating medical school in 1974, Dr. Fay Bradley went to work in public health. In 1982, Dr. Bradley began donating regularly to the PSU Foundation. Dr. Bradley retired from health service in 1992. After retiring, Dr. Bradley became the president of the American Running and Fitness Association. In 2013, Dr. Bradley donated $1,000,000 to Pittsburg State University’s Nursing Department to create the Irene Ransom Bradley School of Nursing, to honor his mother’s legacy and hopes to become a nurse herself. Dr. Fay Bradley passed away on January 14, 2021 at the age of 83.

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  Brady, Karen and Kenneth, Collection of Eva Jessye, circa 1900-1975

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Correspondence, clippings, recordings, programs, and photograph about Eva Jessye collected by Karen and Kenneth Brady.

  Born in Coffeyville, Kansas, on January 20, 1895, Eva Alberta Jessye started her academic career in the public schools of Coffeyville and Iola, Kansas. At age 13 she attended Western University in Quindaro, Kansas. She graduated from Western University in 1914 and went on to Langston University in Oklahoma where she received a lifetime certificate in teaching.

  Jessye taught in elementary schools in Taft, Haskell, and Muskogee, Oklahoma before she became a reporter and columnist for the Baltimore (Maryland) Afro-American in 1925. In 1926 she joined a choral group in New York called the Dixie Jubilee Singers. This group would eventually become the world-renowned Eva Jessye Choir. The choir performed spirituals, work songs, ballads, ragtime, jazz, and light opera in a variety of mediums, such as radio, film, and stage. They were regulars on the “Major Bowes Family Radio Hour” and the “General Motors Hour.” In 1927 the Dixie Jubilee Singers worked in Harry A. Pollard’s film, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The same year, Dr. Jessye compiled and published a critically acclaimed collection of songs titled My Spirituals. In 1929 King Vidor directed “Hallelujah”, the first musical motion picture with an all-Black cast. The film featured the Dixie Jubilee Singers with Jessye as choral director.

  Dr. Jessye was appointed choral director for the New York production of the Virgil Thomson and Gertrude Stein opera, “Four Saints in Three Acts” in 1934. In 1935 Jessye was selected by George Gershwin to be choral director for the original production of his 1935 folk-opera, “Porgy and Bess.” For the next three decades, Jessye was associated with almost every Porgy & Bess production worldwide, earning the unofficial title of 'curator and guardian of the score’.

  Eva Jessye was also involved in humanitarian efforts. Her experiences as a black woman during the Jim Crow era influenced her involvement in the later Civil Rights movement. She collaborated with African-American notables Marian Anderson, Mary McLeod Bethune, Julia Davis, Eubie Blake, Langston Hughes, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Paul Robeson. In August 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. selected the Eva Jessye Choir as the official chorus of the historic March on Washington. The choir performed “We Shall Overcome” and “Freedom Is the Thing We’re Talking About.” Tom Mboya, founder of Kenya’s Independence Movement Council and president of the People’s Convention Party, later used the recordings of these songs during Kenya’s struggle for independence. During the 1960s Eva Jessye also appeared in the motion pictures Black Like Me and Slaves.

  Dr. Jessye returned to academia in her later years. She established the Eva Jessye Afro-American Music Collection at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 1974. She established the Eva Jessye Collection at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas in 1977 and served as that University’s Artist-In-Residence from 1978 to 1981.

  During her lifetime Jessye received honorary degrees from Wilberforce University, Allen University, and Southern University, including an honorary doctorate. She also received numerous citations from government, educational, and musical organizations. In 1981, Governor John Carlin of Kansas declared Dr. Eva Jessye to be Kansas Ambassador for the Arts.

  Dr. Eva Jessye died on February 21, 1992 at the age of 97 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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  Branaman, Maurice, Collection, circa 1900-1975

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library, Pittsburg State University

  A collection of photographs taken by Branaman Studio of Pittsburg, Kansas including portraits of various sizes, school photos, wedding and event photos, child photos, and couple and group photos.

  Maurice Branaman was born on March 20, 1904 in St. Mary’s. Kansas. He married Dorothy Lois Dennis and had a daughter in 1938. Maurice worked at the Lawrence Photo Supply Company in the early 1940s before registering for the war in February of 1942 in Wichita, Kansas. After the war, Maurice became the owner and operator of Ferguson’s Studio in Pittsburg, Kansas in 1945. In 1953, the company moved to a new studio and in 1954 the name changed to Branaman’s Studio. The studio’s last operational year was 1982. Maurice Branaman passed away on February 27, 1983.

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  Brandenburg, William Aaron, Collection, 1911-1942, 1989

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of materials relating to William Brandenburg’s time as the president of the Kansas State Teachers College (now Pittsburg State University). The collection consists of university documents, celebrations, and basic biographical information.

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  Bridgman, Laura Dewey (1829-1889) Letters, 1879-1883

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Letters from Laura Bridgman, the first deaf-blind person to be successfully educated in the United States, to Abbie Forest. Included are six letters, typed transcripts of the letters, and a piece of lace knitted by Laura Bridgman.

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  Brinkerhoff, Fred, Papers, 1905-1930

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of correspondence and newspaper clippings related to Fred Brinkerhoff and the Pittsburg Headlight- now the Morning Sun.

  Fred W. Brinkerhoff, born in 1885, was the editor for the

  Pittsburg Headlight (now the Pittsburg Morning Sun) for approximately fifty years. Brinkerhoff first began working for newspapers while in high school, working under Henry J. Allen at the Ottawa Herald. He studied at the University of Kansas before working at Fort Scott and Chanute papers as well at the Kansas City Star. Brinkerhoff moved to Pittsburg in May 1911 and became the editor of the newspaper four months later. In 1961, a large celebration was held for him to mark his work and contribution to the area. He was the third recipient of the William Allen White award, president of the Kansas Press Association, chairman of the Kansas Associated Press, and president of the Kansas State Historical Society to name a few of his accomplishments and affiliations. Brinkerhoff wrote an estimated hundred editorials per month during his career. Brinkerhoff passed in 1966.

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  Brooker, George R., Collection

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  George R. Brooker (1929-1992) was born in Ft. Scott, Kansas where he attended high school and community college. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from the Kansas State Teacher’s College of Pittsburg (now Pittsburg State University) in 1956 and 1957, respectively. He earned a Doctorate of Education from the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville) in 1970. Dr. Brooker was on faculty in the Department of Technology at Pittsburg State University from 1959 until his death in 1992. Prior to working at PSU, he taught Automotive Studies at Bradley University in Illinois. During his career, he consulted with Walt Disney and Universal Studios, particularly in constructing the shark from the 1975 movie Jaws. He also was involved with NASA in designing the moon rover used in the lunar Apollo missions, and alloys for the Department of Defense. He also collected barbed wire and researched its effect on the West.

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  Brooks, Anne Tedlock, Collection, 1927-1980

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  This collection consists of personal correspondence, newspaper clippings, journal and magazine clippings, manuscripts, photographs, programs, publications, awards, and other miscellaneous materials.

  Anne Tedlock Brooks was born in Columbus, Kansas in 1905 to Mary Alice Hall and James Matthew Tedlock. She attended the Kansas State Teachers College (now Pittsburg State University) and received a life teaching certificate in 1927. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Oregon, and attended graduate school at the University of San Francisco. She worked as a school teacher for a number of years. She was a writer who sometimes published under the pen names of Ann Carter and Cynthia Milburn. She married Mark L. Brooks in 1924 and had one son. She wrote many serialized stories for newspapers, was editor of Tips Universal, wrote for The Christian Herald and published many novels for young readers which earned her several awards. She passed away on October 17^th, 1980.

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  Brooks, Louise (1906-1985), Collection, 1924-2005

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of clippings, writings, images, and miscellaneous materials of silent screen actress Louise Brooks.

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  Brotherhood of Painters, Decorators, and Paperhangers Collection

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Contains meeting minutes, official business, trials of union members, financial paperwork, financial ledgers and dues books, Constitutions and By-Laws of the Brotherhood, and miscellaneous pamphlets and booklets about the Brotherhood of Painters, Decorators, and Paperhangers and associated organizations.

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  Brown, Ruth W. Collection (1891-1976), 1949-1979

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  The papers in this collection pertain to Ruth W. Brown, the head librarian at Bartlesville Public Library from 1929 to 1950. The collection focuses on an issue in the 1950s which ultimately led to the dismissal of her job. This collection contains correspondences, clippings, legal documents, professional publications, and autobiographical pieces by Brown.