The Special Collections & University Archives Department contains materials related to the history of Kansas and Pittsburg State University. Special Collections includes printed material, manuscripts, correspondence, business records, and memorabilia which document the culture and inhabitants of Southeast Kansas. University Archives acts as the official repository for Pittsburg State University.
This gallery provides downloadable finding aids for the department's processed collections, and links to available digitized collections in Digital Commons.
SEARCH TIP: Keywords associated with each collection were drawn from the following list. These terms can be entered into the search box on the right.
Agriculture | Health and Medicine | Race and Gender |
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Architecture | Immigration and Emigration | Transportation |
Athletics | Languages and Literature | Recreation and Tourism |
Business and Industry | Military and War | Religion and Philosophy |
Education | Mining | Science and Technology |
Fine Arts | Nature and Geography | Social Life and Customs |
Government and Law | Performing Arts | Social Movements and Services |
Items in Special Collections cannot be checked out but may be used on-site with the assistance of staff. Business hours are from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
For more information about the collections highlighted here or to schedule a visit, please contact: Professor Steve Cox, Archivist & Curator of Special Collections | spcox@pittstate.edu | (620) 235-4883
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New Hope Baptist Church Collection, 1945-1963
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
A collection of minutes, ledgers, and balances for the New Hope Baptist Church of Pittsburg, Kansas.
The New Hope Baptist Church of Pittsburg, Kansas was started by Reverend M. Pickins in 1896. Services were first held in his home, but in 1909 a frame building was purchased where Pittsburg Middle School (originally the high school) now stands. When the city of Pittsburg decided to build a new high school at the site in the early 1920s, the congregation moved the building to 11th Street. One of the ledgers in the collection belonged to Benjamin White, an African American contractor who built the New Hope Baptist Church and acted as treasurer in the 1950s. Its sister church, the Lighthouse Temple Church, was founded in 1919.
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Newman, Clifford B., Collection, 1946-1972
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
A collection of physician’s records: daily logs recording patients and payments from 1946 to 1972.
Dr. Clifford Blenn Newman was born on June 5, 1901 in Fowler, Colorado. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Pittsburg, Kansas. His father worked as a farmer. Newman attended the University of Kansas, and afterwards was employed as a doctor in Pittsburg. He enlisted in the Army for World War II in 1942. Newman was released from service on February 19, 1946. He continued working in Pittsburg as a physician for nearly 30 years after the war, as did his older brother, Carl S. Newman. He never married. Clifford Newman died February 7, 1991 in Pittsburg.
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Nokes, Larry Collection, 1965-2008
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
A collection of PSU Gorillas including statues, plushies, photographs, and other PSU memorabilia.
Larry Nokes, born March 20, 1945, graduated from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1967 and a Master of Science degree in 1969. While trying to earn his M.S., he worked as an Assistant to the Dean of Men. After serving in the US Army from 1969 to 1971, Nokes began working as the Director of Housing at Pittsburg State University (then KSCP) while working as an Instructor in Business Management from 1971 to 1972. In 1974, he was promoted to Director of Physical Plant. Other affiliations he had during his career at Pittsburg State was with the First United Methodist Church, the Pittsburg Day Care Center, City of Pittsburg Board of Zoning Appeals, United Way Worker, the Red Cross, and managing a little league baseball team. Larry retired in 2007.
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Nunn, C. George, Papers, 1909-1925
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
A collection of diary entries, letters, writings, music, scripts, business and financial documents, and other materials related to Mr. C. George Nunn’s activities as a traveling Minstrel show director/producer and musical composer.
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Orpheus Club Collection, ca. 1925
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
The Orpheus Club collection is about a men’s music club on campus in the late 1920’s. This club would later become a chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. The collection consists of a scrapbook which contains member information, music programs and the history of Kansas State Teachers College and the Music Department.
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Owsley, Perry Papers
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
Kansas Supreme Court case documents, other case files, and newspaper articles collected by or for Perry L. Owsley during his tenure as an attorney, Special Commissioner for the Kansas Supreme Court, and Kansas Supreme Court Justice.
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Paine, Albert Bigelow, Collection, 1893-1930
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
Albert Bigelow Paine (1861-1937) was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts and was raised in Xenia, Illinois, where he received his childhood education. At the age of twenty, Bigelow moved to St. Louis, where he trained as a photographer, leading him in 1885 to be a dealer in photographic supplies (The A. B. Paine Photo Supply Company) in Fort Scott, Kansas. After ten years, Paine sold this business in 1895 to become a full-time writer, moving to New York. He spent some time in Europe, including France where he wrote two books about Joan of Arc, leading to France awarding him the title of Chevalier in the Légion d'honneur. Bigelow was an American author and biographer best known for his work with Mark Twain, including an authorized biography. Paine was a member of the Pulitzer Prize Committee and wrote in several genres, including fiction, humor, and verse.
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Paraguay Archives of Terror Collection, 1957–1999
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
This collection consists of photocopies of correspondence, newspaper clippings and reports all relating to the Archives of Terror.
The “Archives of Terror” (Archivos del Terror) is a collection of more than half a million documents, held in Paraguay, that record some of the crimes undertaken by the Alfredo Stroessner regime. Alfredo Stroessner was a Paraguayan army officer and dictator of Paraguay from 1954 – 1989. The archive confirms countries such as Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay & Uruguay coordinated intelligence & prisoner exchanges to suppress political opposition under “Operation Condor”. The United States government provided planning, coordination, training on torture, financial & military aid and technical support to these military governments from the Johnson to Reagan presidencies. The archives were discovered in 1992 by attorney, and educator Martín Almada and Judge José Agustín Fernández when requesting habeas data from a police department in Lambaré, Paraguay. The archives listed 50,000 people murdered, 30,000 “disappeared” and 400,000 imprisoned. Some countries have been able to use the archives to prosecute those who were involved, such as Chilean General Augusto Pinochet, and Pastor Coronel.
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Parks, Gordon A. (1912- ), Collection, 1968-2004
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
A collection of photographs, biographical materials, posters, and other items pertaining to the career of Gordon Parks. The materials in this collection mostly concern two movies directed by Parks; The Learning Tree and Leadbelly. A checklist of Parks’ published works held by Pittsburg State University is appended to this page.
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Parrish, William A., Papers, 1924-1950
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
The William A. Parrish Papers covers the payments of Dr. Parrish’s house calls and the payments made in between 1924 to 1950, covering his work in Mulberry and Pittsburg, Kansas.
Born on August, 22nd, 1888 in the small mining town of Curranville, Kansas (Crawford County), William Parish was one of six children. As a child, William grew up farming and working in the coal mines, but made his way through high school eventually to pursue a career in the medical field. In 1909, William attended the Barnes Medical School in St. Louis, then transferred to the Medical School at the University of Tennessee, graduating in 1913, which then qualified him to work as a physician. After a brief period in Arkansas, William came back to Crawford County, settling in the small town of Mulberry. In 1916 he married Jennette Boniols. In 1917, Dr. Parish, answered the call to serve his country and joined the Medical Corps which was training in Fort Riley. His rank was Captain. In June, 1918, Parrish shipped out from New Jersey and landed on the shores of France, staying there until June, 1919. When he returned to Mulberry, ‘Doc’ Parish made house calls for the residents in a horse and carriage. In 1936, he moved his family to Pittsburg, Kansas. In 1955, he retired and quit his practice due to illness. William A. Parrish passed away on July 5th, 1962.
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Pate, Martha, Collection, 1904-1986
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
Martha Pate was a music professor at Pittsburg State University and the organist-director at the Methodist Church in Pittsburg. This collection contains correspondence, school and professional work, programs, materials from professional organizations, religious materials, programs and information about various types of organs and the companies that produced them.
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Patterson, Rebecca Elizabeth (1911-1975), Papers, 1936, 1951-1955
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
Papers of Rebecca Patterson, a professor of English at Pittsburg State University from 1954 until her death. Patterson was a noted authority on the poetess, Emily Dickinson. These papers primarily reflect her activities as a teacher and Dickinson scholar.
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Pease, Samuel J., Collection, 1906-1950
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
A collection of letters, publications, writings, and school materials of Samuel J. Pease, former professor.
Samuel J. Pease (1877-1956) graduated from Northwestern University, Illinois in 1897 with a BS, and in 1898, with an MA. In 1931, he graduated from the University of Chicago with a PhD. He taught Greek, Latin, and German at various universities and high schools before coming to the State Manual Normal Training School (now Pittsburg State University) in 1915 to be the head of the Foreign Language Department. Dr. Pease was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (ΦMA), Eta Sigma Phi, and Alpha Mu Gamma. In 1945, Dr. Pease stepped down as head of the department but remained a few years as a professor of Foreign Language at the university.
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Pelsma, John R., Collection, 1894-1958
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
John Reinder Pelsma was a Professor of Public Speaking at the State Manual Training Normal School (now Pittsburg State University) 1920 – 1950. He taught students how to utilize different speaking styles through debate, extemporaneous speech, poems, and dramas. The collection contains correspondence, biographical information, education materials, writings by Pelsma and others, printed speeches and publications, clippings, photographs, and miscellaneous items. This collection focuses on Pelsma’s work at Pittsburg State University, with some documents relating to his previous spots of employment. A majority of the collection are his personal writings and the writings of others.
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Pendleton, Harold G., Collection, 1943-1948
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
A collection of World War II materials belonging to Harold G. Pendleton, who served in the United States Eighth Army Air Force, including correspondence, military service records and artifacts, photographs, various ration book/cards, as well as Kansas State Teachers College theatre programs.
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Penny, John S., Collection, 1915-1930
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
A collection of photocopies of John S. Penny’s poems, rhymes, and lyrics. Also included is unpublished poetry, family history, photographs, and correspondence.
John Scott Penny was born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1848. In 1881, he and Irene Hixson married, and had two sons. Around 1900, they moved to Fort Scott, Kansas. There, Penny worked first as a real estate agent. Penny went on to open his own real estate, insurance, and loan office in 1914. Between 1915 and 1930, John Penny wrote approximately 500 poems, mostly about Kansas, Iowa, and the aspects of life around him. About 50 of his poems were published in Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri newspapers. In 1917 Penny published a poem booklet called Short Poems at Odd Hours, which included 141 of his poems. His writing gained national attention when he wrote a poem titled “The World’s Answer” in 1919 as a response to Lt. Col. John D. McCrae’s World War I poem titled “In Flanders Fields,” written in 1915. Penny died in Fort Scott in 1933.
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Perkins, L. H., Letters, 1892-1893
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
The L. H. Perkins Letters consists of the legal documentation and correspondence between Lucius Hiram Perkins and his client A. D. Williams. The letters pertain to the purchase of several foreclosing properties in Nebraska throughout the latter half of 1893.
Pauline Lang Hibbard was born March 3, 1905 in Cherryvale, Kansas to Sherburne and Dixon Hibbard. When she was 25, she became a school teacher in Cherryvale, Kansas. In the early 1930s she moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and in 1940 married Edward L. Stauffacher from St. Paul, Minnesota. At the beginning of World War II her husband was drafted and they moved to Chicago. After the war, her husband became the president of City Service Oil Company of Pennsylvania. Later they moved to Chappaqua, New York. Edward passed away in 1966 and Pauline passed away in 1995 in Greenwich, Connecticut.
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Perry, Esther A., Collection, 1908-1978
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library, Pittsburg State University
A collection of photographs, a program, and a newspaper clipping related to Esther Atkinson Perry, her family, and her friends from the 1910s to the 1970s.
Esther Atkinson Perry was born to John and Mary Atkinson on April 29, 1897. She grew up in southeast Kansas, and lived in Pittsburg, Girard, and Webb City, Missouri. In 1933, Esther married Thomas Hall Perry in Jackson County, Missouri. Afterwards, they moved to Webb City where Thomas was the manager of a café before working as a chemist at the Eagle-Picher Smelting Company in Joplin. Thomas passed away in 1947 of coronary thrombosis. Esther Atkinson Perry passed away in 1985.
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Peterson, Wayne, Collection, 1894-1978
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
Wayne Gordon Peterson was an historian for the Naval Air Corps. His personal library is at the Pittsburg Public Library, and his papers on the Naval Air Corps are located at the University of Kansas. This collection consists of clippings, correspondence, contracts, publications, photographs, and personal family materials.
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Phillips, Pauline, Collection, 1921-1930
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
A collection of a scrapbook, scrapbook items, and other papers of Pauline Phillip’s time at Kansas State Teachers College (1921-1925), now Pittsburg State University.
Pauline Phillips was born on August 30, 1899 and grew up near Columbus, Kansas. She attended the Kansas State Teachers College from 1921 to 1925. Pauline conducted the Commercial Department of Cedar Vale High School (Kansas) for two years before receiving her degree in 1925. She was a member of Alpha Sigma Alpha, the W.A.A., and the YWCA. Pauline passed away on October 8, 1987.
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Pittsburg and Midway Coal Company, Records
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
Records, correspondence, and other documentation from the Pittsburg and Midway Coal Company dating from the late 1920s to the mid 1930s with some from pre-1900 and post 1980.
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Pittsburg Area Arts and Crafts Association Records, Collection
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
A collection of meeting minutes, records, publicity, PAACA theater productions, entertainment, art auctions and Little Balkans festivals.
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Pittsburg Bicentennial-Centennial Collection, 1967-1976
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
Contains correspondence, forms, lists, and newspapers related to the Pittsburg Bicentennial-Centennial celebration in 1976.
The Pittsburg Bicentennial-Centennial was the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the United States and the 100th anniversary of the city of Pittsburg, Kansas in 1976. The celebration was spearheaded by Edward T. McNally of McNally Pittsburg Manufacturing Corporation. He said the objective was “to celebrate our past in a unique town and instill a sense of pride in the past and the present.” A feature of the Centennial celebration was the Pittsburg Hall of Fame. This was a list of 100 people, approximately 10% alive at the time, that aided the building and development of Pittsburg. Carl Brown, chairman, created the Hall of Fame and with a committee selected the 100 people to be recognized. Planning for the events began in 1973 to celebrate the city’s centennial on its birthday, May 20, 1976, and the country’s bicentennial on July 4, 1976.
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Pittsburg Board of Education Collection, 1871-1987
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
A collection of financial records and Board of Education minutes from 1871 – 1987 for School District No. 49 and USD 250 in Pittsburg, Kansas.
School District No. 49 of Pittsburg, Kansas and the surrounding area was organized in January of 1877. Beginning with a two-story wooden building, the school district either made renovations or added new schools every few years. District 49 grew from one classroom, requiring just one teacher, to needing 32 teachers to accommodate its 32 classrooms by 1891. The enrollment of students increased from 100 to 1,800 in eleven years. It was not until after 1962 when the state of Kansas adopted unified school districts to reduce the number of rural districts that School District No. 49 became USD 250. Before the legislation, Kansas had 3,000 districts, which then dropped below 400.
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Pittsburg Community Theatre Records, 1979-2016
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
Bylaws, correspondence, performance records & recordings, meeting minutes, financial documents, newsletters, newspaper clippings, forums, policies, handbooks, lease agreements, photographs, programs & miscellaneous materials.
The Pittsburg Community Theatre was founded in a joint effort of the Pittsburg Parks and Recreation department and Pittsburg Area Arts and Crafts Association. Misty Maynard was appointed to access the feasibility of establishing a community theatre group, she then decided to stage a production of “The Music Man.” The community’s response proved incredibly positive and the project was deemed a success. On April 30, 1981, Pittsburg Community Theatre became a non-profit organization. The City of Pittsburg granted space in the Memorial Auditorium as part of an agreement to produce three shows in the calendar year. The 100th production of the PCT was a production of “The Music Man” in 2006.
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Pittsburg Fire Department, Pittsburg, Kansas, Call Register, 1907-1917
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
A ledger book containing a handwritten account on lined paper of fire alarm calls for Pittsburg, Kansas from January 1, 1907 through March 30, 1917.
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Pittsburg Industrial Revenue Bonds Collection, 1971-1994
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
This collection consists of legal and corporate paperwork, correspondence, and industrial revenue bonds granted by the city of Pittsburg, Kansas from 1971-1994.
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Pittsburg Ordinances and Resolutions Collection, 1945-1979
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
This is a collection consisting of personal correspondence, ordinances, resolutions, contracts, appraisals, and other miscellaneous items related to several Pittsburg civil engineering projects.
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Pittsburg Porcelain Artists Collection, 1977-1996
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
Newspaper clippings, photos, meeting minutes, yearbooks, books, and other records relating to the Pittsburg Porcelain Artists organization.
The Pittsburg Porcelain Artists was founded by Rosalie Talley and 15 other porcelain artists in 1977. The goal of the organization was to share ideas, techniques, and improve their skills.
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Pittsburg Pottery Company Collection, 1983-1994
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
A collection of legal papers, financial statements, and correspondence relating to the final decade of the Pittsburg Pottery Company.
The pottery business in Pittsburg began in 1888 when a smelting company provided a section for stonemasonry. In 1913, this section became independent and was named the Pittsburg Clay Works. Originally owned by A. K. and E. V. Lanyon, the company was bought by a group of people, including Henry Matarazzi, in 1925. Matarazzi gained complete ownership in 1944 and the name changed to the Pittsburg Pottery Company. Matarazzi passed the business on to his son in 1952 who sold it to an Oswego pottery company in 1982. Until World War II, the company used coal to fire the kilns, but switched to natural gas after the war. In the 1980s, gas prices rose sharply, making payments more difficult. After a recession, sales of its products slowed. The company found it difficult to pay its loans to the City of Pittsburg, even with modifications to the payments plans. The company closed in the mid-1990s.
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Pitts, ZaSu (1894-1963), Collection, 1921-2003
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
The photos and materials in this collection are related to actress ZaSu Pitt’s life, films and theatrical work. The collection is made up of photographs, clippings, programs, scripts, films, and promotions posters.
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Poole, Dorothy, Collection, 1924
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
This collection includes essays, short stories, notes, and tests results, apparently taken while a student at State Manual Training Normal School in Pittsburg, Kansas.
Dorothy Ann (Hicks) Poole was born in 1894. She married William Harvey Poole (b. 1892 – d. 1980) in 1916 in Columbus, Kansas. They had one son. Dorothy attended the State Manual Training Normal School (now Pittsburg State University) around 1924. William worked in the oil business and also served as the mayor of Galena, Kansas. Dorothy Poole passed away in 1982.
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Portis, Holland, Craig Family Collection
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
The Portis, Holland, Craig family owned mining land in Arkansas. Mrs. Mary Portis, having lost all three of her sons and husband, adopted Miss Mary Holland as her heir. Upon Mrs. Portis’s death Miss Holland inherited the estate and lands. Miss Holland married John Craig. Mrs. Craig’s grandson, Richard Buthod, donated the family’s mining materials to the Pittsburg State University Special Collections & Archives in 2015.
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Poulos, James T., Collection, 1981-2011
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
James T. Poulos was born December 7, 1931, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and died on September 25, 2010, in Stillwater, Oklahoma. In 1969 Poulos gained employment at Pittsburg State University as an assistant professor teaching violin. During his time at PSU, he conducted several bands, taught music appreciation, music theory, music history, and was a performer in the Faculty String Quartet. Poulos had a strong interest in early stringed instruments, which led him to become an expert in the construction and technique in these instruments. This collection includes correspondence, Pittsburg State University materials, research, music, art, photographs, newspaper clippings, and miscellaneous materials.
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Powell, William E., Collection, 1912-2011
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
A collection of documents, papers, and letters regarding William E. Powell’s research of mining and European immigrants in southeast Kansas.
Dr. William E. Powell received his Bachelor of Science in Geology (major) and Geography (minor) from Oklahoma State University in 1954. He went on to receive his Master of Science in Geology from the University of Arkansas in 1958 and his Doctor of Philosophy in Geography from the University of Nebraska in 1970. While earning his doctorate, Dr. Powell studied French and German. Later in his life he began to learn Italian, striving for complete fluency. He was a professor at Pittsburg State University from 1959 to 1996, teaching geography and geology. Dr. Powell has published many articles on various subjects, including geology, coal mining, population patterns, and Europeans in southeast Kansas.
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Presbyterian Church of Pittsburg, Collection, 1879-2003
Presbyterian Church of Pittsburg
A collection of minutes, registries, historical notes, and photographs of the First Presbyterian and the United Presbyterian Churches of Pittsburg, Kansas.
In the early days of Pittsburg, Kansas, there were two Presbyterian Churches. While both were technically First United Presbyterian Churches, one was locally called the First Church and the other was called the United Presbyterian (UP) Church. The two churches, despite being the same denomination, were different in organization, style, and heritage. The First United Presbyterian Church was started on March 12, 1879. The first full-time minister was Reverend Francis Symmes who served from 1883 to 1885. The church had several more ministers before Rev. Gerritt Snyder. It was during his time that a new church was built in 1907. The United Presbyterian Church was started on April 29, 1880 with Rev. Gibson of the Beulah, Kansas church serving as minister. In 1891, the United Presbyterian Church purchased the Tabernacle Methodist Church, which is now the Memorial Auditorium. In 1915, construction began for a new church, which was dedicated in 1916. Both congregations moved or built new churches several more times before the two churches merged on January 1, 1986, becoming the Presbyterian Church of Pittsburg, Kansas.
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Proctor, Alvin H., Collection, 1944-1999
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
A collection of speeches, newspaper clippings, correspondence, publications, and photographs of Dr. Alvin H. Proctor. Alvin. H. Proctor was born on July 29, 1912. He attended the University of Kansas from 1930-1931, and Kansas State Teachers College (KSTC) from 1932-1935 where he graduated with a double major in English and journalism. Alvin Proctor married Mary Faye Cooper in 1933. Proctor received his master’s degree from KSTC in 1936. He taught history, government, and journalism at Hot Springs High School in New Mexico before beginning studies at the University of Wisconsin for a Ph.D. from 1938-1939. He had various teaching positions until he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the aviation branch of the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1944. Proctor taught at Fort Hays State College in 1943 and 1946-47 before he returned to the University of Wisconsin to complete his Ph.D. in history and government in June 1948. He was a part of the faculty at Pittsburg State University from 1948 until 1984 as a history professor and administrator. Dr. Proctor passed away in Frontenac, Kansas in 2001.
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Progressive Study Club Collection, 1949-2018
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
Bylaws, constitutions, certificates, collects, correspondence, financials, newspaper clippings, photographs, records, scrapbooks & yearbooks related to the Progressive Study Club of Pittsburg, Kansas.
The Progressive Study Club, part of the Third District of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs of Kansas, was organized in 1949. The goal of the club, as stated in its constitution, is to “promote civic, social, philanthropic, cultural, and educational movements, and thereby gain more knowledge.” The club, comprised of only women, would meet regularly and take on special projects. These projects included donating items and their time to the community. Dorothy Resnar (1924-2013) was a long-time member who held positions including president within the club.
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Pryer/Baxter Collection
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
A collection of personal correspondence, photographs, various arts programs and collections of songs, and newspaper clippings regarding people of Pittsburg, Kansas, Mt. St. Helen eruption, Watergate, and America’s Bicentennial.
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Purcell, Arleen, Collection, 1919-1991
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
A collection of documents and items related to Fort Scott and southeast Kansas, and Arleen Purcell’s travels and studies.
Arleen Purcell (1912-2001) was an elementary school teacher in Fort Scott, Kansas who collaborated in writing the musical Footprints on the Frontier. She was married to Ralph Emerson Purcell, with whom she had two sons. Purcell took great interest in local history and community organizations. In the 1970s, she took study abroad trips through Western Illinois University and the Kansas State College of Pittsburg (now Pittsburg State University) to South America.
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Radley, Kansas, Collection, 1913-1960
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
This collection consists of photographs and postcards from immigrant families in Radley, Kansas.
Radley, Kansas is a small unincorporated community located in Crawford County five miles north and three miles west of Pittsburg. Radley was founded as a mining camp of the Girard Coal Company.
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Randolph, John (1857-1901), Scrapbook, 1894-1898
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
A ledger book containing newspaper clippings relating primarily to the city of Pittsburg, and to elections and other political matters in Crawford County, Kansas. Includes one letter to Randolph from J. C. Buchanan, editor of the Pittsburg Kansan.
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Rash, Harry E., Collection, 1941-1958
Special Collections, Leonard H. Axe Library
A scrapbook about the history of the banks of Thayer and Stark, Kansas, their fiftieth anniversaries, and Harry E. Rash’s career as a banker in the 1940s and 1950s. The scrapbook is comprised of newspaper clippings, photographs, letters, and cards.
Harry Edgar Rash was born on November 24, 1910 in Atlanta, Kansas. He began working as a bookkeeper at the First National Bank of Thayer, Kansas on June 1, 1927 and was elected to cashier in 1936. Two years later, following the death of Edgar Rash, his father, Harry was elected president of the First National Bank of Thayer. In the early 1930s Harry married Ruth Julia Pownall and had two children by 1940. In 1944, Harry was elected as President for the Stark State Bank of Kansas and operated as such for both banks. His wife Ruth was the Vice President of the Stark State Bank. Harry passed away in 1995 and Ruth passed away in 1999.
The bank of Thayer, Kansas first opened in 1904 as the Citizens State Bank. In 1907, the bank was bought from the original incorporators by W. H. Slaughter who then sold it in 1908 to S. M. Pickens. In 1909, the bank was nationalized and renamed the First National Bank. After being briefly closed in 1911, the bank reopened with J. A. Alleman as cashier and Edgar Rash, Harry Rash’s father, as assistant cashier. To celebrate its 50th anniversary in 1954, the bank was remodeled, updating the entrance, rearranging the entire interior, and modernizing the appearance. A contemporary article states that the bank’s goal was to stay as modern as possible in terms of appearance and services.
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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 24th Governor of Kansas and served until 1931. Reed also served as a Kansas Senator from 1939-1949. He died on November 8th, 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 314th 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
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 (1880- ), 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.