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  Reed, Clyde M., collection, 1921-1931

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  This collection consists of personal and professional correspondence primarily addressed to Clyde M. Reed from various political figures.

  Clyde Martin Reed was born on October 19, 1871 in Illinois. His family moved to Kansas when he was four years old. He married Minnie E. Hart in 1891 and they had ten children. In 1919, Reed became the personal secretary of Kansas Governor Henry J. Allen. In 1929, Reed was elected the 24^th Governor of Kansas and served until 1931. Reed also served as a Kansas Senator from 1939-1949. He died on November 8^th, 1949.

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  Reed, Playford, photographs, 1897-1945

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  The Playford Reed Photographs includes photographs and self-made postcards ranging from portraits, family photos, and sports photos all pertaining to Playford Reed, his upbringing, his friends, and his family.

  Playford Whittemore Reed was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1901 to William “Whit” and Birdie Reed. Playford grew up in Pittsburg, Kansas and attended the State Manual Training Normal School (now Pittsburg State University) in 1921, but finished his education at Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota. While in college, Playford played football and baseball. Reed married Marie Couts in 1930, and worked as a car salesmen in St. Paul. In 1931, his son Billy Reed was born and Playford then began working as a school teacher. When the United States entered World War II, Playford was drafted into the 314^th Company, Fleet Marine Corp Reserve at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. During his service in the Pacific, he was the captain of the Marines baseball team. Playford Reed died in 1976 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

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  Reid, Joella, collection, 1978-1980, 2011

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  This collection includes personal correspondence, newspaper clippings, poems, programs, & sheet music related to Eva Jessye and Joella Reid.

  Eva Alberta Jessye was born in Coffeyville, Kansas on January 20, 1895. At age 13, she attended Western University in Quindaro, Kansas and graduated in 1914. In 1926 she formed a choral group in New York called the Dixie Jubilee Singers. This group would later become the world-renowned Eva Jessye Choir. They performed spirituals, work songs, ballads, ragtime, jazz, and light opera. Jessye was also the choral director for George Gershwin’s opera, Porgy and Bess. Eva was involved in many humanitarian efforts and the Civil Rights Movement. She served as Pittsburg State University’s Artist-In-Residence from 1978-1981. She passed away on February 21, 1992 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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  Reinecke, John E., collection, 1923-1974

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of writings by John E. Reinecke and Kansas State Teachers College publications.

  John E. Reinecke was born in Southeast Kansas in 1904. He graduated with a BS from Kansas State Teachers College in 1925 before moving to Hawai’i to become a professor of creole languages at the University of Hawai’i in 1926. John earned his PhD from Yale in 1937. Reinecke was a strong advocate against the plantocracy and the military in Hawai’i. He and his wife, Aiko, protested with the workers’ unions, calling for a living wage. Branded as communists, both John and Aiko were fired from their jobs as teachers in 1948. John was persecuted as one of the “Hawai’i Seven,” activists who were arrested and charged with being communists, violating the Smith Act, which made it illegal to "advocate and teach the necessity of overthrowing the government of the United States by force and violence." This conviction was overturned in the 1950s. In 1978, Harriet Bouslog, labor attorney to the Hawai’i Seven, won a settlement from the state with an apology and $250,000 from the legislature. Reinecke wrote about the labor movements in the state, making many to consider him the father of Hawai’i’s Labor History. Reinecke also wrote about the pidgin and creole languages, Hawai’ian dialects and other aspects of the Hawai’ian language, and about society and activism. Reinecke passed away in 1982.

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  Reitz, Charles, collection, 1968-2003

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of correspondence, publications, clippings, media, and miscellaneous pertaining to Charles Reitz. Charles Reitz was born in Buffalo, New York in 1946. He attended Canisius College in Buffalo, New York from 1964 to 1968. After receiving a bachelor’s degree he attended the University of Freiburg [Germany] from 1969 to 1971, receiving a graduate degree. He earned his Doctorate in Educational Philosophy from the University of Buffalo in 1983. Dr. Reitz regularly contributes to the ongoing discussion and development of critical social theory and critical pedagogy. Reitz retired in 2006 as Professor of Philosophy and Social Science at Kansas City Kansas Community College, where he also served as Director of Multicultural Education and President of the Faculty Association (KNEA).

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  Renfro, Thelma Fowler, collection, 1920-1965

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Thelma May Fowler Renfro was born December 22, 1901 and died August 31, 1992. She married Raymond Reid Renfro (1901-1985) in 1946. She attended the Pittsburg State student from 1920-1928. She received a degree in speech, art, and English. She was assistant editor of the Collegio from 1922-1924 and the only girl on the debate team. Thelma was also a member of the Kappa Delta Pi sorority.

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  Reynolds, William, collection, 1902, 1913-1919, 1934

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  According to the Saturday, July 20, 1907 edition of the Appeal to Reason, Girard, Kansas, W. E. Reynolds was an old party politician but he switched political parties and joined the Socialist Crusaders sometime between 1896 and 1907. He worked closely with Socialist party organizers in Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma throughout his adult life. He traveled to various states and presented lectures and debates regarding Socialist platforms. He also had studied Karl Marx’s philosophy and incorporated some of those thoughts into his lectures.

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  Richards, J. J., collection, 1982-2007

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Letters, photographs, papers, research, music, and music lists relating to the career and life of John Joseph Richards and other musicians such as Merle Evans, Karl King, and John Phillip Sousa.

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  Rising, Lloyd Harrison, collection, 1892-1985

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Lloyd Harrison Rising (1894-1982) was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He married Mary Brown in 1918 and they remained married until her death in 1965. Rising married Mildred Oshlund in 1966. Dr. Rising graduated high school from Canton, South Dakota; received his AB and DD (Doctor of Divinity) degrees from Dakota Wesleyan University; Doctor of Sacred Theology degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University; and a Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Baker University. He served at various churches throughout his career, including the First Methodist Church in Pittsburg, Kansas from 1950 until 1967. He enjoyed traveling and mission work, serving in Japan, Canada, Scandinavia, Mexico and for a year as a pastor in North Ireland.

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  Roberts, Neva Allen, collection, 1885-2002

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of autobiographical work, correspondence, family history, educational and career records, legal and financial documents, photos, artifacts, organization papers, scrapbooks, news clippings, and other materials pertaining to Neva Allen Roberts, her family and her friends.

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  Robison, Carson J., collection, 1903-1988

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Biographical sketches, personal papers, publications, and recorded materials of noted country and western musician, Carson J. Robison, of Chetopa, Kansas.

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  Roitz, Edward J., papers, 1980-1984

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Papers of Edward J. Roitz, Kansas State Senator for the 13^th District between 1980 and 1984. The papers consist of correspondence, reports, publications, maps, memos, photographs, newspaper clippings, and miscellaneous material.

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  Roper, L. V., collection, 1963-1987

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Lester Virgil Roper was born June 19, 1931 in Girard, Kansas and passed away on June 12, 1998 in Pittsburg, Kansas. He graduated from Girard High School and received a B.A. in Journalism from Pittsburg State University. He then enrolled in the graduate program of creative writing at the University of Oklahoma. Roper took on many different professions after he had completed his education. He taught writing and vocational education at several community colleges and vocational technical institutes. He also found work as a welder, a barber, and a Fuller Brush salesman. As a writer, Roper published eleven novels under two pen names: L. V. Roper for his action and adventure novels; and Samantha Lester for his romance novels. He also served in the Kansas House of Representatives for nine years. This collection includes personal, correspondence, research, copies of manuscripts, photographs, newspaper clippings, and miscellaneous materials.

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  Rose and Rauk papers, circa 1885-1999

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Photographs and biographical materials relating to the Cordes, Lahmann, Gebo, Coerlin and related families collected by Rose Cordes Gebo and Lembit Rauk. The families were originally from the Axstedt-Harrendorf area of Germany and emigrated to America during the late 19th century and early 20th centuries. Members of the Cordes, Lahmann, and Coerlin families have either visited or lived in Pittsburg, Kansas.

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  Rose, Jerry, collection, 1914-1997

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of photographs, news articles, and publications of Betty K. Wolverton Mullen and family, involving Parsons, Kansas and the Parsons High School Class of 1943.

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  Rosen, Stanley R., collection, circa 1920-2010

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  The Stanley R. Rosen Collection of Labor, Labor History, and Labor Education totals over 140 linear feet of papers (not including books), related to labor, labor history and education, unions, as well as Jewish culture, Chicago history, and Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal. The bulk of the papers have been added over a span of several years, and are still being added, and currently are awaiting processing. Researchers wishing to access and view the manuscript collection are urged to make an appointment.

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  Rowe family papers, 1912-1920

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Personal papers and collected materials of the Rowe family of Pittsburg, Kansas. Relates primarily to World War I, the American Union Against Militarism, and conscientious objectors. Includes correspondence, clippings, circulars, and other printed materials. Additional pamphlets, leaflets, and other publications relating to World War I were removed from the Papers for cataloging. A list of the removed items is appended to this guide.

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  Rudesill, Henry, papers, 1894-1895

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  These are the papers of Henry Rudesill consisting of correspondence and newspapers sent to him by his mother and father during his attendance at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Oberlin, Ohio.

  Henry Milton Rudesill was born on May 8, 1873 in Ashland, Ohio to Henrietta Rudesill and John C. Rudesill. In 1890, the family moved from Ohio to Hutchinson, Kansas. After receiving his music education degree from the University of Kansas School of Music, Rudesill moved to Oberlin, Ohio to attend the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. While at the Conservatory, Rudesill studied organ, piano, and harp, and was a member of the Glee Club. Henry Rudesill graduated in 1898. He then moved back to Hutchinson, Kansas and taught music for many years. Henry Rudesill passed away in 1953.

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  Ruff, Walter Glen, collection, 1883-1962

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of sheet music, guides, books, and other materials related to W. Glen Ruff and his music shop.

  Walter Glen Ruff (1904-1989) was born in Kansas and graduated from Fort Hays State Teachers College. He earned a master’s degree from the University of Kansas in 1940. Following this, he taught instrumental and vocal music on both the high school and college level. Ruff served with the American Red Cross in India and Ceylon during World War II. Afterwards, he was head of the music department at Western Carolina Teachers College. In 1950, he moved back to Kansas at opened Ruff’s Music Shop in Pittsburg. The store operated for 20 years. After Ruff sold it, he continued to repair musical instruments. Ruff was married twice, first to Bessie Adelaide Peterson (1903-1936) and to Nora Nadine Nolan (1908-2001). W. Glen Ruff passed away in 1989.

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  Ruggles family collection, 1897-1964

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of music sheets, school work, handbooks, and children’s books.

  James Ruggles (1933-2015) was born to George and Zelpha Ruggles in Pittsburg, Kansas. He graduated from Kansas State Teachers College (now Pittsburg State University) in 1953, and received his medical degree from the University of Kansas in 1957. From 1963 to 1965, Ruggles worked in the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. He then completed a two-year fellowship in Pathology at the University of Minnesota, and worked as a pathologist for 39 years. In 1991, he and Ramona Woolley married in Yankton, South Dakota. In his pastime, James enjoyed music, specifically classical and blue grass, and learned to play the Dobro guitar. He also was an outdoorsman, playing sports, hunting, and fishing. He passed away in 2015.

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  Safehouse Incorporated records, 1990-1998

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Newsletters and brochures of Safehouse Incorporated, a private non-profit organized in 1979 to improve the quality of care and assistance to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. It served ten counties in Southeast Kansas.

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  Saia, David Joseph, papers, 1938-1990

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Personal and professional correspondence, organizational newsletters, legal documents, and other items collected by David J. “Papa Joe” Saia during his tenure as Crawford County Commissioner and chairman of the Crawford County Democratic Party.

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  Sargent, Elizabeth, collection, 1983-1984

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of letters from Elizabeth Sargent to Gene DeGruson discussing writing and the Little Balkans Review. It also includes some of her work.

  Elizabeth Sargent was a poet, artist, and composer who lived and worked in New York City. She was born to a mining family in 1920, adopted by a Quaker family at 16 months old, and grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio where she adopted the surname Sargent from an encouraging teacher. Sargent studied theater at the Carnegie Institute of Technology where she met her first husband, Hans Freund, whom she married in 1940. They divorced after World War II and Sargent was briefly wed to a man in Argentina before marrying her third husband, Allan Roberts, in the mid-1950s. Sargent reviewed books for The Dallas Morning News until she and her husband moved to New Jersey. In 1963, Sargent published her first book of poetry, African Boy. A year later, she separated from, but did not divorce, her husband and moved to Carnegie Hall where she lived until 2010. Her studio in New York is where she wrote works like Love Poems by Elizabeth Sargent, A Woman in Love, and The Magic Book of Love Exercises. Sargent had some of her poems published in the Little Balkans Review and she became friends with Gene DeGruson, the founder. In 2010, Sargent and other tenants were evicted from their apartments above Carnegie Hall. She was the last tenant forced out after receiving a $2 million settlement. According to friends, she stopped writing after the move. Sargent passed in 2017.

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  Saxey, Linda, collection, 1889-1993

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  This collection includes personal correspondence, photographs, photograph negatives, photocopies, newspapers, newspaper clippings, education material, military materials, real estate documents, and miscellaneous materials relating to the Haldeman-Julius family and descendants.

  Emanuel Julius was born in Philadelphia in 1889. In 1915 he came to Girard, Kansas to work at the Appeal to Reason, then the nation’s largest socialist newspaper. Shortly after he arrived, he married a local bank heiress, Anna Marcet Haldeman (1887-1941), and the two hyphenated their last names. Haldeman-Julius took over the Appeal to Reason in 1919 and began his own publishing company, and is best remembered for publishing the Little Blue Books. Emanuel and Anna had three children, Alice (Haldeman-Julius) Deloach (1917-1991), and Henry Haldeman-Julius (1919-1990), they adopted Joesphine (Haldeman-Julius) Roselle (1910-?). Henry Haldeman and Donna Lou Haldeman-Bott (1929-2004) would have two children, Linda Karel Saxey (1949-2001) and Roger H. Haldeman (1950-1973).

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  Schick, Marjorie, collection, 1962-2015

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection and representation of the work and art of Professor Marjorie Schick. Included are photographs of her work; teaching materials; documents relating to her teaching career at PSU; correspondence; exhibits in which she appeared; and art journals.

  Marjorie Schick taught in the Department of Art at Pittsburg State University for fifty years. She became known internationally as an artist of jewelry and wearable art. She attended the University of Wisconsin and Indiana University, where she developed her artistic style. In the late 1960s she began working at Pittsburg State University, along with her husband, Dr. James Schick, who was a history professor. Marjorie Schick’s art has been exhibited around the world and is held by many museums worldwide. Ms. Schick passed away in December 2017 shortly after retiring from Pittsburg State University.

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  Schlacks, Doris, collection, 1891-1976

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of newspaper and magazine articles about Kansas History, two plates made for centennial celebrations, and family history documents.

  Doris Rachel (Gibson) Schlacks, born in 1932, grew up in Pittsburg, Kansas. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Monmouth College in Illinois. She and William H. Schlacks were married in 1954, but later divorced. Doris lived in Houston, Texas for 25 years before moving back to Pittsburg. She was a member of many organizations like Kappa Kappa Gamma and the PEO Sisterhood. Doris passed away in 2009. The family documents belonged to Doris’ great-grandfather Archibald “Archie” Burns (1836-1921). He kept a ledger and a journal documenting several events that happened nearly every day, from 1903 to 1912. Archibald and his family moved to Beulah, Kansas in the mid-1880s and to Girard in the early 1900s after he was elected county treasurer. Archie held many elected positions, eventually becoming mayor. Archibald also had some documents on his family history, describing his parents, Sarah Gillespie (1802-1890) and Stuart Burns (1793-1863), and other relatives.

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  Schlanger Park Civic Club scrapbook, 1955-1986

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Newspaper clippings, club bulletins, membership lists, obituaries of members and other miscellaneous materials relating to the Schlanger Park Civic Club.

  Schlanger Park in Pittsburg, Kansas, was created by land donated from A. H. Schlanger in 1929. The movement to turn the land into a park led to the creation of the Schlanger Park Civic Club, which was city federated in 1935.

  The Schlanger Park Civic Club Scrapbook is primarily comprised of newspaper clippings, club bulletins, membership lists, obituaries of members and other miscellaneous materials relating to the Schlanger Park Civil Club. It is unknown who created the scrapbook.

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  Schoenborn, John T., collection, 1895-1978

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Contains personal correspondence, biographical information, and military artifacts of John Schoenborn, from the Spanish-American War. There are also Women’s Federation of Clubs artifacts of Rhoda Elma Schoenborn, photographs, personal writings, books, cigar boxes, postcards, newspaper clippings, military awards and convention pins.

  John Taylor Schoenborn was born in 1883 and served in the United States Navy from 1901 - 1917. He was a member of the United Spanish War Veterans. He married Rhoda Elma Taylor in 1900. Rhoda Elma was also a member of the USWV Ladies’ Auxiliary and of the Women’s Federation of Clubs. John and Rhoda Elma had two children, Rhodelma born 1909 and John Taylor born in 1911. The Schoenborns were residents of Parsons, Kansas during the 1930s and 1940s. John Schoenborn worked for the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad and passed away in Parsons in 1957.

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  Schoeppel, Andrew Frank, papers, 1940-1961

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Papers of Andrew Frank Schoeppel, governor of Kansas and U.S. senator. The papers consist of congressional bills, press releases, memos, statements, and miscellaneous material that relates to Schoeppel’s terms as a U.S. senator.

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  Sell, Paul Stuart, collection, 1887-1981

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Dr. Paul Stuart Sell was a longtime dentist, practicing in Independence, Kansas, and an avid musician. This collection of materials includes photographs, sheet music, songs and song books he used to play at events, and miscellaneous artifacts.

  The Paul Stuart Sell Collection is divided into three series: Photograph, Music and Miscellaneous.

  The Photograph series contains photographs of Paul Sell at various stages of his life, and of his father, John Sell. There are photographs of his store, Cherryvale, and the Girard Fire Department.

  The Music series includes eleven pieces of sheet music that he composed. There are sixteen different song lyrics by him and, a printed programs and play lists. There is also a song book and five different Christmas Carol books. There are two copies of hymnals.

  The Miscellaneous series consists of two letters, to Sell and to Ray Fennimore, a flyer of a Christian education program, a copy of “Jack Horner” (most likely written by Sell or one of his sons), a sheet of unused letterhead from Sell and Son, Girard, and an autographed LP album entitled “St. George Serbian Orthodox Church Presents Kornelije Stankovich in Songs from the Montreal Expo’67 Program”, Dean Croxton, Director.

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  Shehan, Pat, collection, 1904-1920

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Contains photographs of early Chanute, Kansas.

  The first settlement in what would become Chanute, Kansas (Neosho County) began in 1856, prior to Kansas statehood and just before the arrival of the railroad. Four nearby rival towns, New Chicago, Chicago Junction, Alliance, and Tioga, were also developed. They were vying over which town would house the Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston Railroad’s new land office. Octave Chanute, Chief Engineer and General Superintendent of the railroad, suggested that the towns merge into one. On January 1, 1873, they did just that, and they were chartered as the city of Chanute, named after Octave Chanute. The city began to flourish with the Southern Kansas Railroad’s division headquarters in town. Chanute saw rapid growth in flourmills, grain elevators, banks, drug and hardware stores, and natural gas. By 1903, Chanute established electric utility and established gas, water, wastewater, and refuse utilities in the following years.

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  Sheppard, Jacob Ingraham, collection, 1914-1922, 1976, 1991

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Correspondence, biographical and genealogical information, newspaper article transcriptions, and photographs relating to the life and work of Jacob I. Sheppard, a prominent attorney from Southeast Kansas and a member of the Socialist party.

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  Sheverbush, Joan J., collection, 1982-1990

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of materials relating to a research project and published article titled, “Health Problems in Galena, Kansas: a Heavy Metal Mining Superfund Site. The research project was conducted by faculty members from Pittsburg State University and the University of Kansas Medical Center.

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  Shillaber, Benjamin P., collection, 1838-1890

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Benjamin Penhallow Shillaber was a writer and humorist. This collections includes photocopies and transcriptions of personal and professional correspondence, biographical material, journal pages, and drafts of some of his works.

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  Silvia, John, collection, 1910-1925

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of concertina and oboe sheet music along with the Chemnitzer concertina belonging to John Silvia.

  John Silvia was born in Radley, Kansas to Italian immigrants, in 1892. He grew up in a coal mining town and became a miner at the age of 15. In his spare time, Silvia enjoyed baseball and playing the clarinet. In 1913, he married Ann Stockinger, and soon began working as a mechanic in Radley. In 1916, Silvia went to Kansas City to study auto-mechanics, while Ann stayed in Radley with their daughter, Marie Kay. Walter McCray, a music professor and for whom McCray Hall at Pittsburg State University is name for, tried to place Silvia in a teaching position at the school in auto-mechanics, but Silvia lacked the education to be a professor. Silvia and his wife welcomed Elmer J. in 1919 and Sylvia Ann in 1931. In 1927, Silvia and his brother Tony opened their own service garage in Frontenac, Kansas, but it burned down a year later requiring Silvia to work off the debts of the shop during the Depression. But, in 1934 he was able to combine his interests in mechanics and mining to become a mechanic for the Alston Coal Company and later the Midway Coal Company where he worked until his retirement in 1962. In his retirement, Silvia grew tomatoes, made wine, read, enjoyed music, and tinkered. He passed away in 1986.

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  Simoncic, Anthony, collection, 1884-1941

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  This collection consists of photocopies of records of mining locations, accidents, maps of southwestern, Kansas, and the memoir “WW-1 Baby” by Anthony Simoncic.

  Anthony John Simoncic was born in Weir, Kansas in 1907, and grew up in Ringo, Kansas during the 1920s. As an adult, he worked as a truck driver. Anthony married Rose Ann Oblak (1908 - 1991) and together they had a son in 1939. Simoncic passed away in his home in 1993, unable to complete his memoir. This collection was donated to PSU in 2000 by Linda Knoll.

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  Simpson, E. LeRoy, playbook, 1954-1956

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A Pittsburg State University football players’ playbook from the mid-1950s, a football program from 1951, and a newspaper clipping.

  Edward LeRoy Simpson was born in Miami, Oklahoma in 1934, to Eddie and Ada Simpson. From 1952-1956 LeRoy attended the Kansas State Teachers College (now Pittsburg State University). He played several positions on the football team, including quarterback, and lettered all four years. He went on to receive a master’s degree from the Kansas State Teachers College in 1961. After earning a doctorate, Dr. Simpson joined Wayne State College in Wayne, Nebraska in 1968 as an associate professor of human performance/leisure studies and athletic director. During his tenure of over 30 years teaching and coaching, he was the track and field and cross country coach from 1968 to his retirement in 1997. He started the women’s track program at Wayne State College and was inducted into the WSC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Sioux City Relays Hall of Fame in 2009. He was married to Marian Simpson and they had one son. E. LeRoy Simpson passed away in 2011 in Woodland Park, Colorado.

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  Skaer, Georgia Blaney, collection, 1926-1960

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  This collection includes personal correspondence, poems, and society materials owned or relating to Georgia Blaney Skaer.

  Georgia (Blaney) Skaer was born on August 28, 1883 in Bigelow, Kansas to George Josiah Blaney and Anna Christine (Carlson) Blaney. She attended Kansas State College (today, Kansas State University), graduating in 1904. She married Augustus “Gus” Phillip Skaer (1862-1947), and they lived in Augusta, Kansas. Skaer took up writing, mostly poetry, and entered poems in contests, and submitted poems for anthologies. Some would be published. In 1927 she published Women of the Bible, Burton Publishing Company, Kansas City. published in 1927. Poems appeared in Contemporary Kansas Poetry, 1927 and A Compilation of Poems (Kansas Federation of Women’s Clubs) 1939. She gained honorary membership in the Eugene Field Society, and the International Mark Twain Society. She served as Chairman of Literature for the Kansas Federation of Women’s Clubs. She passed away on October, 19, 1965.

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  Skelton, Edward, collection, 1875-1879

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  The Edward Skelton diary consists of daily entries from January 1^st, to November 14^th, 1875 with purchases and expenses registered from 1878-1879. Most diary entries mention daily farm work, hangouts, the weather and Sunday School. The entries are short and also describe daily activities of plowing, cutting timber, going to the market, and visiting the neighbors.

  Edward Skelton was born in 1854 and lived in Labette County, Kansas with his parents. Edward worked as a farmer and was married to Artie Storey in 1880. Edward Skelton died in 1915.

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  Skourup family papers, 1915-1985

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Family papers of the Skourup family, who lived near Pittsburg, Kansas since the 1860s. This collection focuses on the eldest daughter, Elnora, and contains correspondence, scrap and memory books, World War I items, publications, programs, photographs, clippings, and miscellaneous items. The collection gives an overview of local high school and college life during the World War I years, and the mid-1920s in Southeast Kansas. The collection does not contain much information about the Skourup family.

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  Skubitz, Mary, collection, 1921

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  The Mary Skubitz Journal consists of ten pages written on ledger paper during the Amazon Army March of December 1921, describing the event.

  Mary Youvan Skubitz was born in Slovenia in 1887 and was brought to America in 1890 by her parents Andrew and Julia Youvan. Andrew Youvan worked as a coal miner in Crawford County, Kansas. Mary was one of the leaders at a December 11, 1921 meeting that resulted in the protest that became known as the Amazon Army March on December 12, 1921, in which she participated. In the early 1900s she married Joseph Skubitz, and in 1906 their son, Joseph Skubitz, Jr. was born. In 1963, Joseph Skubitz, Jr. was elected as a Republican to the Eighty-eighth Congress and to the next seven succeeding Congresses, serving until 1978. Mary Skubitz passed away in 1962.

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  Smith, Audra Ann, collection, 1913-1985

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Mrs. Audra Smith, a native of Kansas, took a tour in 1974 through the Soviet Union with the Farm Bureau’s Farmer-to-Farmer. This collection includes biographical information, her travel journals, newspaper clippings, and photographs.

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  Smither, Ethel Schwab, collection, 1986-1995

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A manuscript of Ethel Schwab Smither’s novel, The Yielding Years (Edgemoor Publishers, 1995).

  Ethel Schwab Smither (1893-1969) was born near Cherokee, Kansas, the eldest of seven children. She and her husband Elbert raised three children. Smither was always interested in writing, possibly using it as an escape during difficult times like the Great Depression. Her interest in writing led her to become a member of the Kansas Authors Society. By the time of her death in 1969, Smither had a large collection of completed poems and a typewritten manuscript, The Yielding Years, which was her only novel. The Yielding Years is an historical novel, set in Southeast Kansas from 1869 to 1912. It follows two families, based on her own, who migrated from Illinois to Kansas. The story centers around the development of the area, especially in the coal mining industry. Smither describes the poverty and strife of coal miners through one of the families in the novel. She also highlights nature, “customs, manners, simple pleasures of rural and village life, and the industrial milieu of the period.” According to her children, Smither wrote the novel as a way to conceptualize her experiences and to provide a historical account of the coal mining industry through the eyes of her family. To write the novel, Smither and her husband conducted research within the Kansas Historical Society. The book was not complete by the time of her passing. Her children, William, Mary, and Howard, completed and published the novel for their mother as a memorial.

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  Smith, Lena Martin, collection, 1902-1951

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  The Lena Martin Smith Collection includes photographs, letters, and miscellaneous programs from events at Pittsburg State University.

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  Smith, Reggie, collection, circa 1902-1969

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  The Reggie Smith Collection contains research and military files regarding the General Russel Post No. 144, Grand Army of the Republic, and other military matters. The collection includes clippings, biographical information, correspondence, programs, documents, and publications, and material related to Margaret Grandle, who was a charter member of Russel Post No. 144.

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  Smoot, Grady, collection, 1938, 1951-2003

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  The collection includes Blueprints, Catalogs, Development Plans, Donor Memorabilia, Financial Records, Maps, Magazines, Meeting Minutes, Newsletters, Newspapers, Newspaper Clippings, Personal & Professional Correspondence, Photocopies, Photographs, Programs, Recordings, Reports & Studies, Resumes, Miscellaneous Documents & Paperwork, and Miscellaneous Materials relating to Dr. Smoot’s career at Pittsburg State University.

  Joseph Grady Smoot was born on May 7, 1932 in Winter Haven, Florida to Robert M. and Vera E. (McNutt) Smoot. Smoot received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southern Missionary College in Collegedale, Tennessee in 1955, a Masters of Arts in History and a Ph.D. Degree in History from the University of Kentucky in 1961. On June 4^th, 1959 Smoot married Irma (Jean) Smoot. Joseph Smoot served Andrews University (Berrien Springs, Michigan) as Vice President of Academic Affairs and eventually President. In 1984, Dr. Smoot began working at Pittsburg State University as the Vice President of Development and Public Relations. During this time, he organized the PSU Foundation, established the KRPS radio station, the University Magazine, and provided funding for numerous buildings and renovations. He involved himself in the affairs of PSU even after his retirement in 1997. In 1994, he became Director of Gold Bank Pittsburg. He was a member of the First State Bank of Pittsburg’s Board of Trustees. He was involved with the North Central Association’s Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, participating in at least 39 visits and chairing 22 of the accreditation teams. Dr. Joseph Smoot passed away on January 5, 2018 in Pittsburg.

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  Snare, Wilma Cook, collection, 1856-1997

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  This collection consist of records, histories, and photographs related to families, places, groups and businesses in Cherokee and Crawford Counties, Kansas. Includes histories of the Tharp and Bumgarner families of the area.

  Wilma Cook Snare, born in 1930 to Walter and Myrtle Cook, was a local historian of Cherokee County, Kansas, and a licensed practitioner nurse at the Mt. Carmel Regional Medical Center. Snare collected and researched material related to places, mining, events, and families of Cherokee County. She wrote a book on its history called Down Memory Lane, and wrote articles for local newspapers, as well as assisting researchers. Wilma Cook Snare passed in 2004, followed by her husband Robert Stanley Snare in 2005.

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  Sollner, William J., collection, 1963-1995

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  William J. Sollner was born July 28, 1925 in Downs, Kansas to Dr. Anson Huey and Esther Ann Sollner. Dr. Anson Sollner moved the family to Arma, Kansas where he worked as a dentist for several years. William Sollner graduated from Crawford County Community High School in 1943, and began training to be a naval aviator. Upon finishing his training he remained in the Ready Reserves until 1956 when he had received a Fulbright award to teach a year in Germany. After teaching in Germany, he continued his teaching career in Battle Creek, Michigan, Missouri, and Hawaii. While in Michigan he began to develop an interest in performing with puppets. In 1960, he took a position as a scriptwriter, actor, and director for the Centron Corporation of Lawrence, Kansas. While with Centron, he produced non-theatrical films for business, industry, and education. Afterwards, he began working for the Calvin Corporation of Kansas City, Missouri and continued working in the film industry until 1970 when he moved his family to Hawaii. In Hawaii he served as Dean of Instruction at Kaua'i Community College for a short time, then accepted an offer to write for The Garden Island newspaper, where he worked for twelve years as run-of-the-press reporter. In addition, he made a series of independent films on Hawaiian culture and published an alternative bi-monthly periodical, Kaua'i OFF CENTER, for five years. Two of his play scripts won national contests and were produced in Florida and Michigan. He performed in numerous college and community theater productions. In 1991 "Bill" and his wife Fay moved back to Arma to care for his aged mother. His wife preceded him in death on July 24, 2005.In 2013 Sollner married Yanju Chen. Mr. Sollner passed away in Arma, Kansas in November 2017.

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  Southeast Kansas Symphony Concert collection, 1981-2006

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  The Southeast Kansas Symphony is an organization whose membership consists of Pittsburg State University students and citizens from Southeast Kansas and Southwest Missouri. Prior to being named the Southeast Kansas Symphony in the fall of 1981, the organization was known as the Civic (Symphony) Orchestra. It was organized in 1952 under the direction of Markwood Holmes. [See Collection #36 Pittsburg State University, Department of Music, Collection for more information on the Civic Orchestra]. From 1981 until the Spring of 2001 the Southeast Kansas Symphony was under the direction of Pittsburg State University faculty member, Carolann Martin. Stella Hastings, Pittsburg State University faculty member, led the symphony as conductor from the fall of 2001 to 2010. Dr. Selim Giray, another PSU faculty member directed the SEK Symphony from 2010 until 2012. In 2012, PSU faculty member Dr. Raul Antonio Munguia took the baton and is currently Artistic Director and Conductor for the symphony.

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  Sowards and Sharp families collection, 1900-1989

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of biographical material, correspondence, church materials, Pittsburg State University materials, Newspaper clippings, Photographs, and miscellaneous materials related to the writer Genevieve Sharp Sowards and her family.

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  Sperry, Theodore, and Gladys Galligar collection, circa 1865-2012

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Theodore Sperry and Gladys Galligar were two respected research professors who taught several branches of biology, and were specialized in ecology and plant physiology, respectively. Outside of their teaching careers, both of them were involved with conservation, bird banding and studying native flora and animals.

  This collection contains correspondences, biographical materials, clippings, materials from organizations, academic materials, research materials, publications by and not by Sperry and Galligar, travel materials, Paradocs materials, Sperry’s military materials, financial and antique records, photographs and slides, genealogy materials and miscellaneous materials.

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  Stafford and Claire correspondence, 1969-1978

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  The Stafford and Claire Letters includes one newspaper clipping, an invitation, two thank-you cards, and five letters of correspondence between William Stafford and William Clair regarding the publication of an interview between Claire, Stafford, and Primus St. John that would be featured in the National Literary Magazine’s book, The Voyage.

  William Stafford was born in Hutchinson, Kansas in 1914 to Earl and Ruby Stafford. During the Great Depression he held a variety of jobs including work in beet fields, an oil refinery, and plowing. He received his B.A. from the University of Kansas in 1937. During World War II, he was drafted into the military while finishing his masters degree (University of Kansas), which led him to declare himself a conscientious objector. He was allowed to perform alternative service for several years. After the war, he married Dorothy Frantz, and completed his M.A. in 1946. In 1947, he was recruited by Morgan Ordell, the president of Lewis & Clark College. In 1954, he earned his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. In 1962, Stafford published his first book, Traveling through the Dark, which won the National Book Award. In 1964, he was awarded the Poetry Society of America’s most prestigious award, the Shelly Memorial Award. In 1970 he was named the Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress (today’s Poet Laureate). During his life, Stafford published over 50 collections of poetry and today is considered a major American poet. William Stafford died on August 28, 1993.

  William Claire was born in 1935 in North Hampton, Massachusetts and is a graduate of the Deerfield Academy, Georgetown University, and Columbia University. After serving in the military, Claire moved to Washington D.C. where he was the chief editor for the National Literary Magazine from 1967 until 1973, winning five national awards as well as a National Endowment for Arts award. Afterwards, he became a poet and an essayist, getting published in The American Scholar and The New York Times. He received a Yaddo fellowship, a McDowell fellowship, and a Rockefeller Foundation grant winner.

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  Stafford, William E., collection, 1980-1996

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of correspondence, clippings, images, and writings which pertain to the poets William Stafford and Denise Low.

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  Stalker, J. W., collection, 1935-1949

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of court papers and cases from J. W. Stalker, Justice of the Peace, Pittsburg, Kansas. The papers consist of correspondence, orders, and complaints, summons, and notices.

  John W. Stalker was born in 1868. He was the Justice of the Peace in Girard, Kansas between 1935 and 1949. In 1892 he married Rena E. Myers in Crawford County. They had six children. John Stalker also worked independently as an insurance agent for Stalker’s Realty, “the Preferred Fire Insurance Co.” He passed away in 1959 in Girard.

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  Stamm, David, memoir, 1867-1917

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  The one-volume memoir was handwritten, from 1903 to 1917, by David Stamm, and is a biographical sketch of his life, family history, and hardships. There are also three photographs of Stamm, including one with his wife, Catherine.

  David Stamm was born December 22, 1837 in Salt Creek Township, Holmes County, Ohio, to John and Anna Elizabeth Germann Stamm. When he was five years old, the family moved to Van Wert County, Ohio. As a young man, he learned to clerk in various goods and book stores. He served in the Company H, 139th Regiment, Ohio National Guard, during the Civil War. David Stamm married Catherine (Kate) Schumm on October 31, 1867. They had 13 children, including a stillborn baby boy in 1868. Other children were John Frederick William (Willie), Louisa Magdalena Elisabeth (Lulu or Lula), and Mary Juliana (Julia), Otto Louis, Henry Albert, David, Catherine, Bertha Emilie, Theresa Rosina, Paul Gerhard, Paula Gertrud, and Carl Ferdinand. In 1883 the family moved to a small farm in Prairie City, Missouri. In November 1887 Stamm purchased a dry goods business and moved his family to Humboldt, Kansas. The family moved again in 1889 when Stamm opened a general merchandise store in Pittsburg, Kansas, on the east side of Broadway, between 2nd and 3rd streets, selling goods and groceries for twelve years before retiring. His wife, Catherine, died July 17, 1907. Stamm moved to Fort Scott, Kansas in 1913 and lived there until his death on October 22, 1920. He and his wife are buried in Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Pittsburg, Kansas.

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  Stephens, Sara, papers, 1901-1988

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  The papers of Sara Stephens, a teacher and long-time resident of Pittsburg, Kansas. The papers include personal and travel diaries, travel brochures, photographs, high school and college papers, clippings, reunion programs, and other papers relating to her profession and life.

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  Stillings, Ellabeth Diggs, collection, 1935-1987

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of personal correspondence, Pittsburg State University material, photographs, and miscellaneous material.

  Ellabeth Diggs was born in Lamar, Missouri in 1916. She graduated from Lamar High School and attended the Kansas Teachers College of Pittsburg (now Pittsburg State University). Following this, she worked as a teacher at Atchison County Community High School in Effingham, Kansas until 1947. In 1943 she married Robert M. Stillings (1915-1963). She worked at Atchison High School beginning in 1948 and continued for the next three years. Afterwards, she taught sporadically and worked in the business she and her husband owned, Stillings Hardware. Ellabeth and Robert had three children. Ellabeth Diggs Stillings passed away in 2013.

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  Stilwell, Arthur, collection, 1909-2010

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Arthur Edward Stilwell was born October 21, 1859, in Rochester, New York, and died September 26, 1928. In Stilwell’s early years he worked as an insurance salesman for the Travelers Insurance Company. During his time with the company he developed a coupon annuity life-insurance policy that would allow the policy holder to get an income after a certain age. Following this position, he sold real estate, and then founded the Kansas City Southern Railway. He had a goal of connecting Kansas City to the Gulf of Mexico. To meet this goal, he started to build the necessary rail lines, which would run through Pittsburg, Kansas. Because Pittsburg did not have a suitable hotel for those traveling this rout, Stilwell financed the construction of the Hotel Stilwell in Pittsburg. During the years that he was heading the railway company, he is credited with building more than 2,300 miles of rail lines and having founded more than forty cities. After he had retired, Stilwell took up writing and had published several books, poetry, and plays. This collection includes correspondence, photographs, and newspaper clippings.

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  Stilwell Heritage and Educational Foundation collection, 1891-1997

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  The Hotel Stilwell Hotel collection contains documents regarding the original establishment of the hotel, the history of the building, blueprints, architectural plans, proposals, financial records, legal matters, press releases, newspaper clippings, magazines and other publications, board and agenda notes from meetings of the Hotel Stilwell Board, historical registry papers, loans, grants, correspondence, and information from similar corporations including Camptown and the Little Balkans Foundation.

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  Stimmel family collection, 1857-1865

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  This collection consists of correspondence of Joseph Stimmel and Samuel E. Weimer during the American Civil War. The letters describe military matters, occupations and daily soldierly duties. Prior to their deposit at Pittsburg State University, the letters were laminated. There is also a journal of John Moorhead, a Methodist minister who was likely related to Stimmel and Weimer.

  Joseph Stimmel (1842-1917) lived in Juniata County, Pennsylvania. He and his cousin, Samuel Weimer (1844-1900), served in the same regiment (126th Pennsylvania Infantry). Both mustered in on August 3^rd, 1862 and mustered out on May 20th, 1863. They fought in battles such as Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. After mustering out, they returned to civilian life for a year. Samuel Weimer reenlisted into the 47th PA Infantry on February 24^th, 1864 and mustered out December 25^th, 1865. Joseph reenlisted into the 77th Pennsylvania Infantry in March 2^nd, 1865 and mustered out December 6^th, 1865. Both served during the war in Virginia, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Texas. John Moorhead was born near Waynesboro, Pennsylvania in 1814. He was a Methodist minister in the Baltimore Conference, living and preaching in Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania. He spent his last years in Mt. Union, Pennsylvania, where he died in 1890.

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  St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Company collection, 1915-1920

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of correspondence, completion reports, authority for expenditures, and sketches related to the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Company in Fort Scott, Kansas and Springfield, Missouri.

  The St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Company, also known as SLSF, or the Frisco, was incorporated in Missouri on September 7, 1876. Its rail lines operated through the Midwest and the South-Central United States. Originally a division of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, it reincorporated after bankruptcy in 1896 and reorganized into the SLSF in 1916. The company ran passenger lines including the Texas Special. Although it has San Francisco in its name, the railway never went farther west than Texas. One of the railway’s more prominent routes was between Kansas City and Springfield, Missouri. Springfield was the lines’ operational hub and shop facility. Of the two branches out of Kansas City, one travelled through Fort Scott and Baxter Springs, Kansas. The company was merged into the Burlington Northern Railroad (BNSF) in 1980 and operates under that name today.

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  Stover, Oscar, collection, 1942-1947

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Charles Oscar Stover, best known as Oscar Stover, was the head of the instrumental music and director of the band for the Department of Music, Kansas State Teachers College, now known as Pittsburg State University, for two nonconsecutive years. The items in this collection were gathered during his tenure at KSTC. Included in this collection are correspondence, clippings, photographs, programs, and miscellaneous items.

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  Stowe, Clara, collection, 1878-1881

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  The Clara Stowe Letters consists of four letters from Clara F. Stowe to Elmere W. White (her future husband), from 1878 to 1881.

  Clara Florence Stowe was born in 1859 in Lawrence, Kansas. Elmere Warren White was born in 1855 in Vermont and came to Kansas with his parents during his childhood. Clara and Elmere became acquainted and courted, marrying 1883. They had one daughter, Carolyn (1886-1979). For most of his life, Elmere worked as a rancher. In 1920 the family moved to Donna, Texas. Elmere died in 1937 and Clara in 1941.

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  Strawn, Robertson I., collection, 1932-1988

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Robertson I. Strawn was a speech professor at Pittsburg State University for over forty years, as a full-time and part-time professor and lecturer. This collection contains correspondence, biographical materials, education materials, writings, publications, photographs, speeches, advertisements, clippings, records, and miscellaneous materials.

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  Sullivan, Frank Victor, collection, 1924-2005

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  This collection contains materials from the life and projects of Dr. Frank “Vic” Victor Sullivan. They document contributions to: the Sperry Galligher Audubon collection of documents; reports on the planning and construction of the Kansas Technology Center at Pittsburg State University; slides of university trips and family.

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  Tate, James, collection, 1943-2004

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  James Tate was a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, and an English and literature professor at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He was an alumnus of the Kansas State College of Pittsburg (now Pittsburg State University). Tate’s poems were published in numerous books, magazines, pamphlets, and as broadsides during his career. The materials of the James Tate Collection were collected by Gene DeGruson, from the early 1960s to 1997, and Randy Roberts, from 1998 to the mid-2000s. Additional materials were donated by Charles Cagle. The contents of this collection consists of biographical and autobiographical material, correspondence, bibliographical information (compiled by Gene DeGruson),Tate’s poetry, reviews, advertisements, publicity pieces, clippings, literary journals, recordings of interviews, and university catalogs.

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  Teller family collection, 1949-2001

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of science fiction books and magazines.

  The Stephen and Nikki Patrick Teller Collection includes over 1600 science fiction novels, mostly mass-market paperbacks, mostly from the 1940s into the 1990s. These have been cataloged and are housed in the Special Collections & University Archives. A listing of these titles can be found by searching “KFPH Teller” in our online catalog. There is also a collection of science fiction magazines, from the 1940s into the 2000s. See below for a listing of these titles within the boxes they are stored. These can also be viewed in the Special Collections & University Archives.

  Stephen James Teller was born in 1940 in Chicago, Illinois. He attended Chicago Teachers College and Roosevelt University (Chicago), where he received his A.B., and then earned a master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in 1963 and 1967. He began teaching at the Kansas State College of Pittsburg (today’s Pittsburg State University) in the fall semester of 1967, as an assistant professor in the English department. He married Nikki Patrick, a local reporter, in 1976. Dr. Teller spent his entire career at Pittsburg State University, and retired in 2010. His wife, Nikki, passed away from cancer in 2014. In addition to the hundreds of science fiction pulp paperbacks and hardcovers, Dr. Teller collected the vast array of Wizard of Oz books, and was quite an Oz enthusiast. He was also a scholar of the plays of William Shakespeare.

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  Tharp and Bumgarner families collection, 1864-1989

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Personal correspondence of Isaac Tharp and family, and the Bumgarner family; Photocopies of the diary of Isaac Tharp; announcements of births, weddings, funerals, and graduations of the two families; Genealogy of the two families; Articles on the accomplishments of Bumgarners; the Crescent Theater and Grand Opera House expense books and tax information; Miscellaneous photographs of both families and miscellaneous papers.

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  Tharp, Isaac, collection, 1857-1933

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  The Isaac Tharpe collection consists of personal correspondence, personal writings, account books, sermons, essays, photographs, legal documents, and other miscellaneous materials related to Isaac Tharp.

  Isaac Tharp was born in 1837 in Ohio. Tharp married Abigail Adam Miller (b. 1840, d. 1928) around 1860. They moved from Bushnell, Illinois eventually settling in Monmouth, Kansas during 1865 and 1866. The Tharp family were homesteaders claiming land in the new state of Kansas. Isaac was a farmer, store owner, and Methodist Episcopal preacher. They had a total of eight children. Isaac Tharp died in 1883.

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  Theys family collection, 1924-1976

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  This collection consists of personal correspondence, newspaper clippings, film negatives, photos and other miscellaneous materials related to the Theys Family.

  The collection is largely centered on the family of Helen R. (Cole) Theys, who was born on January 26, 1922 in Frontenac, Kansas. She married Emile Theys on September 1, 1941. They were married for 26 years until his death on October 2, 1967. Emile and Helen had two children, Sharon K. Theys, and Richard Theys. She was very active in her community until she passed away on June 30, 2017.

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  Thuenemann, Margaret, collection, 1988-1999

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  This collection consists of music and teaching resources relating to the career of PSU music professor Margaret Thuenemann.

  Margaret Thuenemann (1919-2002) was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. She attended the Cincinnati public schools, graduating from West Night High School. She went on to study music at the Cincinnati College of Music. There, she received her Bachelor of Degree in 1946, and later the Post-Graduate Diploma and the prestigious Springer Gold Medal of Honor for outstanding achievement in voice. Opportunities for further study were made possible by a Fulbright Grant which took her to Munich in 1953. After a successful performance career throughout Europe, Thuenemann returned to the United States and joined the music faculty at Kansas State College of Pittsburg in 1960 (today’s Pittsburg State University), where she earned her Master of Science degree with an emphasis in music in 1963. During her time in Pittsburg, Thuenemann continued to accept invitations to perform and teach masterclasses throughout the Midwest, including gatherings of professional music associations such as the Kansas Music Teacher’s Association and the Music Teachers National Association. In addition to her own performance career, Thuenemann went on to teach many students that would have successful music careers in their own right. Thuenemann also organized a series of one-week summer opera workshops, bringing in professional singers and educators to work with students at the university. After a 30-year tenure at Pittsburg State University, Thuenemann retired in 1991 and was granted the esteemed status of Professor Emeritus. She continued to support the university and the arts in the Pittsburg area until she passed away at the age of 80 in 2002.

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  Timmons, Bess Spiva, collection, 1966-2001

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  This collection includes accolades, meeting minutes, photographs and other miscellaneous materials.

  Bess Cole Spiva was born in 1901, in Galena, Kansas to George Newton Spiva and Bessie Tamblyn Spiva. Her family soon moved to Joplin, Missouri where they stayed. She graduated from Monticello College in Illinois in 1921. In 1923, she married Leroy K. Timmons (1899-1954) and they moved to Pittsburg in 1928. In 1951 she started the Spiva Emergency Loan Fund which became the Spiva Scholarship. In 1966 The Timmons Chapel of All Faiths was built and donated to Pittsburg State University by Mrs. Timmons. In 1985, she started the ABC Trust Fund which also provided scholarships to PSU students. She passed away in June 1985.

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  Timmons, Susie E., collection, 1936-1998

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of correspondence and writings belonging to Susie Timmons.

  Susie England Timmons was born on December 9, 1918 in Cassville, Missouri, the daughter of George and Minerva England. She graduated from Gaddis High School in 1938 and from Southwest Missouri State University in 1950. In 1949 she married James H. Timmons, who would teach in the Education Department at Pittsburg State University starting in 1959. As a teacher, Susie Timmons taught elementary school in Barry County, Missouri and Des Moines, Iowa, prior to moving to Pittsburg, Kansas. Susie was also a writer, publishing two volumes of poetry and writing for Autumn Lifestyles Newspaper. Susie passed away in 2004.

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  Tisot, Jr., Frank, collection, 1919-1953

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of documents, correspondence, and items regarding Società Di Mutuo Soccorso and the Foresters of America.

  Frank Tisot, Jr. (1925-2016) was a resident of Frontenac, Kansas. He married Virginia Fenoglio in 1952. They both enjoyed photography, traveling all of the continental United States and Canada to photograph nature. Frank Tisot worked at the Pittsburg Post Office, holding many positions throughout his 38-year career as well as being appointed postmaster. Frank was a part of the Colorama Camera Club, the National Association of Retired Federal Employees, and the Frontenac United Methodist Church. Either he or his father, Frank Tisot Sr., was a part of the Società Di Mutuo Soccorso and the Foresters of America. The Società Di Mutuo Soccorso was a social support group for Italian immigrants and seemed to work or communicate with the Soccieta di Benevolenza di Austro Tyrolese, an Austrian society. The Foresters of America helps provide insurance benefits to members and their children as well as aid to the community. The Foresters of America Court of Pittsburg, started in 1896, was the second Italian society in the area and had 200 members.

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  Townsend, Jane, collection, 1900-1972

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Jane Townsend was an educator and administrator in the Unified School District 248 (Girard, Kansas) for most of her professional career. This collection contains writings, scrapbooks, educational, and professional materials related to her life. The collection is in 4 series: Personal Files, Educational Files, Professional Files, and Miscellaneous.

  Cynthia Jane Townsend was born April 7, 1889, in Girard, Kansas. She was a 1906 graduate of Girard High School and received a B.S. degree in education from Kansas State Normal College (present-day Emporia State University) in 1917. She also received an A.M. degree from the University of Chicago in 1924, an M.A. degree from the University of Michigan in 1934, and attended several summer terms at the University of Colorado. She began her teaching career at the Gooding School in Radley, a small community south of Girard, in 1906 before teaching in the Girard elementary schools beginning in 1907. By 1909 she was a mathematics teacher at Girard High School. In 1917 she was named principal at Girard High School, serving in this position until her retirement in 1959. In 1959 she received a Kansas Master Teachers Award from Kansas State Teachers College (present-day Emporia State University) and in 1963 Girard High School organized a “Jane Townsend Day” and presented her with a trip to Europe in appreciation of her services. In the early 1970s the Girard Unified School District 248 named the Girard High School library the “Jane Townsend Library” in her honor. She was an active member of Delta Kappa Gamma sorority, the Fidelis Study Club in Girard, the P.E.O., and First Presbyterian Church of Girard. She was also a member of the Kansas State Teachers Association, the National Education Association, and the Girard Teachers Association. She passed away in 1973.

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  Tranbarger, Ossie, collection, 1904-2003

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of biographical information, poetry, notes, and poetry journals of Ossie Tranbarger, who was born Ossie Elmo Lasley, April 6, 1914 in Birch Tree, Missouri. She married Theodore Jackson Tranbarger in 1941 in St. Louis, Missouri. They had one child, Larry Matthew Tranbarger. Ossie worked as a Special-duty Nurse Aid from 1954-72. She was also the editor of Voice of Poets newspaper column in 1968; a sponsor of the Kansas Poetry Contest, as well as a contributor to many regional, national and international poetry journals including the Southwest Times Record, Voices International, and Mark Twain Journal. Mrs. Tranbarger was a member of many different literary societies including being the President of the Kansas Author’s Club. Some of her honors and awards include Honorary Poet Laureate, United Poets Laureate International 1971, and the World Poet Award. Ossie Tranbarger passed away in 2004.

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  Treble Clef Club collection. 1922-2015

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of the club’s meeting minutes, secretary and treasurer’s notes, programs, yearbooks, scrapbooks and music sheets.

  The Treble Clef Club was chartered in Pittsburg, Kansas in 1904 by women interested in the study of music. The club originally agreed to have no more than 20 members who would meet twice a month to study composers and perform their works. In 1908 the club expanded membership due to increased interest. The first junior club, for high school girls, was started in 1922 but did not succeed. The club tried again in 1944, creating a club with 28 girls. By 1964, four junior clubs were sponsored by the Treble Clef Club. These junior clubs disbanded in the 1980s, but the Treble Clef Club continued, evolving to one meeting a month. Throughout the years, the club held the purpose “to cultivate a deeper knowledge of an appreciation for music by systematic study and to promote and stimulate interest in all the musical activities of the city.”

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  Triplett, Evelyn, collection, 1914-1984

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Evelyn Triplett was a dance and health professor at Pittsburg State University from 1947 to 1980, as well as several other institutions of higher learning. She was a nationally respected instructor and published numerous articles and studies over the health benefits of dance and physical education in the public schools. This collection includes correspondence, professional material, photographs, publications, and recordings. Evelyn Triplett was born on April 10, 1910 in Webb City, Missouri to Franklin and Margaret Triplett. She and her family moved to Pittsburg, Kansas when she was 11. She earned a B.S. in Health and Physical Education from Kansas State Teacher’s College (now Pittsburg State University) in 1932, and received her M.A. from Texas State College for Women in 1939. In 1958, she obtained her Ph.D. in Education from the University of Oklahoma. From 1932 to 1937, Triplett was a physical education teacher in Kansas public schools. After this, she was a dance instructor for the Texas State College for Women, the University of Alabama, Southwestern Louisiana University, and Washington University at St. Louis. She was also the dean of the women’s physical education at Joplin Junior College. In 1947 she became an assistant professor in the Health, Physical Education and Recreation Department at KSTC. She was promoted to associate professor in 1959 and professor in 1971. She became Professor Emeritus after her retirement in 1980. While at KSTC, she taught several different dance courses, physical education in public schools, and first aid. She was particularly focused on folk, square, and tap dance.

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  Ulery family papers, 1934-1958

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  The papers in this collection mainly consist of correspondences from Clyde Ulery to his parents, Flossie and Eli C. Ulery of Girard, Kansas, during his service in World War II. There are other correspondences to family in Oregon and various friends. Postcards, financial records, personal items, clippings and miscellaneous items are also in this collection.

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  Underwood, Edna Worthley, collection, 1904-1987

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of materials from Edna May Worthley Underwood, a writer and translator. The collection consists of correspondence, newspaper articles, writings, organizational materials, photographs, biographical information, and related materials.

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  Vanlandingham, Nada Pauline, collection, circa 1937-1988

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  The collection consists of photographs, music books, and personal documents relating to the life and career of PSU alum Nada Pauline Vanlandingham.

  Nada Pauline Vanlandingham (1916-2002) was born in Olathe, Kansas. She graduated from Ottawa High School in Ottawa, Kansas. After Attending Ottawa University for two years, Vanlandingham transferred to Kansas State Teachers College of Pittsburg (today’s Pittsburg State University), where she graduated with her Bachelor of Music degree in 1938. Her principal instrument was the double bass. She went on to earn her Master of Music degree from University of Kansas. Vanlandingham began her public school teaching career in Latham, Kansas. After two years, she taught in the Johnson County School District 110, which later consolidated with Shawnee Mission School District. She taught elementary music for 41 years at Overland Park Elementary, retiring in 1978. During her time in Overland Park, Vanlandingham participated in several musical and educational organizations including Mr. DeRubertis’ Orchestra, the Overland Park Orchestra, Alpha Delta Kappa women in education, and the National Education Association. She was also a life member of the music fraternity Sigma Alpha Iota, serving 67 years. Vanlandingham also participated in and supported several local organizations including the Merriam Music Study Club, the Olathe branch of the American Association of University Women, the Olathe Historical Society, the Johnson County Retired Teachers Association, and the Shawnee Mission Indian Historical Society. She passed away in 2002.

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  Vollen, Gene, papers, 1968-1990

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  This collection consists of letters, photographs, lectures, programs, audio recordings, and newspapers primarily relating to the life and career of Eric Vaughn.

  A native of Michigan, Dr. Gene Vollen (1933-) attended Michigan State University, where he earned degrees in music education and theory/composition. His doctoral studies were completed in 1970 at North Texas State University, focusing on musicology with a minor in composition. Listed among his academic honors is a Fulbright Fellowship to the Sorbonne in 1965-66.

  Prior to his appointment at Pittsburg State University (PSU) in 1970, Dr. Vollen taught in the music departments of Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, and Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. During his years at PSU, he taught in a variety of areas, including low brass, music history, and music theory. He served as Director of Graduate Studies in Music prior to beginning his tenure as department chair.

  Dr. Vollen’s musicological interests centered on French vocal literature of the 17th and 18th centuries. His primary contribution to the field was a book, The French Cantata: A Survey and Thematic Catalog, published in 1982 by the UMI Research Press.

  Since his retirement in 1995, Dr. Vollen has remained active in the musical life of the university and community. He returned as interim chair for the 1998-99 academic year in order to shepherd the department through a transitional period between permanent chairs.

  Eric Vaughn (1924-1990) was born and raised in upstate Massachusetts until he was eight, at which time he moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he lived until he was twenty-one. After a few years studying civil engineering at University of Utah and an experience with the US Department of War, Vaughn attended the University of California as a music student in 1947, where his love of theater and the works of poet Robinson Jeffers began to bloom. Over the next few years, Vaughn would become very involved with theater in the Bay Area, working with community theaters in several roles, including actor, director, costume designer, and lighting engineer. After a career of theater and translating dramatic works, Vaughn decided to return to college at Pittsburg State University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in speech and theater in 1972. Vaughn’s health began to decline following a heart attack in 1976, a near-fatal car accident in 1980, and a stroke shortly afterwards. This decline led him to return to Salt Lake City where he continued to work as a theater director, arts reviewer, and reader of Robinson Jeffers’ works. Vaughn also became increasingly interested in the later works of J.S. Bach, leading him to publish edited versions of the composer’s A Musical Offering and The Art of the Fugue, which he had performed in California, as well as at PSU. This interest lead Vaughn to found The Tricentennial Bach Committee of Utah, which presented several programs of Bach compositions in the Salt Lake City area. In 1985, Vaughn presented a lecture series at PSU on the life and works of Bach, which served as the thesis for his Master’s in History and Literature of Music, which he completed in 1986. Eric Vaughn passed away on March 4, 1990 in Salt Lake City after a battle with cancer.

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  Voss, Ralph F., collection, 1986-1995

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A manuscript of Ralph F. Voss’s novel A Life of William Inge: The Strains of Triumph (University Press of Kansas, 1989).

  Ralph F. Voss, a Kansas native who grew up watching the films based on Inge’s plays, is a former professor of English at the University of Alabama. He also taught at the University of Texas, East Texas State University, Atlanta Junior College, and was a visiting professor of the University of Utah. Voss’s other books include Truman Capote and the Legacy of ‘In Cold Blood,’ and Magical Muse: Millennial Essays on Tennessee Williams.

  William Inge (1913-1973) was a playwright, screenwriter, and novelist known as the “Playwright of the Midwest.” Born in Independence, Kansas, he attended Independence Community College and graduated from the University of Kansas in 1935 with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech and Drama. Inge worked as a laborer on state highways, as a Wichita news announcer, and taught English and drama at Cherokee County Community High School in Columbus, Kansas. He completed his Master of Arts degree at George Peabody College for Teachers, in Nashville, Tennessee in 1938, and taught at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri until 1943. Following that teaching job, he became a drama critic and later began writing plays. These include Come Back, Little Sheba (1950), Picnic (1953), and Bus Stop (1955). Picnic won Inge a Pulitzer Prize. His screenplay for the 1961 film, Splendor in the Grass, won him an Academy Award. Inge also wrote screenplays for television, and two novels set in Freedom, Kansas, a fictional town. Near the end of his life, Inge taught playwrighting at the University of California.

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  Walkowitz, Abraham, collection, 1925-2002

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library and Abraham Walkowitz

  A collection of research materials, newspaper clippings, photographs, publications, and correspondence of American Modernist artist, Abraham Walkowitz. Abraham Walkowitz was born March 28, 1878, in Tyumen, Russia and died January 27, 1965, in New York City. In 1889, at the age 11, Walkowitz emigrated to America with his widowed mother and three sisters. By 1894 he began attending art classes at the Cooper Union and the Educational Alliance, both in New York City. It was not until 1898 that Walkowitz decided to pursue art as a profession, enrolling at the National Academy of Design and the Art Students League, also in New York City. Walkowitz continued his education by going to Académie Julian in Paris in 1906. In 1916, he started to gain the attention of the public with the numerous drawings that he had done on the American dancer Isadora Duncan. The number of drawings he did of Duncan led him to eventually be regarded as her portraitist. Due to his failing eyesight, his career came to a halt in the 1930s. Not wanting to give up art entirely, Walkowitz had to change his style and use more simplified shapes and designs in his images. By 1944, Walkowitz had become commissioned as one of the nation’s leading artists, with an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum of ninety portraits and eleven sculptures of himself. In the summer of 1945, Walkowitz came to Kansas for a three-month stay with the Little Blue Book publisher, Emanuel Haldeman-Julius. During his stay in Kansas, he completed 270 pen and ink drawings of barns and coal mines of the region, and several watercolors and oil paintings covering the same topic. In the years that followed, Walkowitz did several illustrations for Haldeman-Julius publications.

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  Ward, Earl R., collection, 1939

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of correspondence to and from Earl R. Ward regarding the establishment, history of Kansas Normal Schools.

  Earl R. Ward (1902-1941) was born in Harvey, Kansas. Ward graduated from the Kansas Teachers College of Pittsburg (now Pittsburg State University) in 1927, and taught in several Kansas schools, including in Rosalia and Auburn.

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  Waterman, Beryl Lance, collection, 1904-1919

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Beryl Lynn Lance Waterman was a Pittsburg State University alumnae who taught high school English in Duarte, California. In this collection, there are examples of notebooks on various domestic science subjects, materials that Waterman may have used in her teaching career, and publications by different departments within the United States government. There are, however, no biographical materials or correspondence, nor much information on her life after she graduated from PSU.

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  Watkins, Arnold Clayton, collection, 1942-1945

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Collection of Arnold Clayton Watkins, Corporal in the Tenth Air Corp of the Army Air Force. The collection consists of scrapbooks, photographs, and miscellaneous materials pertaining to World War II.

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  Wayland, Julius A., collection, 1871-1985

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  The papers of the Julius A. Wayland Collection contain material concerning Wayland’s career as a socialist publisher, particularly that of his newspaper, Appeal to Reason, which he published from his Girard, Kansas publishing company. The collection also includes family papers and items, documents, and genealogical research.

  The Special Collections also holds print and microfilmed copies of the Appeal to Reason, and The Coming Nation.

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  Weede, Garfield W., collection, 1910-1971

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Biographical information; newspaper articles regarding Garfield “Doc” Weede and his career as coach, Athletic Director and professor; articles about Pittsburg State athletics; pamphlets, newspaper and other souvenirs from the 1936 Berlin Olympics; photographs of “Doc” and student athletes; articles and souvenirs form the 1971 dedication of the Garfield W. Weede Physical Education Building.

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  Welsh, John F., collection, circa 1834-2014

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  The John F. Welsh Collection of Libertarian and Individualist Thought consists of books, periodicals, and pamphlets that discuss various aspects of the history and theory of individualist and egoist anarchism. Since its origin in 1987, the Collection has expanded to include literature on Ayn Rand and Objectivism, the Austrian School of Economics, Libertarianism, and the egoist thought of Max Stirner. Dr. Welsh's initial advocacy and continuing contributions to the Collection have produced the greatly expanded "Liberty Library," which houses not only the Welsh Special Collection, but also other collections donated by authors and collectors of libertarian, individualist, and anarchist literature.

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  Wheeler, Ray, collection, 1963-1979

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Ray Wheeler was a poet, playwright, and author of short stories and novels. The materials in this collection pertain to Wheeler’s relationship with James Tate, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, and alumnus of Pittsburg State University. This includes correspondence, biographical articles, clippings, programs, poems, manuscripts, publicity material, photographs, and sketches.

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  Whitehead, Bryan, collection, 1948-2005

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of programs, documents, brochures, maps, and postcards relating to railroads, music, and Bryan K. Whitehead’s travels.

  Bryan K. Whitehead (1925-2008) was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma to Joseph and Mary Miller Whitehead. He and his family moved to Pratt, Kansas in 1936 where he attended school until his high school graduation in 1942. Before attending Kansas State Teachers College of Emporia, Bryan worked as a Rock Island Railroad clerk. Bryan and Mary Hertlein were married in 1943. He served as a musician in the Army Air Corps during World War II, becoming an active musician among the community upon his return. Bryan performed in choral productions, in the Presbyterian Church, and in the Independence Symphony. He returned to working at the railroad until his retirement in 1985. After that, Bryan and Mary traveled the United States and abroad. Their travels followed symphonies and operas, trains, and other sights and events.

  
  

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  Whitehead, Mary, collection, 1965-2004

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of family records, correspondence, farm records, photographs, newspaper clippings, media, and miscellaneous materials of Mary Whitehead. Mary Louise Hertlein was born July 12, 1924, in Pratt, Kansas and died on July 29, 2013, in Olathe, Kansas. She married Bryan Whitehead in 1943. Bryan Whitehead was a member of the U.S. Army Air Force and was also a railroad man, and a member of the Railway Clerks Union. Mary Whitehead was a railroad enthusiast, a gardener who took interest in both common and exotic flowers, and a photographer. She volunteered at several community nutrition programs that were offered at her local community center. She endowed the Hertlein-Whitehead Visiting Scholars program at the Axe Library of Pittsburg State University.

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  Whitesitt, E. Kennedy, collection, 1921-1976

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Personal correspondence of E. Kennedy Whitesitt; examples of his print work; book catalogue of his personal library and a proposal to start a typographic center; typeface series and letterhead examples; teacher’s manuals to teach the Industrial Arts; student workbooks for printing and type; syllabi for Industrial arts; manuals for linotype machines; miscellaneous pamphlets and booklets about typography and typographers; Gutenberg Museum pamphlets and material; The Washburn Bible informational material; photographs of E. K. Whitesitt and his personal library and printing; A. H. Whitesitt’s papers (E. Kennedy Whitesitt’s father); posters on comparatives of printing paper and typefaces; posters about typography and typographers; newspapers of different typefaces; newspaper article about E. Kennedy Whitesitt; loose type pieces; E. K. Whitesitt’s signature in type; small replica of the Washington Press; halftones, lithograph stone; an early composing stick; handmade galley; and miscellaneous items.

  Ermel Kennedy Whitesitt was born in Plainville, Indiana on April 27, 1905 to Andrew and Ada Whitesitt. His family moved to Pittsburg, Kansas in 1913 when his father joined the Industrial Arts faculty of the State Manual Training Normal (now Pittsburg State University). The Industrial Arts building on campus was renamed in Andrew Whitesitt’s honor in 1965. E. Kennedy Whitesitt married Adelaide Mendenhall Whitesitt in 1926 in St. Louis, Missouri. They had two children, Elizabeth and Robert. Kennedy Whitesitt earned his bachelor’s degree in printing and English from Kansas State Teachers College (Pittsburg State University) in 1926. He taught courses at Reed Junior High, Royster Junior High (Chanute, Kansas), Chanute Junior College, and Wichita East High School. He worked at the Ovid Bell Press and was in the accounting department of Curtiss-Wright Corporation during World War II. Later he was a salesman for American Typefounders Corporation of St. Louis, Missouri. He became Sigma Tau Gamma’s first full-time executive secretary in 1953 and served for thirteen years. Whitesitt was a Wilson C. Morris Fellow, was inducted into the Society of Seventeen and designated as a Golden Epsilonian in 1971. During his lifetime he collected many books, some rare, about type, printing, and typography. He had his own personal printing press, the Thistle Printing Press, which he operated from his home. Ermel Kennedy Whitesitt died March 21, 1984.

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  White, William Allen, collection, 1893-1939, 1969

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  This collection includes personal correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs and other miscellaneous materials relating to William Allen White.

  William Allen White was born February 10, 1868, in Emporia, Kansas, to Allen White and Mary Ann (Hatten) White. White attended the College of Emporia and the University of Kansas. In April 1893, White married Sallie Moss Lindsay. The couple moved to Emporia in 1895 and White bought the Emporia Gazette. Through this newspaper, White became a leading figure of the populist movement in Kansas. White passed away on January 29, 1944.

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  Whittemore, Arthur G., collection, 1940-1944

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of photographs taken by Arthur G. Whittemore.

  Arthur Glenn Whittemore (1907-1980) grew up in Warsaw, Ohio. Prior to World War II, he worked for the Ohio Highway System, as a truck driver, and as a photographer. He entered the Enlisted Reserve Corps in July of 1942 as a Liaison Flying, receiving training in Pittsburg, Kansas. He was called to active duty at Fort Leavenworth in May 1944. Arthur was reclassified to the Patrol Squadron 152 and was assigned to the 4504^th at the Pratt Army Air Base, in Kansas. Arthur and Betty Lou Reese, of Pittsburg, Kansas, were married by 1944. After the war, Arthur Whittemore worked as a professional photographer, mainly in Columbus, Ohio, taking aerial and commercial shots, focusing on many subjects like his wife, people, railroads, and nature. In the mid-1950s, Arthur and Betty divorced. Afterwards, Arthur Whittemore married Ferol Funk.

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  Widner, Donald Collection, 1886-2012

  Brent McDowell

  This collection contains materials from the life of Donald Widner, a 1936 graduate of Kansas State Teachers College, Pittsburg and resident of Pittsburg, Kansas.

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  Williams, Winferd, collection, 1914-1930

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  This collection contains photographs of Winferd Williams and Grace (McBee) Williams.

  Winferd Merl Williams was born March 28, 1895 in Winfield, Kansas. Winferd married Grace McBee (b. 1897 - d. 1961) on June 6, 1920. He attended school in Winfield and later graduated from Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma. He taught industrial arts at Pittsburg High School, and then ran a farm implement dealership until World War II. During the war years, Winferd served on the East Coast and had a short stint in England. After the war, Winferd and Grace ran an antique business from their home in Pittsburg, Kansas. Winferd and Grace both died in an automobile accident in Harrisonville, Missouri in 1961.

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  Winrod, Gerald B., collection, 1929-1981

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  Gerald Burton Winrod was born March 7, 1900 in Wichita, Kansas to John Wesley and Mabel Craig Winrod. Approximately 1918 John Wesley Winrod became a preacher, and in 1925 Gerald B. Winrod’s parents started the Healing Temple in Wichita, Kansas. Gerald B. Winrod stopped attending school in the fifth grade but was tutored in theology by revivalist Newton N. Riddell. Gerald Winrod is believed to have preached his first sermon when he was twelve years old, and by the time he was in his twenties was a full-time evangelist. In November 1925 Winrod was named the executive director of The Defenders of the Christians Faith, an organization he helped organize, and in April 1926 he began to publish a religious magazine titled The Defender. That same year, Winrod became the World’s Christian Fundamentals Association secretary. Between 1932-1934, Winrod’s beliefs transitioned into conspiratorial anti-Semitism views. When World War II began Winrod supported Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany, with support growing throughout the war. Because of this, he had the nickname of “the Jayhawk Hitler.” Collection consists of correspondence, journals, pamphlets, newsletter, newspapers, photographs, books, and 78s LPs that relate to Gerald B. Winrod and the Defenders of the Christian Faith organization.

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  Winters, Carolyn, collection, 1905

  Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library

  A collection of documents relating to the history of mining in Southeast Kansas.