Wilson, Dr. Gregory S., Rubber Workers Oral History Collection

Range: 2014 - 2014 Size: 0.17 Record Group: $content.recordGroup

The Dr. Gregory S. Wilson Rubber Workers Oral History Collection consists of seven oral histories conducted by students in his Oral History class at The University of Akron, which took place in Spring Semester 2014. The oral histories include digital audio recordings and transcripts of interviews with people who worked in various positions in Akron’s rubber industry, mostly at The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and Firestone Tire & Rubber Company.  This includes Dr. Charles Bell, Al Fitch, Don Heffner, Jim Hooks, Rick Houck, Dave Persons, and Mike Waugh. 

Voris, Alvin Coe, Letters

Range: 1860 - 1865 Size: .50 Record Group: 99/140

Alvin Coe Voris (1827-1904), an attorney from Akron, Ohio, served in the Ohio Legislature and then as commander of the 67th Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the American Civil War. He rose to the rank of Brevet Major General commanding a Brigade and then a Division. His letters consist of correspondence to his wife, Lydia Allyn Voris, from 1860 through 1865 that relate his experiences as a soldier and officer in the Union Army.

  View the Voris letters here.

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Vallen, George D., Sr., Papers

Range: 1916 - 2013 Size: 1.25 Record Group: 99/173

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George Dales Vallen, Sr. (1899-1978) of Akron, Ohio served during the Mexican Border War and during World War I in Company F of the 8th Ohio Infantry Regiment of the Ohio National Guard, which was redesignated Company F of the 146th Infantry Regiment of the 73rd Infantry Brigade of the 37th Division, also known as the “Buckeye Division.”  His papers document his experiences during the Border War and World War I and include diaries, correspondence, photographs, Company F rosters, maps of the front, a two-volume history of the 37th Division, and a biography of Vallen.  Researchers interested in the experience of an enlisted man during the Great War or the war in general would find this collection useful. 

  To view the Letters and Diaries.

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Sylvia Smith Archives of Smith Publications & Sonic Arts Editions

Range: 1930s - 2000s Size: 30 cubic feet Record Group: $content.recordGroup

Sylvia Smith is a publisher of New and Experimental classical music and owner of Smith Publications & Sonic Art Editions. Her archives contain correspondence, manuscripts, scores, phonotapes, compact discs, videotapes of performances, and publications by and about composers including Milton Babbit, John Cage, Robert Erickson, Ben Johnston, Pauline Oliveros, Stuart Saunders Smith, and others.

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Stewart, Horace and Evelyn, Photograph Collection

Range: 1897 - 1978 Size: 37 Record Group: $content.recordGroup

Horace St. John Stewart and Evelyn Poole Stewart (later McNeil) were a husband-and-wife team of professional Black photographers who owned and operated Stewart’s Photo Studio on N. Howard Street in Akron, Ohio. Their photographs visually document the rich history of the Black community in Akron, northeast Ohio, and beyond, from 1897 to 1978. The collection consists of approximately 46,000 historic black and white and color photographic prints and negatives taken or collected by the Stewarts that capture Black personalities and families; religious, social, and cultural organizations; and civil rights.

Sierra Club, Portage Trail Group, Records

Range: 1971 - 2006 Size: 21 Record Group: $content.recordGroup

The Portage Trail Group of the Sierra Club was founded in Akron, Ohio in 1972. The group advocated for a number of local environmental causes including the creation the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area. Today, it offers public education programs, lobbies for outdoor recreation, and offer scholarships for environmental education. The records include meeting minutes, correspondence, reports, bylaws, histories, photographs, budgets, directories, newspaper clippings, maps, newsletters, publications, financial records, subject files and VHS tapes that document the history and work of the group. The records also contain some materials relating to the national organization.

Polsley, John J.

Range: 1839 - 1948 Size: 0.5 cubic feet Record Group: 99/136

Lieutenant Colonel John J. Polsley served in the American Civil War in the 8th Regiment Virginia Volunteers, which later became the 7th Regiment West Virginia Cavalry. Polsley was captured in 1863 and sent to Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia. The papers primarily contain correspondence to his wife, Ellen (Nelly) S. Donnally Polsley. He wrote of camp life and battles as well as his thoughts on war. Also included are letters to his father, Judge Daniel H. Polsley.

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Pardee, Caroline J., Papers

Range: 1828 - 2004 Size: 70 Record Group: 99/184

Caroline J. Pardee (1911-2003) was administrative assistant in the President's Office of The University of Akron for over thirty years, as well as an active member of the Akron community. She was a local writer and poet, an active member of the Delta Gamma Sorority, a world traveler, and member of the Universalist Church of Akron. Her papers document her community involvement, family, travels, and University of Akron connections and include correspondence, newspaper clippings, publications, photographs, slides, stories and poems, personal notes, artifacts, and travel materials.

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Oral History of the Crime Victim Assistance Field Video and Audio Archive

Range: 2002 - 2002 Size: 3 cubic feet Record Group: $content.recordGroup

The Oral History of the Crime Victim Assistance Field Project was funded in 2002 by a grant from the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. It is one of many projects developed by Justice Solutions, a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing rights, resources, and respect for victims and communities hurt by crime. The video archive includes 55 hours of digitized video interviews with 65 of the key individuals involved the development of the crime victim assistance field.

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Oenslager, George, Papers

Range: 1850 - 1972 Size: 3 cubic feet Record Group: $content.recordGroup

George Oenslager (1873-1956) was a chemist who worked for the B.F. Goodrich Company in Akron, Ohio. He discovered that a derivative of aniline accelerated the vulcanization of rubber with sulfur, which was crucial to the commercialization of both natural and synthetic rubber. His papers consist of correspondence, financial records, photographs, biographical information, chemistry notes, manuals and equipment, and patents.

Ninth Air Force Association, Archives of the

Range: 1932 - 2012 Size: 39.36 cubic feet Record Group: 99/127

The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command that carried out tactical bombing of enemy targets in support of the Allied ground forces and engaged in air to air fighter combat against enemy aircraft in the North African Campaign and European Theater of World War II. The Ninth Air Force also engaged in combat operations during the Korean War, Vietnam War, and Operation Desert Storm. The Ninth Air Force Association (9AFA) was established in 1990 to broaden public knowledge of the deeds and history of the Ninth Air Force and to honor and commemorate the sacrifices made by its members. The Archives of the 9AFA includes newsletters, membership lists, reunion programs, and photographs. It also contains unit histories and personal papers such as diaries, photographs, and oral histories of individuals who served in the Ninth Air Force, predominantly during World War II.

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Karam, Annetta, Travel Diaries

Range: 2001 - 2009 Size: 0.25 Record Group: $content.recordGroup

Annetta Karam (1915-2014) was a social worker in New York and Akron, Ohio, an active community member, an honorary alumna of The University of Akron (UA), and a world traveler who traveled around the world 10 times. She also was the wife of Dr. Harvey A. Karam and sister of Dr. Adib Karam, recognized Akron physicians and UA alums. Her travel diaries include 29 unbound, typewritten logs or diaries that document her travels around the world.

Isenman, Louis P. Papers

Range: 1862 - 1975 Size: 0.39 Record Group: 99/183

Louis P. Isenman was born in 1895 to German immigrant, John Isenman. A member of the Alsace-Lorraine Benevolent Union, he joined the military and served in both the Mexican Border War and World War I. Discharged in 1919, he passed away in 1986. The collection contains several documents from his father’s citizenship papers to his military papers as well as 152 photographs covering both the Mexican Border War and World War I.

 

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Hartrum, Newell H., Drawings of University of Akron Buildings

Range: 1983 - 1983 Size: 0.25 Record Group: $content.recordGroup

Newell H. “Newt” Hartrum (1926-2012) was a graphic designer and freelance artist from Wooster, Ohio who created numerous pen and ink drawings of houses and buildings in Ohio. The drawings consists of seven 16” x 20” prints of Newell’s illustrations of buildings on The University of Akron campus including Buchtel Hall, Memorial Hall, McDowell Law Center, Buckingham Center, E.J. Thomas Hall, Gardner Student Center, and Auburn Science Center.

Gross, Alan “AirshipAl” Collection

Range: 1922 - 2017 Size: 114 cubic feet Record Group: $content.recordGroup

Alan “AirshipAl” Gross is an airship aficionado and collector of all things airship.  He worked on the ground crew at the Flushing Airport in New York City and helped found two airship companies, Airships International Ltd. and Airship Enterprises Inc.  The collection includes information on various airships important in the history of lighter-than-air flight including the Goodyear, Budweiser, SeaWorld, Shamu, MetLife, Fuji, and Jordache blimps, to name a few.  Materials include press kits, flight manuals, drawings, books, journals, newspaper clippings, photographs and slides, videotapes and films, musical scores, phonograph recordings, inflatables, clothing, and airship toys and collectibles.  View the photographs and slides from the collection here.

Friends of Music Records

Range: 1921 - 2007 Size: 2.0 Record Group: $content.recordGroup

The Friends of Music, founded in Akron, Ohio in 1921, seeks to enrich and encourage young musicians and children by offering them an opportunity to perform in a non-competitive and friendly environment and offers membership to professional, semi-professional, and aspiring musicians and non-performing music lovers. The records include annual reports, constitutions and bylaws, correspondence, programs, and scrapbooks containing programs, newspaper clippings, photographs, and meeting minutes.

Fish, Floyd Hamilton Jr., Papers

Range: 1929 - 1974 Size: .25 Record Group: 99/111

Floyd Hamilton “Ham” Fish, Jr. (1923-2009) of Blacksburg, Virginia was a mechanical engineer and inventor who worked for Dupont in Wilmington, Delaware from 1954-1986, primarily in Pioneering Research. He was also an airship aficionado and assembled a small collection on the subject. His papers include correspondence, working/office files, original drawings by Fish of lighter-than-air craft, and Fish’s publications relating to his time working at DuPont, particularly on airship envelopes.

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Cleveland Composers’ Guild Records

Range: 1975 - 2001 Size: 11.0 Record Group: $content.recordGroup

The Cleveland Composers Guild (CCG) is an organization that promotes the music of professional composer-members living in Northeast Ohio through recordings, a publication series, and free multi-disciplinary concerts. One of the nation’s oldest new music organizations, CCG has had more than 200 members over its 50-year history. The records include subject files, meeting minutes, newsletters, newspaper clippings, flyers, concert programs, awards, music scores, cassette tapes, and CDs documenting the history of the CCG and its members. 

Bliss, Ray and Ellen, Papers

Range: 1925 - 1990 Size: 65 cubic feet Record Group: $content.recordGroup

Ray C. Bliss (1907-1981) was a long-time Republican politician from Akron, Ohio who served on the local, state, and national levels. As Chairman of the Republican National Committee he helped rebuild the Republican Party and helped Richard Nixon win the White House in 1968.  The papers document the life and work of Ray Bliss and his wife, Ellen, as well as the Republican Party and political events including conventions and inaugurations.  They include correspondence, publications, newspaper clippings, photographs, scrapbooks, campaign materials, artifacts, and memorabilia. 

Bath Volunteers for Service Records

Range: 1958 - 2013 Size: 14 cubic feet Record Group: 99/179

Bath Volunteers for Service was founded in 1958 by the residents of Bath Township, a suburb of Akron, Ohio. The charitable organization works to serve the community through fundraising and financial donations to local schools, businesses, and recreation centers. The records include meeting minutes, financial documents, scrapbooks, reports, newsletters, membership information, photographs, and subject files.

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B-26 Marauder Archives, Robert L. Holliday Papers

Range: 1942 - 2001 Size: 3 cubic feet Record Group: 100/1

Lt. Col. Robert L. "Hap" Holliday (1916-2013) of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania served as a B-26 Marauder pilot in the 572nd and 573rd bomb squadrons of the 391st Bombardment Group during World War II. He flew 65 missions during the war, including the D-Day invasion. After the war Holliday worked as a sales engineer and later founder and president of R.L. Holliday Company. His papers include his military service records and correspondence and materials from the 391st Bomb Group Association, the B-26 Marauder Historical Society, and the B-26 Archives Advisory Council.

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B-26 Marauder Archives

Range: 1930 - 2008 Size: 200 cubic feet Record Group: 100

The Martin B-26 Marauder was a medium bomber used in the Pacific and European theaters of operation during World War II and on a limited basis during the Korean conflict. The B-26 Marauder Archives consists of photographs, letters, diaries, mission reports, microfilm, artifacts, and other materials that document the important contribution made by the B-26 Marauder and the men who flew and maintained them during the Second World War. The Archives also contains official records of numerous Marauder reunion groups including newsletters, membership lists, reunion programs, and photographs. The archives also includes published materials including bombardment group and squadron histories, personal accounts, and books and pamphlets on the Marauder men.

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